Welcome to ASU and SGSUP, new and returning students! We are excited to navigate the world and plan the future with you. Last week, we proudly welcomed a new cohort of doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students to our school. We look forward to supporting your academic journeys in urban planning, geography and GIS. 🌍✨ From now through Sept. 26, participate in a series of welcome activities to connect you with fellow #SunDevils and explore campus resources. 🔗 For a complete schedule of events, view the ASU Welcome website: eoss.asu.edu/welcome 🔗 See upcoming SGSUP events: sgsup.asu.edu/events #ArizonaStateUniversity #FutureSunDevils #ASU #ASUWelcome #SunDevilLife

Congratulations to doctoral students Leonardo Brandao Do Prado, Aurelie Knecht and Yichi Zhang, who were selected as Community Advocate Peer Mentors for the 2026–27 academic year through ASU’s Office of Inclusive Excellence. The program helps guide, support and connect first-year graduate students. 🔱 Leonardo Brandao Do Prado will co-mentor “Rainbow Grads: Cultivating community and connection across the spectrum.” 🔱 Aurelie Knecht will co-mentor “Scholars for Change: Building community and a more sustainable future.” 🔱 Yichi Zhang will co-mentor “From Practice to PhD: There is no single timeline to academia.” Learn more: inclusion.asu.edu/community-…

The ASU GIS Day 2026 Student Map Competition is now open! We challenge you to pick a location, find something that has changed and tell a story through a map. 📍🗺️🇺🇸 This year’s theme, “America’s 250th: Mapping America’s Historic Changing Landscape,” invites students who are new to GIS including those interested in geography, history, planning or environmental science, to explore a topic that interests you and tell its story through geography. All students can participate, and no prior GIS experience is required. GIS instructors and professionals are not eligible to compete and mentorship is welcome. 🔱 Competition opens: Sept. 18 🔱 Submission deadline: Nov. 11 🔱 Winners announced: Nov. 17 👉 Enter now: sgsup.asu.edu/ASUGISDay 🌎 Celebrate GIS Day at ASU! Join us Nov. 18 for vendors, drones and presentations. 🗓️ Nov. 18, 2026 ⏰ 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. 📍 Tempe campus, Sun Devil Fitness Center & Online 👉 Register here: bit.ly/ASUGISDay2026 Images from @ASULibraries Map and Geospatial Hub #ASUGISDay #GIS #GISDAY #Esri #Geography @MaricopaCounty @ASUTheCollege @ASUGradCollege @ASUResearch @Ten_Across @SRPconnect @Int_Machines @dbgphx @Tempegov @CITYOFMESA @scottsdaleazgov @AZSurprise @MyGlendale @asuonline @ASUStudentLife @SundevilCareers

Enroll by Oct. 15

🎓 Considering grad school? Explore your options at The College Grad Expo! Learn more about graduate programs offered by The College, including accelerated master's programs and Personalized Graduate Admission. 🔗 Register: specialevents.asu.edu/ereg/n…

Arizona’s monsoon isn’t over just yet! ⚡ 📍 The Sept. 14 dust storm was classified as a Category 1 on the #PHXDUST Scale — an isolated, long-duration, high-wind-gust event. 💨 Peak dust concentration reached 1,687 µg/m3 at the West 43rd station sensor during the 9 p.m. hour. Winds exceeded 25 mph, and elevated dust concentrations lasted up to four hours in at least one site. 📸 Footage by Steven Billington ⛈️ The Phoenix Dust Storm (PHX-DUST) Scale classifies dust storms after they occur, ranking them from Category 1 to 5 based on dust concentrations, with subcategories describing geographic extent, duration and wind gusts. 🔱 Explore the data and submit #Monsoon2026 footage at PhoenixDust.asu.edu ⚠️ Follow @NWSPhoenix for weather alerts. #AZWX #ASU #Haboob #DustStorm @ASUTheCollege @ArizonaDEQ @CityofPhoenixAZ @CUBoulder @MaricopaAir @MaricopaFlood @SRPconnect @AZFamily @ABC15 @AmberSullins @MaricopaCounty @HeatReadyPHX @12News @FOX10Phoenix @KittPeakNatObs @AmberSullins

Phoenix friends: Got monsoon photos or videos? 🌩️ Share your recent shots in the comments below or submit at PhoenixDust.asu.edu for a chance to be featured on #ASU's social media channels. #PHXDust #azwx

Excellent lightning talks at last week’s SGSUP Colloquium Lecture Series, featuring #UrbanClimate research from two of our newest tenure-track faculty. Ariane Middel shared research from her SHaDE Lab on individual heat exposure and measuring and modeling mean radiant temperature. Cheng-Kai Hsu explored how heat affects mobility, exposure and human health, drawing from his award-winning dissertation and current research. We’re excited to see the collaborations these conversations spark across #SGSUP and Arizona State University! Upcoming Colloquium Lectures: 🔱 Friday, October 2 - Rashad Shabazz, ASU, "Prince's Minneapolis" Book Talk 🔱 Friday, October 23 - Yoonjung Ahn, KU, “Unlocking Real Estate Data for Climate and Built-Environment Research”

Congratulations to @ChengKaiHsu2 of @UCBerkeley winner of the 2026 GPEIG/ACSP Gill-Chin Lim Best Dissertation in International Planning Award! His research examines extreme heat, road safety and the precariousness of the gig economy. acsp.org/page/Hsu2026

Meet #ASU alumnus Maximilian Bourque, director of real estate analytics at Xponential Fitness! 🎓 Max graduated from ASU in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in #Geography and #Anthropology before earning his master’s degree in #GIS in 2019.    His career shows the many directions a background in geography and GIS can take. After shifting from anthropology to geospatial sciences, Max gained hands-on experience through ASU’s MAS-GIS program and built a career in the private sector, applying geospatial skills to real estate analytics and franchising. His advice to students: Follow what interests you and look for ways to apply geospatial skills into the work you’re passionate about. 🌎 📍 #SGSUP #ASUAlumni #GoDevils 🔱 @ASUTheCollege @ASUBeingHuman @SundevilCareers @ASUGradCollege @ASU_Alumni @WPCareySchool @ASUResearch

Thunderstorms are a front-row seat to some of nature's most spectacular displays and few have captured those moments as beautifully as this week's guest! ⛈️ Check out our brand new episode with filmmaker and storm chaser @MikeOlbinski 👉 linktr.ee/WeatherGeeks

The first round of deadlines is approaching for AAG's Honors and Fellows! We're proud to honor those geographers who advance our discipline through their hard work & brilliant insights. Check out the following awards with nominations due September 15:

#KindaChic to explore your next career or internship opportunity! ✨ Join ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning for Career Navigator, a signature annual event when we host government agencies, private companies and community partners to showcase opportunities available in geography, GIS, meteorology and urban planning. 👤 Open to ASU students, recent alumni and staff 🗓️ Tuesday, Oct. 27 ⏰ 2:30-5:00 p.m. MST 📍 Tempe Campus, Memorial Union, Arizona Ballroom 🔗 RSVP today: bit.ly/SGSUPCareerNavigator2… #Geography #GIS #Meteorology #UrbanPlanning #ASU #CareerFair

ASU’s Geospatial Research and Solutions (GRS) team was proud to present at the 2026 @AZGeoCouncil Annual Symposium and showcase its impact across Arizona’s geospatial community. 🔱 Yueling Li presented, “Bridging the Scripting Gap: AI-Assisted Expression Design for GIS” and showcased the #PHXDUST dashboard. 🔱 Ian Vandeventer presented “Creating a Robust Development Environment for Experience Builder.” 🔱 Congrats to the 2026 #AGIC Iron Cartographer Champion, Mihir Sriram Aranala, a 2023 #ASU MUEP alumnus! For more than 20 years, GRS has provided geospatial research, analysis and solutions for academic and community partners: gis.asu.edu #GIS #GeographicInformationSystems

Last week, @ASU_Alumni and @scottsdaleazgov planners Jeff Barnes and Jesus Murillo kicked off our Planning Practitioner Lecture series with a conversation on updates to Scottsdale’s ESL Ordinance and Fire Defensible Space standards. Students then connected with planning professionals at the @AZ_PLANNING Mentorship Mixer. A special thank you to our sponsor U Developing, LLC, for supporting the event! 🔱 #ASU #UrbanPlanning #SGSUP #ItTakesaPlanner

Students! AAG is pleased to announce that we'll be awarding student travel grants of $500 plus the cost of in-person registration to help subsidize expenses for those presenting at #AAG2027. 🚆 Interested in applying? Check out application qualifications: buff.ly/TuBe7Ix

How can flash floods turn deadly so quickly? 🌧️ Following the tragic flooding in the @GrandCanyonNPS, President’s Professor Randy Cerveny and Arizona State Climatologist Emerita Erinanne Saffell explain how flash floods form, why they can intensify rapidly and the role heavy rainfall and wildfire burn scars can play. ▶️ Watch to learn more from our #ASU experts. #FlashFlood #AZWX #GrandCanyon #Monsoon2026

Phoenix recorded two Category 1 dust storms over the weekend! ⛈️ 📍 Saturday, Aug. 29 — Category 1, widespread, long-duration, high-wind-gust The Aug. 29 dust storm began and peaked around 9 p.m., with peak dust concentrations exceeding 1,000 µg/m³ at the West Chandler and Higley sensors. The dust storm was widespread, with most sensors exceeding 500 µg/m³ dust concentration for three hours, and 25+ mph winds at several locations. 📍 Sunday, Aug. 30 — Category 1, isolated, long-duration, high-wind-gust A weaker dust storm followed the next day, with West Chandler Fire Station recording a peak concentration of 1,506 µg/m³. The dust storm was isolated, with six additional sites recording elevated concentrations over three hours, and 25+ mph winds at several locations. 📸 Footage by Jacob Johnson and @ArizonaDOT ⚡ The Phoenix Dust Storm (PHX-DUST) Scale classifies dust storms after they occur, ranking them from Category 1 to Category 5 based on dust concentrations, with subcategories describing geographic extent, duration and wind gusts. 🔱 Explore the data and submit your monsoon footage at PhoenixDust.asu.edu ⚠️ Follow @NWSPhoenix for weather alerts. #PHXDust #AZWX #ASU #Monsoon2026 #Haboob #DustStorm @ASUTheCollege @ASUResearch @ASUNews @ArizonaDEQ @CityofPhoenixAZ @CUBoulder @MaricopaAir @MaricopaFlood @SRPconnect @NWSPhoenix @AZFamily @ABC15 @AmberSullins @MaricopaCounty @HeatReadyPHX @12News @FOX10Phoenix @SRPconnect @KittPeakNatObs @AmberSullins