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App State Chancellor Heather Norris, left, with Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, the Lowe’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science in App State’s Department of Computer Science, at the university’s 2025 Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event, held Sept. 19 on the Boone campus. Tashakkori is the recipient of the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State spotlights achievements in research, scholarship and creative activities
Oct 10, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — This year’s Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian (RECAPP) event — Appalachian State University’s annual showcase of faculty research and creative endeavors — featured keynote addresses from App State faculty members Dr.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research, University News
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
The App State hellbender team surveys the New River near Boone. Pictured, from left to right, are biology graduate students Brent Kinser, Aidan Hedges and Hutch Whitman, App State alumna and lab technician Emily Gillikin '24 and recent App State graduate Hunter Comeford. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State advances community-driven research for recovery and resilience
Sep 22, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — Hurricane Helene’s cascading effects swept through Western North Carolina’s communities, landscapes and institutions.

Grants & Research, Outreach & Community Engagement, University News
Dr. Leo Flores is a professor in and the chair of the Appalachian State University Department of English.
According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm late in the evening of Sept. 26, 2024. The storm reached the Southern Appalachians on Sept. 27, 2024, causing widespread flooding, landslides, downed trees and power outages. Image courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere

What made Hurricane Helene a historic storm?
Sep 9, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — In September 2024, Hurricane Helene brought record-breaking rain and wind to the High Country, leaving a lasting impact across the region. It marked Boone’s most devastating flood event since 1940 — and before that, 1916.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research, University News
Dr. Jon Davenport
Dr. Rick Elmore is a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Appalachian State University.

Two Years After Cormac McCarthy’s Death, Rare Access to His Personal Library Reveals the Man Behind the Myth [faculty featured]
Sep 5, 2025

Cormac McCarthy, one of the greatest novelists America has ever produced and one of the most private, had been dead for 13 months when I arrived at his final residence outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
Dr. Tinghao Feng (top left), Dr. Maggie Sugg (top right), Dr. William Wang (bottom left), and Dr. Zhiyuan Yao (bottom right) received Chancellor's Innovation grants.
Sophie Ryan (left) and Dr. Maggie Sugg (right) at Appalachian State University. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App State research shows impact of climate stress on youth mental health
Aug 22, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — Natural disasters and climate change have a significant impact on the mental health of young people around the nation, according to new research led by Dr. Jennifer Runkle, a researcher at North Carolina State University and Dr.

College News, Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research, Students
The Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences is accepting applications for the Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund with a deadline of Monday, October 6, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Apply for the Fall 2025 SAFE Fund through October 6
Aug 22, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — The Appalachian State University College of Arts and Sciences is accepting applications for the Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund with a deadline of Monday, October 6, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

College News, Grants & Research, SAFE Grant