T. Denny Sanford School of Social & Family Dynamics

Who knew a roll of tape could inspire so much creativity?

With summer temperatures in full swing, children at the Child Development Lab have been exercising their most powerful muscle — their imagination — and exploring indoors. Using a simple roll of tape, they created art, experimented with sensory play and explored math concepts.

As they ripped, stuck and stretched tape in different ways, they were also building fine motor skills, spatial awareness and problem-solving skills — and had a hard time peeling themselves away!

How do older adults weigh love against financial security? How can data help youth-serving organizations be more effective? What kind of messages do Latino youth hear about reproductive health, and how are they navigating them?

Over the past academic year, Sanford School faculty have earned five seed grants from ASU's Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) to explore these questions and more.

The funded projects examine youth well-being, community support, relationships across the lifespan, health and identity, laying the groundwork for future research and external funding proposals.

Read more at ASU News:

ASU's Sanford School faculty earn seed grants to advance research on youth, families and communities | ASU News Over the past academic year, faculty members in Arizona State University's T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics have earned a string of seed grants from ASU's Institute for Social Science Research, providing early-stage support for research projects.

Congratulations to Connor Sheehan, Associate Professor in the Sanford School, on receiving the Zebulon Pearce Distinguished Teaching Award in Social Sciences! 🎉

Sheehan is known for being a fun and engaging teacher who helps students tackle challenging material, particularly multivariate statistics. He also co-founded Data Devils with Aaron Flores, which pairs students with Arizona-based nonprofits and public agencies to help them analyze data effectively.

“Teaching at ASU is the best part of my job because the charter lets me do what I think matters most: teach inclusively, mentor ambitiously and put what students learn to work for communities that need it,” he said.

Read more at ASU News: https://news.asu.edu/b/20260602-college-liberal-arts-and-sciences-asu-recognizes-outstanding-faculty-2026-teaching

This Pride Month, we’re highlighting the work of the SOGI Laboratory at ASU’s Sanford School.

Led by Director Stephen T. Russell, the lab studies sexual orientation and gender identity and how they influence health, development and well-being across the lifespan.

One of the lab’s largest projects, SOGIQ2, is following LGBTQ+ participants from a landmark 2011 youth study into adulthood to explore how experiences with mental health, bullying and relationships have unfolded over time.

Swipe through to learn more about the lab and its research. ➡️

Splash season has officially started at the Child Development Lab 💦☀️

For our first water play day of the season, teachers transformed the outdoor space with a water slide, sandbox river, pools and plenty of water squirters. All day, the children stayed very busy (and very cool)!

Congratulations to our Sanford School faculty on their well-deserved recognitions! 🎉

👏 Rebecca White — Faculty Women’s Association Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award recipient
👏 Craig Calhoun — 2026 American Sociological Association Lifetime Achievement Award
👏 Rocio Garcia — Elected to the Council of the Pacific Sociological Association
👏 Michele Cadigan — Elected to the Publications Committee of the Pacific Sociological Association
👏 Krista Puruhito — ASU Career Faculty Association Outstanding Service nominee
👏 Bethany Bustamante Van Vleet — ASU Career Faculty Association Outstanding Service nominee
👏 Jon McQueen — Nominee for the CFA Outstanding Contributions in Teaching Award and Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
👏 Karina Santellano — Faculty Women’s Association Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award nominee

Our faculty are dedicated scholars and professionals committed to excellence across their fields. Their awards and recognitions keep growing year by year, and we tip our hat to yet another long list of accomplishments!

Congratulations to our 2026 graduate student award recipients! 🎉

These three awards recognize standout students who reflect the traits of leadership, service and innovative thinking central to both the Sanford School's mission and the ASU Charter:

👏 Brooke Johnson — SSFD Graduate Service and Impact Award
👏 Julissa Duran — SSFD Graduate Research Innovation Award
👏 Paul Espinoza — SSFD Graduate Peer Leadership and Community Award

We’re proud to celebrate the many ways our graduate students contribute to the university, support their peers and engage with the broader community.

This National Foster Care Month, ASU News is highlighting Sanford School faculty working to improve foster care systems through research, advocacy and lived experience.

Teaching Professor Bethany Bustamante Van Vleet and Director Stephen Russell — both foster parents themselves — are studying the challenges children, families and workers face while exploring ways to build resilience, support well-being and strengthen systems of care.

Read more via ASU News:

Building resilience in the foster care system, from advocates to children | ASU News In Arizona alone, nearly 76,000 children are in the foster care system, with only 3,000 registered foster families. That averages out to five children per foster family.

Congrats to Joni Manon, an ASU Online sociology student and Barrett, The Honors College student, graduating this spring! 🎓

Joni’s path to ASU started long before she enrolled. Her work with youth began in a small village in Malawi and continued back home as a foster parent, where she opened her home to 16 placements and adopted two children. Those experiences shaped the questions she brought into the classroom, and the work she chose to pursue.

At ASU, Joni focused her honors thesis on extended foster care services, creating a project designed to help young people connect with the organizations that support them as they transition to independence.

Outside of her coursework, Joni works at a shelter for teens and young adults, teaching life skills and supporting them through a critical stage of independence.

Next, she plans to continue advocating for youth in her community by identifying unmet needs and building programs that respond to them.

Congrats, Joni! 👏

Read more at ASU News: https://news.asu.edu/20260505-sun-devil-community-sociology-grad-and-foster-mom-devotes-career-serving-atrisk-youth

Congrats to Lauryn Brown, who is graduating with a degree in sociology and a minor in digital audiences! 🎓

A transfer student, Lauryn made the most of her time at ASU by diving into both academics and hands-on experiences. As a Barrett Honors student, her thesis brings together her interests in sociology and digital media, exploring how people engage and connect online.

She also expanded that work through the Global Accelerator program, where she studied e-commerce and customer acquisition — and even shared her ASU experience with future Sun Devils through a “Day in the Life” video, which some of you may recall on our social media!

Congrats, Lauryn! 👏

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