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On Appalachian State Giving Day 2026, Mountaineers across the nation showed their App State pride and raised more than $2.8 million to support programs and initiatives across the university, breaking the previous Giving Day fundraising record by more than $1 million. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
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
App State honored more than 4,300 Mountaineer graduates — the largest graduating class in university history — during its seven Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies, held May 7–9 in Holmes Convocation Center on the Boone campus. Pictured, App State Chancellor Heather Norris addresses the Class of 2026. 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
App State Chancellor Heather Norris, third from right, and App State Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Neva J. Specht, third from left, with the 2026 Ronny L. Brooks Leadership Award recipients at App State’s 2026 Awards of Distinction ceremony, held April 28 on the Boone campus. Pictured with Norris and Specht, from left to right, are App State seniors Courtney Castellow and Daye Talley, Rhonda Bullock, daughter of Ronny L. Brooks, and her husband, John Bullock, and App State senior David Itson. Photo
App State students and Mountaineer Medics Owen Troxell, far left, and Emily Bjerregaard, second from left, are pictured with members of the London Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust at an ambulance station in London. Photo submitted
This year’s Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors will be the largest in App State history, with 240 students participating. Pictured, an App State student presents their research poster during last year’s event. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
The App State-led Devonian Anoxia, Geochemistry, Geochronology and Extinction Research (DAGGER) group unfurls the National Geographic Explorers Club flag during geology research in Mongolia. Pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Sersmaa Gonchigdorj; Togtokh Javzankhuu; App State Professor Emeritus and adjunct research professor Dr. Johnny Waters; App State professor Dr. Sarah Carmichael; Will Waters (behind Carmichael); Dr. Diana Boyer; Randy Blood; App State senior geology majors Vanya Dill, of Morrisville

Off the map in Mongolia: App State geology students explore origins of ancient mass extinction
Apr 1, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Humbling. Awe-inspiring. Life-altering. These are the words of students and alumni who have followed App State professor Dr. Sarah Carmichael and Professor Emeritus Dr. Johnny Waters into remote Mongolia to investigate one of geology’s enduring mysteries.

Faculty & Staff, Grants & Research, Students, University News
Dr. Elizabeth Shay, associate professor in App State’s Department of Geography and Planning, was selected for the 2026 University of North Carolina Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award for Appalachian State University. Photo by Chase Reynolds