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Joe Dancy and Jenna Shaw stand in front of their flooded and mud-filled home in Swannanoa after Hurricane Helene. Photo by Jesse Barber

App State and regional artists channel Helene’s impact into creative works of hope and healing
Oct 1, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — Hurricane Helene is often remembered for scenes of destruction — but at Appalachian State University and in the surrounding community, artists have found beauty, hope and healing in the brokenness, channeling the storm’s impact into creative works.

Arts & Cultural, Alumni, Faculty & Staff, University News
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), or Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP), logo.
Merle the tuxedo cat eats grass that’s likely to snag fur in his stomach. Photo by Nicole Hughes

Gold-covered hairballs may reveal why cats eat grass [alumni, student featured]
Sep 22, 2025

Of the many mysterious behaviors cats exhibit, one of the biggest is also one of the most disgusting: Why do they insist on eating grass, when it only seems to make them throw up? Scientists have proposed many theories over the years, but the latest may be the one that sticks—literally.

Alumni, Students, Grants & Research
Hannah Woodburn '19 '23

Biology alumna Hannah Woodburn '19 '23 named inaugural Upper New Riverkeeper
Sep 3, 2025

Boone, NC — MountainTrue is proud to announce the appointment of Hannah Woodburn as the first Upper New Riverkeeper, a new full-time position dedicated to safeguarding the headwaters and tributaries of the New River in North Carolina’s High Country.

Alumni
Appalachian State University's Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS), a division of University College, is pleased to announce that the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has selected two College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) alumni to receive awards for the 2025–26 cycle.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Engagement Stephanie Billings '92 (left) and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mike Madritch (right) with Haley Hopper Gentry ‘91, the Chief Executive Officer of Charlotte Douglas International Airport (middle), at the 2025 Alumni Awards Gala on July 12, 2025. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State environmental science majors Kyia Wing, a senior from Suwanee, Georgia, left, and Kaden Cusack ’25, an App State alumnus from Cary, take a close look at the new boulder donated to the university’s rock garden by Albemarle Corp. Cusak graduated from App State in May, earning his bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Photo by Chase Reynolds
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
Jun 18, 2025

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.

Alumni, College News, Grants & Research
Brewer Logan '14 '18

Wilkes company creates new opportunities [alumni featured]
May 22, 2025

A North Wilkesboro-based company plans to soon start large-scale pilot production of a material that makes soil more productive, reduces carbon dioxide when used in various products and could provide a significant new market for wood byproducts from logging and sawmilling.

Alumni
Dr. Beth Davison and Jesse Barber ’22 ’24

Dr. Beth Davison and Jesse Barber ’22 ’24 featured on Appalachian Excellence podcast
Mar 20, 2025

On this episode of Appalachian Excellence: Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, Karen Fletcher, director of grants resources and services in the Office of Research and Innovation, interviews Dr.

Alumni, Arts & Cultural, Faculty & Staff, Outreach & Community Engagement