Grants & Research

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...

Dr. Baker Perry, professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Geography and Planning, right, and his expedition team member Dr. Tom Matthews, work on the automated weather station at the Mount Everest Base Camp. Perry and Matthews were members of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition. Learn more at www.natgeo.com/everest. Photo by Freddie Wilkinson, National Geographic.

App State leads climate research at the top of the world
Dec 16, 2021

Appalachian State University has stepped onto the world stage as the lead institution to coordinate the operation and maintenance of weather stations ...

Dr. Andy Heckert, professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University, is pictured in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in September during his 2021–22 Fulbright experience. Photo by Iekraam Adams

Fossils offer App State Fulbright Scholar clues on ancient animal evolution
Dec 14, 2021

Millions of years and thousands of miles stand between Appalachian State University paleontologist Dr. Andy Heckert and new insights into the evolutio...

Assistant professor Dr. Michael Reddish, left, and Ethan Harris test samples in the lab in Appalachian State University’s A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, where they investigate treatments for triple-negative breast cancer — work funded by a grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Harris is a senior from Clemmons who is double majoring in chemistry-biochemistry and biology-cellular/molecular biology. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State team researches treatments for aggressive breast cancer
Dec 10, 2021

 A research team at Appalachian State University is investigating effective treatments for one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer — ...