It was a year of big headlines for both the nation and Arizona State University. As the world has been faced with new challenges — and opportunities for new solutions — ASU has found innovative ways to help the communities it serves.

The university’s faculty, staff and students have made advancements in health, space exploration, robotics and more, all while expanding access to education and extending compassion to others.

Here are some of the top stories from 2016.

Discoveries

From shooting stars to shooting hoops, ASU researchers were in on some big finds.

Tracking down the Arizona fireball

This summer, a chunk of rock the size of a VW Beetle hurtled into the atmosphere and broke apart. Soon one of ASU’s top meteorite experts was off on a team expedition searching for pieces — after three nights of searching, they were successful.

ASU researcher creates system to control robots with the brain

The director of the Human-Oriented Robotics and Control Lab, Panagiotis Artemiadis, discovered how to handle multiple drones using the human brain.

The case of the missing craters

Associate research professor David Williams was on a team for a NASA mission that explored the dwarf planet Ceres, which orbits in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. He helped pinpoint a lack of big craters, leading to a new model for Ceres’ evolution.

ASU robot teaches itself how to shoot hoops — in a matter of hours

Plenty of machines can shoot hoops, but this ASU robot taught itself to play ball in a matter of hours. Meet the amazing, two-armed, self-taught, hoop-shooting basketball bot called Sun Devil.

ASU team first to prove Uber eases traffic congestion

Uber has provoked great debate over its effects, but research from the W. P. Carey School showed that when the nation’s largest ride-sharing service enters an urban market, it reduces traffic congestion for all drivers.

Solutions

ASU faculty and staff found real-world ways to solve today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s.

Scientists reveal low-cost test for Zika

Hoping to slow the advance of the Zika virus, researchers from the Wyss Institute and ASU developed a low-cost, practical diagnostic that can be easily administered — even in areas where resources and medical expertise are scarce.

The healing effects of yoga

ASU associate professor Jennifer Huberty and her team are studying the effects of yoga on the stress and grief experienced by women who’ve gone through a stillbirth, and the results are promising. She also hopes to examine yoga’s recuperative powers on those with a rare blood cancer.

Cyber stars at ASU

With more than 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs — and an estimate of up to 1 million vacancies by the year 2020 — ASU has established the Cybersecurity Education Consortium to address the growing talent gap in the sector.

The future of water in the Southwest

A three-part series examined the work that ASU is doing in the realm of water as a resource in the arid West.

Mayo Clinic ASU alliance seeks to transform health care

A partnership between ASU and the Mayo Clinic aims to transform medical education and health care in the U.S., helping doctors reduce costs, simplify the system and save more lives.

Creativity

A sprawling, forgotten building turned into bustling art studios; a tiny satellite turned space exploration on its ear; an uber-popular game turned into a teaching tool — these are just a few ways that the ASU community took an innovative approach to the world.

Dance legend Liz Lerman joins ASU

Liz Lerman — choreographer, author, educator and 2002 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship recipient — joined the ASU faculty at the beginning of the spring 2016 semester.

This guy? He knows people

As subtly as the shift in a gravitational wave, the universe changed. Lawrence Krauss’ Erdos-Bacon-Sabbath number became the lowest in history, placing him ahead of Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison and Fred Rogers.

The next big thing in space is really, really small

Going into space is now within your grasp. A tiny spacecraft developed at ASU is breaking the barrier of launch cost, making the price of conducting a space mission radically cheaper.

Teaching geography with Pokémon GO

An ASU professor created an education tool that leverages Pokémon Go to improve elementary school students’ geography, math and language skills.

From ‘bulldozer bait’ to a beehive of artistic activity

Once destined to become rubble, the 100-year-old Grant Street Studios structure in downtown Phoenix now serves as the state-of-the-art center of activity and production for graduate programs in ASU’s School of Art.

Entrepreneurship

From student startups to a journalism “teaching hospital” with Google News Lab, ASU’s entrepreneurial spirit thrived.

Filling a huge English-learning need

W. P. Carey School students created a LetsChat app to connect native English speakers with English-language learners in China. The project won $50,000 in the Igniter Challenge competition.

ASU launches partnership to pilot learning tech on campuses

A new initiative — the ASU Draper GSV Accelerator — will help get education technology to the market faster by allowing new ventures to be tested by students and faculty.

Cronkite School teams up with Google News Lab

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication teamed up with Google News Lab to help test new tools and training and encourage their use throughout journalism education.

7 reasons ASU named the ‘Entrepreneurial University’

ASU won the Entrepreneurial University Award at the Deshpande Symposium for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education.

ASU moves up in global patent ranking

ASU ranked 38th among worldwide institutions in earning utility patents, according to the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

Global Engagement

ASU welcomes the global community into its halls and classrooms — the university was recognized as the top public university in the country for international students. The school also sends its scholars around the world to help, study and grow understanding.

ASU top US producer of Fulbright scholars

ASU was the top U.S. producer of Fulbright scholars among peer universities, with 10 faculty members receiving the prestigious honor in 2015–16. ASU also ranked fifth among research institutions in the number of student winners, with 22.

Thunderbird at 70: Rebirth and rediscovery

The Thunderbird School of Global Management marked its 70th anniversary as an international business school. CEO Allen Morrison said its new partnership with ASU has given Thunderbird a chance at rebirth and rediscovery.

Obama highlights ASU during trip to Vietnam

President Barack Obama, during a visit to Vietnam, spoke of ASU’s efforts in that country to improve education in science and engineering.

ASU professor leads audiology team to Malawi

Ingrid McBride, an ASU audiology professor, has traveled to Malawi in southeast Africa for the last six years to address what she calls a “tremendous” need for medical professionals who can help people suffering from hearing problems.

ASU lab digs deep into ancient city’s past

Our three-part series on ASU’s Teotihuacan Research Laboratory in San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico, told a story about people who once lived in one of the greatest cities of the ancient world — and the people who study them.

ASU takes top spot for international students

ASU maintained its position as the top-ranked public research institution for international scholars and moved up to №3 overall for a college or university, according a 2016 Open Doors Report.

Arizona Impact

Part of ASU’s charter is assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. Faculty, students and staff embody that.

ASU’s innovation is a benefit for society

In his annual address, ASU President Michael M. Crow said that Arizona State University’s innovative mindset requires collaboration and purpose, and it is driven by a responsibility to the community.

How to turn a stadium into a year-round cultural hub

A team of five graduate students has come up with a plan to create a year-round cultural hub in Sun Devil Stadium that draws people of all ages every day of the week.

Center for Law and Society stands for inclusion

The Beus Center for Law and Society opened this summer with a focus of connecting the community, as much as students, to justice. It will house the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law as well as several public services.

ASU helping community at landmark Westward Ho

This year marked the grand opening of the Collaboratory on Central, a teaching clinic for the various colleges and disciplines represented on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, including nursing, nutrition, nonprofit and social work.

Helping sustain the future of dates

The Polytechnic date palm grove is one of the most genetically diverse collections in the Western Hemisphere. See scenes from this year’s harvest, view an easy and healthful way to use dates, and learn more about the history of “nature’s candy.”

ASU strengthens Tucson

ASU’s School of Social Work program based in Tucson fills a void in the community and includes interns who work with local police. Graduates work at shelters, drug-rehabilitation centers, family-services clinics, schools and hospitals.

Sun Devil Life

The university celebrated icons both historical (Palm Walk turning 100) and new (Michael Phelps).

Phelps looks to life outside the pool at ASU

Arizona’s blue skies and sunshine have been a tonic for Michael Phelps, who has been training at ASU since last summer. He followed his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, who is in his first season as head coach of the Sun Devils swim teams.

Palm Walk: A tale of trees, death, rebirth and mystery

ASU’s iconic Palm Walk turned 100 this year. And as the palms near the end of their natural lifespans, they have slowly started to be replaced, so we took a look at the trees’ past as we prepare for their future.

Fork ’em over in Rio

ASU was well represented at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — 27 Sun Devils went, representing 15 countries in nine sports.

Celebrating 20 years of hands-on learning at Polytechnic

Twenty years ago, the birth of ASU’s Polytechnic campus was wrought with determination, trepidation — and a shoestring budget. From that beginning on a former military base grew what’s now called ASU’s “maker” campus.

ASU News

As ASU drew accolades ranging from ranking in the top 10 for graduate employability to being named the nation’s most innovative university for the second consecutive year, it also drew some brilliant minds and doubled its number of Nobel laureates.

ASU ranks in the top 100 most prestigious universities worldwide

ASU was recognized as one of the top 100 most prestigious universities in the world by Times Higher Education, the world’s largest invitation-only academic opinion survey.

Drawing the brightest minds to ASU

With the addition of two more Nobel winners this year, the university now claims a quartet of the world’s highest academic honorees.

ASU partnership to help students pay for college

ASU is partnering with a nonprofit organization and PayPal in a program that will provide students jobs as well as tuition assistance based on their grades.

ASU selected nation’s most innovative school for second straight year

For the second consecutive year, Arizona State University is the nation’s most innovative school, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Employers place ASU in top 10 for graduate employability

ASU has been ranked in the top 10 in the nation for graduate employability, according to the Global University Employability Survey 2016.

Originally published at asunow.asu.edu on December 21, 2016.

Einer der schwierigsten Aspekte bei der Durchführung einer Kickstarter-Kampagne ist die Ungewissheit darüber, was passiert, nachdem Sie auf „Starten“ geklickt haben. Selbst bei richtiger Planung und einer durchdacht gestalteten Kampagne kann es dennoch zu Überraschungen kommen. Hier finden Sie Erkenntnisse von zehn anderen Kickstarter-Erstellern, die dabei waren.

Konzentrieren Sie sich beim Erzählen Ihrer Geschichte auf die Botschaft statt auf einen hohen Produktionswert.

„Im Allgemeinen kümmern sich Unterstützer nicht so sehr um die [ Produktionswert] Ihres Videos. Die Botschaft liegt ihnen am Herzen. Sagen Sie den Leuten, was Sie tun und warum Sie es tun. Seien Sie verletzlich und ehrlich. Das wird viel bewirken!“ —Gumption Depot Inc, Erfinder der Reboot-Armbanduhr

Überlegen Sie sich vor dem Start einen Plan, wie Sie mit Ihrer Community interagieren möchten

„Ich wusste nicht, wie viel Energie [die Durchführung einer Kampagne] kosten würde nehmen. Ich habe gelesen und gehört, dass ich während der Kampagne Hilfe bekommen sollte, habe es aber nicht so ernst genommen. Soziale Medien gibt es rund um die Uhr; Du bist im Grunde die ganze Zeit „on“. Das war anstrengend für mich. Ich werde besser planen, wie oft ich mich jeden Tag an der Kampagne beteilige, um den Überblick zu behalten, aber nicht zuzulassen, dass sie mein Leben überfordert. Und ich werde Hilfe bekommen!“ —Kelly Pratt, Schöpferin von LIFT, einem Leitfaden, der Ihnen bei der Erstellung eines Vision Boards hilft

„Die Kickstarter-Community ist spektakulärer, als ich jemals erwartet hätte, und die Ergebnisse waren sowohl fantastisch als auch erschreckend.“ Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass so viele Unterstützer mein Projekt finden und teilen würden, nur weil sie häufig auf Kickstarter nach tollen Projekten suchen, die sie unterstützen können. Ich dachte, ich müsste mich bei der Finanzierung meines Projekts ausschließlich auf mein eigenes Netzwerk verlassen. Ich hab mich geirrt. Dies hatte aber auch unvorhergesehene Folgen.

Am Ende hatte ich über 11.000 Unterstützer, was im ersten Jahr des Projekts zu einer nicht quantifizierbaren Menge an Benachrichtigungen und Nachrichten führte. Ich war zwar begeistert, persönlich mit meinen Unterstützern zu kommunizieren (und bin es immer noch!), aber ich hätte mir nicht vorstellen können, wie viel Zeit ich damit verbringen musste, auf Nachrichten zu antworten, anstatt am eigentlichen Projekt zu arbeiten. Kein Bedauern! Es gibt große Probleme! Aber wenn ich es noch einmal machen müsste, würde ich wahrscheinlich die Anzahl der Unterstützer in bestimmten Stufen begrenzen und es nach Gehör spielen, nur um auf der sicheren Seite zu sein.“ —Cesar Kuriyama, Erfinder der 1 Second Everyday-App

„Planen Sie Ihre Kommunikation anhand wichtiger Meilensteine ​​(z. B. 50 %, noch zwei Wochen, unser Ziel erreicht). Notieren Sie, was Sie wem und wo sagen möchten. Wirst du es in den sozialen Medien veröffentlichen? Denken Sie auch an die Bilder, die Sie benötigen.“ —Heatonist, ein Verkostungsraum für scharfe Soßen mit der Mission, die wunderbaren Aromen rein natürlicher, handwerklich hergestellter scharfer Soßen bekannt zu machen

Halten Sie Ihre Belohnungen einfach und fokussiert

„Halten Sie Ihre Belohnungen ganz einfach. Wenn Sie Geld für einen Film sammeln, möchten Sie möglichst viel Zeit und Geld darauf verwenden, etwas Schönes auf die Leinwand zu bringen. Vertrauen Sie mir, niemand kümmert sich um ein T-Shirt, ein Poster oder ein signiertes Drehbuch eines noch unbekannten Schauspielers. Sie wollen ein Erlebnis! Wir haben allen, die „Boxer on The Wilderness“ unterstützt haben, eine Einladung zur eigens für sie organisierten Premiere angeboten. Es spielte keine Rolle, ob man 10 £ oder 1.000 £ spendete, man musste vorbeikommen, um es sich anzusehen, und ich konnte mich bei allen persönlich bedanken.“ – New Thirty Pictures, Schöpfer von Widow’s Walk, einem Horrorfilm

„Lassen Sie Ihre Prämien nicht rabattieren. Begrenzte Prämienstufen für Frühbucher eignen sich gut, um Ihre Freunde und Familie zu belohnen, aber Sie sollten Ihren Preis nicht senken. Unterstützer erwarten keine Rabatte und Sie erhalten keinen genauen Überblick über Ihren Verkaufspreis.“ —Dave und Calvin Laituri, ein Vater-Sohn-Kreativteam hinter 17 von Kickstarter finanzierten Produkten

„Achten Sie auf die Mindestbestellmengen Ihres Anbieters für Produkte. Ich hatte mehrere T-Shirt-Optionen zur Auswahl und musste am Ende 12 von einem T-Shirt-Design bestellen, um eine Belohnung zu erhalten. Die T-Shirts waren Swag, weil ich Geld für die Ausrichtung einer Veranstaltung sammelte. Drei Jahre später habe ich immer noch 11 „Death by Gun“-T-Shirts in meinem Keller, weil es sich seltsam anfühlt, sie zu verkaufen.“ —Lizzy Miles, eine Hospizmitarbeiterin, deren vier Projekte sich mit Themen und Geschichten am Lebensende befassen

„Es ist sehr leicht, sich von der Begeisterung der Unterstützer mitreißen zu lassen und am Ende mehr zu verschenken, als man sollte, wenn man sich anspruchsvolle Ziele setzt.“ Seien Sie sehr vorsichtig, wozu Sie sich verpflichten, auch wenn es nach einer guten Idee aussieht. Die Erhöhung der Komplexität kostet Sie Zeit, Geld oder beides.“ —Alex Eames, Schöpfer von Raspi.TV und acht von Kickstarter unterstützten Raspberry Pi-Produkten

Berücksichtigen Sie immer (immer!) die Versandkosten

„Versandkosten zählen zu Ihrem Ziel!“ Kickstarter erwähnt dies hier und da in ein paar Sätzen. Aber da ich aus der Geschäftswelt komme, hatte ich wirklich das Gefühl, dass dies in 50-Punkt-Schrift, rot, fett und blinkend hätte sein sollen. Dies ist keine intuitive Möglichkeit, das Ziel zu erreichen. Sie setzen sich ein Ziel, es sollte das Ziel Ihres Projekts sein. In meinem Fall bestanden internationale Bestellungen zu 50 % aus Versand, also habe ich eine Weile geschwitzt!“ —Kier Selinsky, Schöpfer des ƒ/D Book of Pinhole

Du schaffst es

„Gib nicht auf!“ Beim Start erlebten wir einen Anstieg, dann einen großen Rückgang und dann einen großen Anstieg, als wir etwa 80 % des Ziels erreichten, und dann einen letzten Anstieg in den letzten 24 Stunden. Die Menschen klammern sich an den Erfolg Ihres Projekts und an die Begeisterung, „Teil davon“ zu sein. Wenn Sie also in den letzten Tagen immer noch zu wenig Geld haben, verstärken Sie es – Sie haben immer noch eine gute Chance.“ —Kier Selinsky, Schöpfer des ƒ/D Book of Pinhole

Weitere Ratschläge für Kreative finden Sie in den zusätzlichen Artikeln in unserem Creator Toolkit.

The Monroe Township Police Detective Bureau is seeking assistance from the public with any information that could assist with the investigation of a robbery that occurred between 7 and 8 a.m. on Dec. 22 in the 900 block of North Beecham Road.

The details are as follows: the victim answered the door and was greeted by an unknown black male. Upon opening the door, a second black male jumped on the porch and pushed his way past both subjects, knocking the victim to the ground. The victim was then brought to his feet and taken to the main floor of his bi-level house. As one of the unknown males stayed with the victim, the other rummaged through the house. The male that was watching the victim found a handgun under a table, un-holstered it, pointed it at the victim and demanded his wallet, phone and keys. After taking those items, they took the victim to a lower-level closet, pushed him inside and then propped things against the door. After several minutes the accused males left and the victim pushed his way out and went to a neighbors to call 911 at approximately 8:07 a.m..

The victim described the males as being in their 20’s, light to medium complexion black males around 6 feet tall, possibly shorter. Both were wearing dark clothing. Witnesses report seeing a silver or tan vehicle with a large chrome grill that seemed not to belong on the car. This vehicle was driven by what appeared to be a Hispanic male and unknown passenger with hood covering his face. Taken during the robbery were a 2012 White Cadillac CTS NJ tag A69ETW, a .38 caliber Walther handgun and a .22 caliber rifle.

Anyone with any information is urged to call Detective Don Darcangelo (856) 728–9800 ext. 524.

As always, anonymous crime information can be called into (856) 875–2940. Our anonymous tip systems are not monitored 24/7. All incidents in Monroe Township requiring immediate police assistance must be called into the police department at (856) 728–0800. If you have an emergency or are witnessing a crime in progress, call 911.

Yesterday, a small child startled me. I dropped my phone and the screen shattered.

Side-note: I feel like this kind of stuff has been happening more and more lately. I’m jumpier. When my elevator doors open and a person is waiting there, I feel myself go into attack mode. To be fair, they’re usually pretty freaked out too; our building is a quiet one and you barely ever see your neighbors.

Back to the point: having no phone for a day (while it was being repaired) was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I didn’t get lost once (and I have no sense of internal compass; if I’m navigating successfully, it’s based on landmarks and lefts and rights)!

In the column of small hardships, I had to buy paper transport tickets (like some kind of heathen) and I couldn’t listen to music or podcasts while I walked or tram-ed about, but I adjusted to that change within a few minutes.

I’d say it’s a bit like culture shock: initially displacing, but eventually comforting. I mean, it’s comforting to know (when you’re in Paris) that kissing on both cheeks is just what you do when you meet someone, or when you see a friend. It’s almost as comforting to know that reaching into my pocket to check my messages isn’t an option.

All in all, my analogue day was uneventful. I went to my brother’s place without a clock to check against the printed tram schedule. I didn’t even have an app telling me when (or whether) the next tram would come. I went to sleep that night without an alarm set for the next morning. I (shockingly) overslept. These little differences were slightly weird, but not unpleasant.

I’m not saying I’m going to give up the comforts of the modern world and go live in a hut somewhere meditating on the evils of our consumerist, technologically-dominated lives (though I might someday, for other reasons), but I’m glad that my phone is still something I can go about my life without… even if only for a day and a half.