Grants & Research

How does extreme weather — tornadoes, hurricanes and heat waves — contribute to health crises in young people? Appalachian State University’s Dr. Maggie Sugg and Dr. Jennifer Runkle in the Department of Geography and Planning secured a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to find answers to that question. Vecteezy/eskystudio image

How does extreme weather impact mental health? App State research team awarded grant to find answers
Jun 1, 2022

Hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves: How does extreme weather contribute to health crises in young people?Dr. Maggie Sugg, associate professor in the...

Dr. Paul Sebastian, SAFE recipient. Photo by University Communications.

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Paul Sebastian
May 31, 2022

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Paul SebastianDr. Paul Sebastian, assistant professor, Department of Languages, Literatures and CulturesStudent and Facult...

Dr. William Hicks, associate professor, Department of Government and Justice Studies. Photo submitted.

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. William Hicks
Apr 26, 2022

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. William Hicks Dr. William Hicks, associate professor, Department of Government and Justice Studies Student and F...

Dr. Nicholas Shaw, Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, with students from his research group. Photo submitted.

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Nicholas Shaw
Apr 7, 2022

SAFE Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Nicholas ShawDr. Nicholas Shaw, associate professor, research mentor, Department of Chemistry and Fermentation SciencesStu...

Appalachian State University senior Ann-Marie Mignone, from Gibsonville, is the current undergraduate research assistant on the Linville Gorge Wilderness area survey team, led by Dr. Alice Wright and Dr. Cameron Gokee, associate professor and assistant professor, respectively, in App State’s Department of Anthropology. Mignone is majoring in anthropology and minoring in psychology and geology. Mignone said the project provides her the opportunity to “practice geology under an archaeological lens,” both in t

App State research team ventures into Linville Gorge Wilderness to discover archaeological sites
Apr 6, 2022

Appalachian State University’s Dr. Alice Wright and Dr. Cameron Gokee are leading an App State research team into the steep and ...

Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a three-step process. First, genetic material is fractioned into 20,000 droplets per sample. This partitioning of the sample is a key component of ddPCR which allows for the quantification of copies per sample of a particular gene. Once the droplets have been generated, the second step is a typical PCR cycle, where the fluorescent probes for a gene will attach to present sequences.

Research continues on residence hall wastewater testing 
Feb 22, 2022

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, student dormitory life has been dominated by face masks, physical distancing and regular nasal swab testing....

Graduate school 3 Minute Thesis winners

Biology students place top three at 3 Minute Thesis competition
Feb 8, 2022

Appalachian State University’s Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies hosted its annual three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition in January and ...

Appalachian Regional Commission’s 15 participating Appalachian universities in the 2021 Appalachian Teaching Project, including App State. Map courtesy of ARC.

A critical perspective on food from the classroom to the community
Feb 2, 2022

Eighteen of Appalachian State University’s Watauga Residential College students participated in the 21st annual Appalachian Teaching Project (ATP) S...

Tatum Schwartz, recipient of the Ann Louise Page Scholarship.

Student scholarship aids research in dance as therapy for victims
Jan 20, 2022

The Department of Sociology has awarded the inaugural Ann Louise Page Scholarship for Undergraduate Research Excellence in Sociology to Tatum Schwartz...

Dr. Sarah Carmichael, professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University, is a geochemist and a National Geographic Explorer. She specializes in Devonian period research, studying the causes and effects of mass extinction events that occurred 350–417 million years ago. She is pictured during a field expedition in Mongolia in 2018, where she and her team evaluated specimens preserved in volcanic rocks. Photo by Felix Kunze

App State research team examines ancient evidence in mass extinctions
Jan 12, 2022

Appalachian State University’s Dr. Sarah Carmichael describes her job as similar to that of a crime scene investigator — and the evidence she exam...