ASU research is for you
62
%
of Americans think the quality of the environment in the country as a whole is getting worse. Gallup survey, 2025
The sun and the river In the Ecuadorian Amazon, ASU professors partnered with Indigenous communities to design solarpowered canoes and charging stations.
Native-led solutions In the U.S. Southwest, an ASU researcher is working with the Native-led Colorado Plateau Foundation to protect environments and preserve cultures across tribal lands.
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Generating new business
ASU leads Southwest water strategy In the Southwest, water determines whether communities thrive or decline. It supports human health, farming, electricity, tourism and now, growing industries like semiconductor manufacturing and data centers. The NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest, led by ASU, launched a strategic initiative to secure the region’s water future through innovation in atmospheric water harvesting, scaling industrial reuse and reducing water consumption in high-demand facilities. • Supported by the Futures Engine, startup WAVR Technologies developed devices that pull moisture from the air for commercial and industrial use. Their system produces over five times more water than previous methods and works even in very dry conditions. In its first year, WAVR built a prototype and raised more than $10 million in funding.
• Other supported companies include GlycoSurf, which purifies water and recovers rare earth minerals from industrial waste using biodegradable extractants, and Purity ReSource, which is reducing water waste in semiconductor production with new membrane technology that fits into existing equipment.
• The engine worked with semiconductor giant TSMC to expand water reuse, securing more than $1.7 million in funding from state and federal sources.
Together, these efforts are creating practical solutions that protect water supplies, reduce industrial waste, reclaim valuable resources and build resilience across the Southwest.
• Regional testbeds at ASU are evaluating atmospheric water harvesting devices from six startups under real-world conditions.