Research Facilities

College Research Facilities

William C. and Ruth Ann Dewel Microscopy Facility

The William C. and Ruth Ann Dewel Microscopy Facility serves undergraduate, graduate students and faculty at Appalachian State University offering a wide variety of services in light and electron microscopy and image analysis. The CAS Microscopy Facility supports both research and teaching, and provides instruction and assistance on the use of state of the art imaging equipment.

College of Arts & Sciences Vivarium

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to providing the Appalachian academic community with a safe, clean, humane, and efficient Animal Resource Facility. For information on the scope of activities, please consult the Vivarium Facility User’s Manual (274 KB, PDF).

Computation & Visualization Lab

The Visualization Lab is an interdisciplinary computer lab which provides high-end processing and graphic rendering capabilities in support of education, research and outreach activities. The lab is located on the second floor of Rankin Science West.

Dark Sky Observatory

Appalachian State University's Dark Sky Observatory is the research facility used by faculty and their students to conduct observational research in astrophysics. It is equipped with four telescopes, each used regularly for CCD imaging and photometry, with spectrographic instrumentation also available at the 32-inch.

Rankin Observatory

Rankin Observatory is the instructional facility on the main App State campus and is used for teaching advanced undergraduate astronomy courses in observational techniques. The RSO is next to the rooftop GoTo Lab Facility, used in Introductory Astronomy courses.

I.W. Carpenter, Jr. Herbarium

The Herbarium at App State contains approximately 29,000 specimens. The three main functions of the facility are teaching, maintenance of vouchers and development of a research herbarium with a focus on the flora of the Southern Appalachians.

Greenhouse

The Biology Department maintains the Greenhouse and Conservatory which supports a wide variety of outreach, teaching, basic and applied research efforts and holds more than 800 species across more than 100 families in plant inventory.

Other Research Labs

In addition to the Microscopy Lab and Vivarium, members of the science faculty maintain their own individual labs for research, usually involving both graduate and undergraduate students.

Grants & Research News

UCalgary paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky and PhD candidate Jared Voris, left, helped identify the dinosaur species using fossils found in Mongolia. Photo by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary

Jared Voris '16 identifies second new dinosaur species

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University alumnus Jared Voris '16 is the lead author of a new Nature study identifying a new species of dinosaur. T...

Dr. Darci Gardner is an associate professor of French in the Appalachian State University Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and the director of High Country Humanities, a collaboration between App State's College of Arts and Sciences and community partners in Watauga County.

Dr. Darci Gardner receives grant to develop course on career paths in the humanities

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Darci Gardner, associate professor of French in the Appalachian State University Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures...

Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University (center), works with student researchers Ethan Humphries and Hunter Corman in the Ion Innovations Scientific Instrumentation Development Lab in Boone. Image courtesy of Appalachian State

App State researcher develops AI-driven microscope to detect poultry parasites [faculty featured]

Researcher Zach Russell recently earned a grant from NCInnovation to develop his lab’s AI-driven robotic microscope....

A young girl looks through a telescope during an Evening at Dark Sky Observatory event held by App State on Aug. 11, 2024. Photo by Cory Dalton

App State awarded $367,088 National Science Foundation grant for telescope upgrades at Dark Sky Observatory

BOONE, N.C. — Thanks to a $367,088 grant funded by the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, Appalachian State Uni...

Research in the College

The College of Arts and Sciences understands the value of research for our students and faculty. We support, encourage and aid our students and faculty in their research and scholarly pursuits. For more information about research through individual departments, please visit each department website