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Dr. Brett Taubman holds a glass of Rootsii.

This App State Researcher is Taking Wasted Sweet Potatoes — And Turning Them Into Milk [faculty featured]
Jun 4, 2026

North Carolina may be famous for its beaches and Blue Ridge Mountains, but the state has a lesser-known claim to fame.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
Dr. Zackary Vernon

Book Feature: Eating on a Mountain at the End of the World: How I Found Love, Humor, and Beauty in My Quest for Ethical Food [faculty featured]
Jun 1, 2026

When Zackary Vernon moved to Boone to begin teaching at Appalachian State University, he took on the personal challenge of trying to make ethical food choices: gardening, raising chickens, buying food from local farmers and volunteering at a certified organic farm.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
Dark Sky Observatory

10 North Carolina Stargazing Escapes Where Mountain Skies And Giant Telescopes Make The Night Unforgettable [facility featured]
Jun 1, 2026

North Carolina doesn’t just do mountains and beaches. It does nighttime drama on a cosmic scale.

Grants & Research
App State professor Dr. Brett Taubman, left, and Fermentation Sciences Lab manager Daniel Parker have developed the sweetpotato milk Rootsii in fermentation lab facilities at App State. The locally sourced, sustainable and allergy-friendly product received $1.82 million in funding from NCInnovation, with a goal of bringing the milk from proof of concept to store shelves over the next two years. Photo by Chase Reynolds

From the field to the fridge: $1.82M NCInnovation grant supports sweetpotato startup at App State
May 15, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Backed by a $1.82 million NCInnovation grant, Appalachian State University professor Dr.

University News, Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
App State alumni Masa and Seleen Al Horani. Photo by Chase Reynolds
This year’s Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors at App State was the largest in university history, with a record 240 students sharing their research through poster presentations. Photo by Kyla Willoughby

Record 240 student innovators take center stage at App State’s 29th annual research and creativity showcase
May 13, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — A record number of student innovators demonstrated how their research can make a difference — in the region and beyond — at Appalachian State University’s 29th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors.

Grants & Research, University News
Dr. Marc Kissel

The story of the first human tool: the humble container [faculty featured]
May 12, 2026

In the prehistoric opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the first tool is a club: a long limb bone that proves handy for killing prey animals, murdering the leader of a rival hominin group and, finally, for throwing into the air ready for a dramatic jump cut.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
Kimberly Treadaway, left, and Oscar Smith, sit beside a stack of needle boxes at Holler Harm Reduction in Marshall, North Carolina. (Jesse Barber / Grist)

Helene frayed the safety net for people who use drugs. This community wove it back together. [faculty featured]
May 4, 2026

Kimberly Treadaway hoped she was prepared for the storm. Hurricane Helene was heading right for her home in Weaverville, North Carolina, and she worried about having enough food and water, and about her 5-month-old son.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research
Dr. Matt Estep

App State professor brings ramp research to BRAHM [faculty featured]
May 1, 2026

BLOWING ROCK — An Appalachian State University professor is using DNA science to protect ramps and help the Cherokee keep a centuries-old tradition alive in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research