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Appalachian Features

  • 2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part Three
    2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part Three
    Through one of Appalachian's many study abroad opportunities, students enjoy the indigenous culture of New Zealand.
  • 2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part Two
    2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part Two
    Through Outdoor Programs, students experience New Zealand's wilderness as a teaching tool and as a metaphor for life's challenges.
  • An Appalachian Summer Festival
    An Appalachian Summer Festival
    An Appalachian Summer Festival has emerged as one of the nation's most highly regarded regional, multidisciplinary arts festivals.
  • Conveying grief through art
    Conveying grief through art
    Art major Jennifer Livingston explored Lenoir's cost of losing the furniture industry by interviewing residents of her hometown. She turned their stories into an installation piece exhibited in Lenoir's Bernhardt-Seagle Building.
  • Student Research
    Student Research
    Appalachian’s emphasis on student research expands students’ opportunities to learn, collaborate with faculty, and explore career options.
  • What’s in a tomato?
    What’s in a tomato?
    Chemistry major Kasmira Adkins helps local farmers compare the nutritional value of their tomatoes with tomatoes commercially shipped long distances.
  • 2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part One
    2008 Carbon-Neutral Trip to New Zealand :: Part One
    Eighteen students learn how to offset carbon emissions associated with their study abroad trip to New Zealand—simply by planting trees and purchasing green power.
  • The Value of Undergraduate Research
    The Value of Undergraduate Research
    Chemistry major Allison Newell and biology major Morgan Thompson present their undergraduate research findings at a professional conference in San Diego, Calif.
  • Snowfall prediction research
    Snowfall Prediction Research
    Researchers from Appalachian State University, UNC Asheville and NC State University are collaborating on a project to improve snowfall predications in the higher elevations.
  • On the Rock Face
    On the Rock Face
    The region's cliff faces harbor rare plant species dating back to the last ice age. Appalachian researchers are working to understand and protect this special ecosystem.
  • Seven Girls, Seven Dreams
    Seven Girls, Seven Dreams
    Seven girls have greater hope for achieving their professional dreams because they chose to participate in Upward Bound's college preparation activities.
  • Dancing with the Dragon: Contemporary Art from Beijing
    Dancing with the Dragon: Contemporary Art from Beijing
    The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts presents "Dancing with the Dragon," a multi-disciplinary exchange program featuring contemporary art and artists from China.
  • Gloria Steinem
    Gloria Steinem: A Leader in Social Change
    Appalachian's Forum Lecture Series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus. Their views enliven campus dialogue on a variety of issues. Writer and feminist activist Gloria Steinem opened the 2008 series.
  • Supporting the Best Writers
    Supporting the Best Writers
    The Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship in Creative Writing is awarded to Appalachian's best student writers of fiction and poetry. This year's winner is John Stone, a senior from Sanford.
  • Carolyn Clark
    The Power of Mentoring - Carolyn Clark '04
    Two communication majors reach the top of their field in New York City thanks to the mentoring relationships they developed at Appalachian.
  • Appalachian Graduate Student Profiles
    Diverse Educational Journeys
    Four graduate students describe very diverse educational journeys at Appalachian and beyond in their own words.
  • Mountaineers Make History
    Mountaineers Make History
    The Mountaineers seal their reputation as a national model for college football success after winning an unprecedented third-straight NCAA Div I FCS Championship.
  • Appalachian and the Community Together
    Hearts and Hands at Work
    Appalachian students can express their benevolent spirit through community service, service-learning, and community-based research opportunities.
  • Enhancing Diversity: The Faculty Fellows Program
    Enhancing Diversity: The Faculty Fellows Program
    Central to the depth and quality of intellectual life at Appalachian is a diverse faculty.
  • Shades of Green
    Shades of Green
    Professor Curtis Ryan dispels myths and misinformation of Islam and the Arab world.
  • Cultural Exchange
    Cultural Exchange
    15 Pakistanis strengthen their teaching skills and leave behind a better understanding of their culture.
  • A Debt-Free Education
    A Debt-Free Education
    A new scholarship fund called Appalachian Commitment to a College Education for Student Success (ACCESS) brought its first group of recipients to campus this fall.
  • A Friendship Blooms
    A Friendship Blooms
    Art faculty member April Flanders and her student Heather Owens are just one example of how Appalachian's stimulating learning community thrives both inside and outside the classroom.
  • A Beautiful Setting
    A Beautiful Setting
    Spring, summer, fall and winter bring some 30 million visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail, both just minutes from campus.
  • Global Climate Change
    Global Climate Change
    Geologist Dr. Ellen Cowan was among a select, international group of scientists who drilled the Antarctic sea floor for indications of how global warming affected our planet in the past.
  • Many Faces, Many Stories
    Many Faces, Many Stories
    Ask someone to tell their story and you'll find that no two students are alike on the Appalachian campus.
  • The Polluting of a Park
    The Polluting of a Park
    Biologist Howard Neufeld has spent 20 years documenting the impact of ozone on native plants in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • Champion Cyclists
    Champion Cyclists
    The Appalachian Cycling Team - one of 20 club sports on campus - is a four-time winner of the Atlantic Coast Cycling Conference for road racing.
  • Exercise and the Immune System
    Exercise and the Immune System
    Keeping athletes healthy is a passion for David Nieman, a world-renowned expert in nutrition and exercise science.
  • A Student-run Record Label
    A Student-run Record Label
    In the Hayes School of Music, students expand their knowledge of the recording industry by signing, recording and marketing local bands through their own record label called Split Rail Records.

On campus and beyond

Some of the 125 presenters at Appalachian's 11th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors:

Julia Fondren
Julia Fondren

My research was very relevant to my field in that it taught me how to design a research study, how to carry it out, how to analyze data and then make a presentation of those results.

—Julia Fondren, senior
psychology major from Wilmington

Project Title: “Needs assessment of a group therapy program for post-abortion issues on Appalachian State University’s campus” – conducted for the Boone Hope Pregnancy Resource Center as a Public Service Research Project, which pairs students and community agencies to solve an actual social problem

Sara Kim
Sarah Kim

My research study has expanded my knowledge about the research process. I now have a greater appreciation for what goes into the research articles I read in professional journals.

—Sara Kim
master’s candidate in nutrition

Project Title: “Effectiveness of the Western N.C. Folic Acid Campaign in Watauga County” – first-place winner for the graduate research award presented by the N.C. Dietetic Association

Jonathan Mitchell
Jonathan Mitchell

I want to do more research with fossils, and this study has helped me learn how to systematically identify fossils. This summer I will be interning at the Smithsonian Institution, working with the curator of dinosaurs to look at eggshells and determine what kind of dinosaur they came from. I’m really excited about that.

—Jonathan S. Mitchell, sophomore
geology major/biology minor from Goldsboro

Project title: “Taxonomic analysis of upper Triassic lungfish (osteichthyes:dipnoi) tooth plates, with specific reference to the first specimens from North Carolina” -- presented at the Southeast Geological Society of America conference

Bethany Carter
Bethany Carter

I’ve learned a lot by finding stuff out on my own. The more involved you are in your department and its research opportunities, you realize what career options are out there. I want to go to graduate school and eventually work in industry.

—Bethany Carter, senior
chemistry major from Elkin

Project Title: “Effects of estrogenic compounds in waste water treatment plant effluent on fish vitellogenesis”

Emily Steinbaugh
Emily Steinbaugh

This has been a unique experience because my results weren’t what I expected, but because of that, I have gleaned so much from this study. It gave me new insight into the complexity of research.

—Emily Steinbaugh, senior
psychology major from Newland

Project Title: “A Healthy Start: The relationship between controlling maternal feeding practices and child health status among siblings”

Kathryn Yeager
Kathryn Yeager

This was my first solo study, and it gave me a chance to develop my own responsibilities and my own identity as a music therapist. The experience of writing a research project allowed me to work more closely with my advisor, which was incredible.

—Kathryn Yeager, senior
music major from Raleigh

Project title: “Music therapy with preschoolers at risk for school failure” – presented at the Southeastern Region Music Therapy Association conference

Naomi Eckerd
Naomi Eckerd

I plan to go to engineering school and become a civil engineer to build bridges, so if I have a background of what a bridge’s purpose is and how to achieve that, I can build bridges with a longer life span.

—Naomi Eckerd, sophomore
physics major from Boone

Project title: “A survey of bridge structural and functional conditions in Watauga County”

Giovanni Modica
Giovanni Modica

Growing up in a military town and being a member of the N.C. National Guard, I had preset opinions about the Iraq war. After taking this class, I now want to serve in the military for a different reason: to become an officer who can directly affect change for his soldiers and for his nation. The class changed how I learn, from just memorizing facts to really questioning, being involved in the learning process, and deepening my understanding.

—Giovanni Modica
freshman from Jacksonville

Project Title: “A new look at the Iraq War” – a video summary of a Watauga College class that investigated why America is at war in Iraq. The class included a Washington, D.C., trip to interview government leaders.

Drew Scott
Drew Scott

This is my foot in the door to what I’ll be doing the rest of my life. Finding and analyzing data is your whole world in biology.

—Drew Scott, senior
biology major from Pinnacle

Project title: “Bottle sampling for shrews and other small mammals focusing on morphological features useful in identification”

Related Links

Appalachian lauds opportunities for student research

Are bridges in Watauga County structurally sound? What effect does waste water treatment effluent have on fish? Can adding music to pre-school activities better engage children in learning?

These are among the questions student researchers ask at Appalachian State University, which values academic inquiry because of the opportunities it provides for learning, faculty/student collaboration and career development. What better way to apply classroom knowledge than to conduct actual experiments and other forms of scholarship?

Appalachian believes students who understand how discoveries are made in their chosen fields today are well-prepared to address the unsolved problems of the future. To underscore its commitment to student research, the university awards about $100,000 to student projects each year. This includes Prestigious Scholars Grants, a competitive award for currently enrolled Appalachian undergraduates who have a minimum 3.75 grade point average.

Student research and mentored scholarship can be utilized in just about any academic discipline, and Appalachian students frequently present their research at professional meetings across the country. About 100 students presented during the 2007-08 academic year, and nearly 400 students since 2005. Some also publish their research in peer review journals in collaboration with their faculty mentors.

Events at which students have presented their research in 2007-08 include:

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s P3 Award Competition in Washington, D.C.
  • 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology Meeting in Boston
  • 55th Annual Southeastern Conference on Latin American Studies in Tampa, Fla.
  • National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Salisbury, Md.
  • Southeastern Region American Music Therapy Association Conference in New Orleans
  • National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention in New Orleans
  • Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Meeting in Birmingham, Ala.
  • Association of Information Technology Professionals’ National Collegiate Conference, Memphis, Tenn.
  • 32nd annual National Association for Developmental Education Conference in Boston

In April, Appalachian hosted its 11th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors in Plemmons Student Union. The day-long event featured 125 students sharing their knowledge through oral presentations, poster presentations, creative performances and technology showcases.

This celebration is a highlight of the campus community. “Learning through involvement in research and/or creative endeavors is one of the most meaningful experiences in our students’ education,” says Alan Utter, director of Appalachian’s Office of Student Research and a professor in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science.

“Many students find that engagement in research provides a context and meaning to their academic program. They also learn about their personal strengths and interests, making future career choices easier. In addition, students who engage in research and creative endeavors persist in their pursuit of an undergraduate degree at a higher rate than comparison groups.”