Research Facilities

College Research Facilities

William C. and Ruth Ann Dewel Microscopy Facility

The William C. and Ruth Ann Dewel Microscopy Facility serves undergraduate, graduate students and faculty at Appalachian State University offering a wide variety of services in light and electron microscopy and image analysis. The CAS Microscopy Facility supports both research and teaching, and provides instruction and assistance on the use of state of the art imaging equipment.

College of Arts & Sciences Vivarium

The College of Arts & Sciences is committed to providing the Appalachian academic community with a safe, clean, humane, and efficient Animal Resource Facility. For information on the scope of activities, please consult the Vivarium Facility User’s Manual (274 KB, PDF).

Computation & Visualization Lab

The Visualization Lab is an interdisciplinary computer lab which provides high-end processing and graphic rendering capabilities in support of education, research and outreach activities. The lab is located on the second floor of Rankin Science West.

Dark Sky Observatory

Appalachian State University's Dark Sky Observatory is the research facility used by faculty and their students to conduct observational research in astrophysics. It is equipped with four telescopes, each used regularly for CCD imaging and photometry, with spectrographic instrumentation also available at the 32-inch.

Rankin Observatory

Rankin Observatory is the instructional facility on the main App State campus and is used for teaching advanced undergraduate astronomy courses in observational techniques. The RSO is next to the rooftop GoTo Lab Facility, used in Introductory Astronomy courses.

I.W. Carpenter, Jr. Herbarium

The Herbarium at App State contains approximately 29,000 specimens. The three main functions of the facility are teaching, maintenance of vouchers and development of a research herbarium with a focus on the flora of the Southern Appalachians.

Greenhouse

The Biology Department maintains the Greenhouse and Conservatory which supports a wide variety of outreach, teaching, basic and applied research efforts and holds more than 800 species across more than 100 families in plant inventory.

Other Research Labs

In addition to the Microscopy Lab and Vivarium, members of the science faculty maintain their own individual labs for research, usually involving both graduate and undergraduate students.

Grants & Research News

Luke Rose graduated from Appalachian in May with his bachelor's degree in geology with a concentration in paleontology. Photo submitted

SAFE Student Spotlight: Luke Rose ’24

Luke Rose ’24Fall 2023 SAFE Fund RecipientProject: "Taxonomic Significance of Lungfish (Sarcopterygii:Dipnoi) Tooth Plates in the Lower Triassic (Ol...

Joshua Crouch is a senior geology major from Gastonia. Photo submitted

SAFE Student Spotlight: Joshua Crouch

Joshua CrouchFall 2023 SAFE Fund RecipientProject: "Preliminary Taphonomy of a Revueltian (Upper Triassic: Norian) Age Coprolite Assemblage from the H...

Rachel Weaver is a junior psychology major from Greensboro. Photo submitted

SAFE Student Spotlight: Rachel Weaver

Rachel WeaverFall 2023 SAFE Fund RecipientProject: "HBC - Who?: Perceptions of Talent from Historically Black Colleges and Universities"Rachel Weaver,...

Cassidy Zekas is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management program from Salt Lake City, UT. Photo submitted

SAFE Student Spotlight: Cassidy Zekas

Cassidy ZekasFall 2023 SAFE Fund RecipientProject: "Are Psychology Undergraduate Students Equipped to Work in Business and Technology After Graduation...

Research in the College

The College of Arts and Sciences understands the value of research for our students and faculty. We support, encourage and aid our students and faculty in their research and scholarly pursuits. For more information about research through individual departments, please visit each department website