Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

08/25/2026

Ira A. Fulton, whose name and legacy are woven into the story of our school and the lives of generations of students, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. He was 94.

Beyond being a benefactor, Ira was a familiar presence at engineering orientations, research symposiums and convocation ceremonies. He came because he wanted to meet our students, hear what they were building and understand what they hoped to accomplish.

Born and raised in Tempe, Ira came to this campus in 1950 on a football scholarship. It was here that he met Mary Lou Henson, whom he married in 1954. Together, Ira and Mary Lou gave more than $300 million to causes they believed in, including more than $160 million to Arizona State University. Their extraordinary partnership with ASU led to the naming of both the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.

Ira’s 2003 endowment to what was then ASU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences expanded what we believed was possible and helped open the doors of engineering and technology education to tens of thousands of students.

“I cannot think of a better investment than education,” Ira once said.
Generations of engineers, technologists and innovators are evidence of that investment and part of his enduring legacy.

Learn more about Ira, his life and the lessons he shared on the Fulton Schools tribute page: https://ira.asu.edu

08/24/2026

A banker once took a chance on Bob Miller, approving the personal loans that helped him pay for flight school and pursue his dream of becoming a pilot.

Decades later, Bob and his wife, Keirene, are paying that belief forward. ✈️

The couple established the Robert and Keirene Miller Aviation Scholarship to help professional flight students in The Polytechnic School at ASU, part of at Arizona State University overcome the significant cost of flight training.

For scholarship recipient Andrew Miller, that support meant he could leave two of his three jobs and spend more time focused on school and in the cockpit. This summer, he completed his instrument rating and half of his commercial pilot license training.

For the Millers, giving now means seeing that impact take flight today.

A new scholarship from Bob and Keirene Miller will help ASU professional flight students overcome the financial barriers to becoming pilots.

08/21/2026

Big news for the future of cybersecurity at Arizona State University! ASU is one of just 14 universities nationwide selected for the inaugural awards from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service program.

Led by cybersecurity pioneer Professor Gail-Joon Ahn in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of , the new program will prepare students to meet a growing national need for professionals who understand how artificial intelligence, or AI, is changing both cyber defense and cyber threats.

The program builds on the Fulton Schools’ successful Scholarship for Service efforts, which have already placed graduates at the NSA, FBI, national laboratories and other public-sector organizations.

Now, the Fulton Schools are expanding that education-to-career pipeline for the AI era, providing scholarship support, advanced training and research opportunities while preparing students for high-impact careers serving government and the nation.

News and innovations from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU

08/20/2026

What happens when a designer takes on a creative challenge outside her usual wheelhouse? For Lauren Crites, the answer involved ingenuity, experimentation and a little help from AI.

Crites, an instructor in the graphic information technology program at The Polytechnic School at ASU, recently earned the Best of Show – Educator distinction at the Print Creative Alliance Southwest Student Print Competition for her vintage-inspired "Race Over to Marmon," poster.

Created for the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting, the project called for a vintage race car poster featuring the historic Marmon Wasp. Without existing artwork to work from, Crites used AI image-generation tools to develop individual elements, then refined, rebuilt and digitally painted them together in Adobe Photoshop to create the finished design.

The result? An award-winning poster that became a larger-than-life photo backdrop at the shareholders meeting.

For Crites, the project demonstrates an important lesson for the next generation of designers: AI can expand what’s possible, but creative vision and design expertise remain essential.

“AI is a new tool, but don’t be afraid of trying something new,” she says. “Take on the work that you might not think you can accomplish or achieve, and you might surprise yourself.”

How AI helped an ASU graphic information technology instructor create an award-winning print project and prepare students for the future of design.

08/18/2026

Which countries will feed the world in 2035? 🌎

New peer-reviewed research from Deniz Berfin Karakoc, an assistant professor of industrial engineering in the ASU School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of , uses artificial intelligence and more than three decades of global trade data to forecast which countries could lead food exports in the years ahead. The study was published in npj Science of Food, a Nature Portfolio journal.

The research also reveals what helps make a country a global food powerhouse. Logistics, reliable institutions and agricultural production all play important roles.

By identifying where global food trade may be headed, Karakoc’s work could help policymakers anticipate vulnerabilities and make more informed decisions to strengthen food security and build more resilient supply chains.

An analysis reveals what makes a global food powerhouse and which countries are gaining ground.

08/18/2026

By the time a suspicious text hits your phone, the scam may feel brand new. But according to Xusheng Xiao, an associate professor of computer science and engineering in the ASU School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of , the tactics behind it probably aren't.

After analyzing thousands of real-world fraud reports, Xiao and his collaborators at Charm Security discovered that modern scams rely on a surprisingly small set of recurring psychological strategies — fear, urgency, authority, trust and promises of reward. By identifying these hidden patterns, the team is developing AI tools that can recognize scam playbooks in real time, helping financial institutions intervene before victims lose money.

It's a shift from reacting to fraud after it happens to stopping scams before they succeed.

By analyzing more than 100,000 real-world fraud reports, ASU researcher Xusheng Xiao discovered that modern scams follow a surprisingly predictable playbook.

08/17/2026

Already planning for next summer

08/14/2026

Join us Dec. 12-21 in the Dominican Republic!! Applications close Sept. 25

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Feng Ju on being named the new Avnet Chair in Supply Chain Networks! 🎉

An associate professor of industrial engineering in the ASU School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of , Ju is advancing research at the intersection of AI, manufacturing and supply chains.

As Avnet Chair, he’ll build on that work by strengthening connections among students, faculty and industry partners while creating new opportunities for research with real-world impact.

Ju and his team already collaborate with industry leaders at companies, including Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace and Intel to address complex manufacturing challenges. In his new role, he plans to expand those efforts while giving more students hands-on experience developing technologies that can shape the future of manufacturing.

Role will expand AI-driven manufacturing and supply chain research and strengthen industry partnerships in the Fulton Schools.

08/11/2026

What happens when teachers help design engineering curriculum instead of simply teaching it? Through the DEEP Fellowship, ASU researchers and K–12 teachers across the Navajo Nation are building engineering lessons rooted in students' communities, culture and everyday experiences.

Through the DEEP Fellowship, K–12 teachers across the Navajo Nation and ASU researchers co-design engineering curriculum rooted in students’ everyday lives.