Outreach & Community Engagement

Dr. Shea Tuberty, professor in and assistant chair of Appalachian’s Department of Biology, far left, works with biology graduate students Grant Buckner, of Burnsville, center, and Cristina Sanders, of Taylorsville, to collect water samples from Boone Creek. Their water quality studies are among the many campus research and creative endeavors that address issues or concerns within the High Country area, benefitting the region while providing students with skills that are sought after from both employers and

Peterson’s recognizes App State as top-20 school for outdoor enthusiasts
Jun 21, 2019

Whether you’re an aspiring geologist or a mountain biker, a budding archaeologist or a kayaker, Appalachian State University and its Blue Ridge Moun...

An excited group of third graders participating in the

Geological and Environmental Sciences K-12 science education strengthened by community partnership
Jun 14, 2019

Vulcan Materials, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates with a local office in Boone, N.C., has given over $61,000 to the Departm...

Fig. 1. Land use and land cover types in the Boone Creek watershed. Maps created by Aeon Russo ’19, environmental science and quantitative geoscience double major. Image provided by William Anderson

App State survey: Respondents willing to pay for stormwater management and reduce negative effects from runoff
Jun 13, 2019

Using the Boone Creek watershed that runs through Appalachian State University’s campus as a laboratory, an interdisciplinary research team at Appal...

this summer Snow is working with Dr. Smith behind the glass walls of the astronomy lab where museum visitors can see them work. She is most excited because, “When my little brothers come to the museum they will get to see me working!” photo submitted by Kara Snow.

Kara Snow shows how getting a head start in research pays off
Jun 10, 2019

Honors first year student Kara Snow from Raleigh, NC, has been selected as a North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Women in Science Scholar. ...

Photo of the St. Francis’ satyr butterfly. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

For Memorial Day: Poet Joseph Bathanti’s ‘Saint Francis’s Satyr Butterfly’
May 27, 2019

A species of butterfly found only at the Fort Bragg military installation in Fayetteville inspired former Poet Laureate of North Carolina (2012–14) ...

Students in Appalachian’s summer 2018 STARTALK Program learn a Chinese fan dance with Rachel Zhao, a teacher at Eastway Elementary School in Durham, far left in foreground, who participated as an instructor in the program. Photo by Ellen Gwin Burnette

Appalachian awarded funding for second STARTALK Program — an immersion in Chinese language, culture
May 16, 2019

For the second consecutive year, high school students of the High Country will have the opportunity to embark on a virtual journey to Beijing and lear...

A Celebration of Irish/American Poets flyer photo

"A Celebration of American/Irish Poets" - Poetry Reading
Apr 18, 2019

Thursday, April 255 - 6 p.m.Attic Window Room - 137C, Plemmons Student Union“Open-Eyed, Full-Throated: An Anthology of American/Irish Poets” cente...

A fall scene along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Shutterstock/TheBigMK Image

Dr. Mark Spond assesses condition of agricultural parcels along Blue Ridge Parkway using NPS funding
Apr 15, 2019

Thanks to $21,820 in funding from the National Park Service (NPS), Dr. Mark Spond, Appalachian State University’s liaison to the NPS, has compl...

New River Conservancy logo

The biannual New River Symposium
Apr 9, 2019

The New River Symposium is set for Thursday, April 11th and Friday, April 12th of this week. There are over 40 presentations, a poster session, and br...

“Artists like Moisés Kaufman help us see the world from new perspectives that can help us respond to our world and the big problems we face with creativity and compassion.”  Dr. Martha McCaughey, professor and Common Reading Program director. Photo submitted

Reading and book signing with ‘The Laramie Project’ author Moisés Kaufman
Apr 1, 2019

Part of the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, Appalachian State University’s 2018 Common Reading Program author, Moisés Kaufman, will...