Amanda Ellis, executive director of Hawaii and Asia Pacific in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, contributed a chapter to a book that was selected as the recipient of this year's R. Wayne Pace HRD Book of the Year Award. The book, "Leadership and Power in International Development: Navigating the Intersections of Gender, Culture, Context, and Sustainability," can be previewed on Google.

Ellis’s chapter is titled “From Marginal to Mainstream: Leadership in Integrating Gender into Private Sector Development.”

Former ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes NatureNet Science Fellow Kelly Gravuer is the lead-author of a Global Change Biodiversity paper titled “Organic amendment additions to rangelands: A meta‐analysis of multiple ecosystem outcomes.”

This publication displays both the harms and environmental benefits of organic amendments in land agriculture through studies observing how the environment responds to organic modifications.

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Julia Marton-Lefèvre, board member for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, won a lifetime achievement award from the National Council for Science and the Environment. According to NCSE, this award "honors those who have made a significant impact to our community through research, education, diplomacy and/or innovative technologies."

Marton-Lefèvre is the former director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest international conservation membership organization. Prior positions include rector of the U.N.-mandated University for Peace, executive director of Leadership for Environment and Development International, and executive director of the International Council for Science.

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A prominent British biographer, broadcaster, eco-critic and Shakespearean is visiting Arizona State University this spring to further elevate the university’s already top-ranked humanities research.

From January to February 2019, Sir Jonathan Bate, professor and provost of Worcester College, Oxford University, is distinguished visiting professor in ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. He is consulting on an emerging medical humanities project, delivering several lectures on themes of sustainability and wellness — both on and off the ASU campus — and co-teaching an eco-literature course with ASU English Professor Mark Lussier.

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The losses of animal species have spurred some conservationists to do just about anything to save endangered animals and have inspired researchers to develop technology that might bring back once-extinct species. But even if we could bring back extinct species, should we?

In his new book, “The Fall of the Wild: Extinction, De-Extinction, and the Ethics of Conservation,” Arizona State University sustainability scholar Ben Minteer looks into the ethical dilemmas of the loss and recovery of animal species.

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Arizona State University is pleased to announce the permanent establishment of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, furthering the institution’s efforts to become a global leader in sustainability education and applied research.

The solutions service will serve as the umbrella entity for all the programs previously seed-funded in earlier investments by Rob and Melani Walton through their charitable foundation.

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The ASU School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences is excited to offer a unique research experience for undergraduate students for summer 2019 in the Philippines.

This 9-week summer program will investigate the impacts of human interference in fisheries by exploring the genetic and species-level changes in fishery exploitation and habitat degradation.

Students will get hands-on training both in a laboratory and a field setting in subjects of molecular biology and bioinformatics.

The deadline to apply is January 25, 2019.

For more information, click here.

ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber was recently interviewed by 12 News about the death of the third Dolphinaris Arizona dolphin named Khloe.

So far, three of the six dolphins have passed away since the opening of Dolphinaris in 2016. A Dolphinaris spokesperson explained that Khloe came into the aquariums already suffering from a parasite.

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Arizona State University sustainability scientists Rimjhim Aggarwal and Ariel Anbar were recently awarded a grant that enables the professors to pilot a project that will train students to create virtual field trips as a way to narrate their own place-based stories regarding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and share with peers globally to motivate youth action.

Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are online, immersive experiences that allow users to explore various aspects of a topic or place using 360-degree imagery, videos, photos, sounds and other media. Typically, VFTs are produced so people can visit places that are difficult, dangerous or expensive to access, or are too fragile or sacred to handle many visitors. Because VFTs offer many different elements to investigate, users can choose what to learn more about and this “learning by exploration” experience is different for each person.

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Thanks to Arizona State University researchers, solar cells are becoming more and more efficient. Improving solar cell efficiency brings down the cost of solar electricity, which allows this source of renewable energy to become a viable option for more people.

Recently, Senior Sustainability Scientist Zachary Holman and Assistant Research Professor Zhengshan “Jason” Yu in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering broke their own world-record efficiency percentage by creating a tandem solar cell stacked with perovskite and silicon that is 25.4 percent efficient. This was accomplished in conjunction with researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The team estimates they’ll be nearing 30 percent tandem efficiency within two years.

Silicon solar cells make up 95 percent of the solar panels made today. The perovskite/silicon tandem has the potential to transform mainstream silicon technology and support the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to cut the cost of solar-generated electricity by half between 2020 and 2030. At the cost target of $0.03 per kilowatt hour, solar electricity would be among the least expensive options for new power generation.

The Plastic Pollution Emission Working Group, or PPEG, has launched a new website. This site contains research on the impacts of specific global and local intervention strategies to reduce plastic pollution, including their level of effectiveness on an overall scale.

Additionally, PlasticPEG recently published a paper titled “Evaluating the impact of mitigation strategies for marine litter and microplastics to inform policy: A white paper.” This publication was uploaded to the Ad Hoc Open-Ended working group on marine litter and microplastic.

From Nov 27 to 29, Arizona State University welcomed representatives from the University of Guyana, Conservation International and the International Institute for Environment and Development. Over three packed days, the 18 guests toured ASU and surrounding cities to learn about ASU and the variety of sustainable projects within Phoenix and Tempe. The visit was in support of Guyana: Resilient and One initiative, a program to advance Guyana’s sustainable economy through investments in education, research, sustainable management and conservation of the country’s vast ecosystems.

“Arizona State University is pleased to collaborate on building capacity within Guyana for a more desirable, sustainable future, through this partnership with UG and CI,” said Gary Dirks, director of ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.

The agenda focused on introducing the visitors to ASU’s capabilities in global capacity building and resilient infrastructure, with presentations given across a number of ASU departments and faculty specializing in these areas. ASU attendees also learned about UG and CI’s work in Guyana, with presentations given by UG Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith and CI Senior Vice President Daniela Raik.

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Swette Center Executive Director Kathleen Merrigan was recently quoted in an article by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The article, called “The 2018 Farm Bill Is Now Law. But the Shenanigans Continue…,” describes that Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (known as the “farm bill”) was authorized, but many complications have arisen.

The author, Ricardo Salvador, notes that some colleagues are advocating for food reform through alternate avenues. He specifically mentions Merrigan: “Kathleen Merrigan has determined that to escape the Groundhog Day spin cycle she will now emphasize partnering with innovators in the food industry: ‘It is a time of intractability in policymaking at the federal level. And while I’ll always be engaged and vocal in federal food policy…right now, the private sector is leading.’”

Salvador concludes with the farm bill’s victories, and says that people must stay positive and persistent when trying to create an equitable food and agriculture system.

Continuing on its path as a rapidly growing research enterprise, Arizona State University reported $545 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2017, up from $518 million in FY16, according to a recent report by the U.S. National Science Foundation. ASU is holding its rank at No. 44 for total research expenditures in the U.S., remaining ahead of the California Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago. Among institutions without a medical school, ASU moved up one spot to No. 8, ahead of Princeton University and Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition, ASU announced that its research expenditures for FY18 now total more than $600 million — a first for the university.

The NSF’s FY17 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) rankings, its most recent report based on FY17 expenditures, has ASU holding a strong lead among all reporting institutions, including a No. 1 ranking in anthropology expenditures, ahead of Harvard and Stanford universities.

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The Arizona State University Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is currently hiring a new administrative assistant to support the daily operations of the center.

The perfect candidate must possess knowledge of standard office policies and procedures, be a great communicator, be organized and detail oriented. A love of biodiversity conservation is always a plus!

If you think this job is for you or someone you know, click here to learn more and apply.

As Arizona State University senior sustainability scientists Nalini Chhetri and Netra Chhetri know, some educational experiences are more effective outside the classroom. That’s why the wife-and-husband pair — who are both professors at ASU — have directed a study abroad program in Nepal for four, going on five, years.

Though directing the program isn’t easy, Nalini Chhetri — who is also the assistant director of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society — said she keeps doing it because she wants to “provide students with immersive and hands-on experience that has authenticity and credibility. Doing so allows students to have a deeper awareness and respect for local knowledge that supplements their classroom learning and that is invaluable in preparing them to make a positive difference in this complex world.”

While past programs have taken place only in Nepal, this June’s three-week program, called “Innovation in Green Growth in China and Nepal,” will also take students to China. Students will spend time in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital; the farming community of Pokhara, Nepal; and Guangzhou and Shishou, cities in China.

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