Skip to main content

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University
Advanced search
Information For...
  • Current Students
  • Parents & Family
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni
Quick Links
  • COVID-19
  • Give
  • Maps
  • Employment
  • Library
  • AppalNet
  • AsULearn
  • A-Z
Main Menu
  • Why Choose App?
  • Visit
  • Admissions
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • About
  • Home
  • Academics

Faculty Profile: Dr. Dennis Scanlin

May 25, 2015

For more than 30 years, Dr. Dennis Scanlin has taught and researched how to make renewable energy technology and create economic development that improves the world and makes it more sustainable.

“The study of Sustainable Technology has been and continues to be a very exciting field of study for me,” said Scanlin, who founded both the Sustainable Technology and Construction Technology programs at Appalachian and co-founded the university’s Sustainable Development program.

Energy education and renewable energy technology have been the major focus of his work. Particularly over the last 10 years, he has worked with renewable electricity system design and construction. 

Scanlin has designed, constructed and tested many renewable energy systems – including solar ovens, food dryers, lumber kilns, water heaters, water distillers, space heating systems, green houses, and small hydro, wind, and photovoltaic systems.

Scanlin has developed and taught numerous courses and public workshops focusing on a variety of renewable energy technologies. He has directed Appalachian’s N.C. Wind Application Center that includes the operation of the Small Wind Research and Demonstration facility on Beech Mountain, the Western North Carolina Anemometer Loan Program, North Carolina Wind for Schools Program, the wind.appstate.edu web site, and a variety of outreach and technical assistance programs related to renewable energy.

In 2008, he received the Small Wind Advocate of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program.

“The research and teaching in this area has inspired my creativity and problem-solving abilities and has allowed me to meet and get to know terrific people who are committed to finding better ways of doing things and who are helping to create a more sustainable world,” Scanlin said. “(Sustainable Technology is) truly a transformational program.”

Meet more faculty

  • Dr. Dennis Scanlin founded Appalachian’s Sustainable Technology program and has coordinated it for the last 32 years.

  • Solar food dryers based on a design by Appalachian’s Dennis Scanlin are being used worldwide. Here, two women in Afghanistan use the food dryer to dry fruit. (Photo courtesy of Robert Foster)

apply

Apply

visit

Visit

connect

Connect

programs

Degrees

Program

  • Sustainable Technology (BS)

    The Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Technology helps students develop the skills needed to design, build and maintain technological systems that will help create a more sustainable world.

Department

  • Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment

    One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment at Appalachian State University features an integrated array of programs spanning the fields of sustainable design and technology. Its mission is to foster a strong and vibrant culture of inquiry, discovery and innovation that integrates theory with application, problem seeking with problem-solving, local issues with global perspectives and technological progress with environmental stewardship. It offers bachelor’s degrees in sustainable technology and building science, and a master’s degree in technology. Learn more at https://stbe.appstate.edu.

College

  • College of Fine and Applied Arts

    The College of Fine and Applied Arts houses seven departments: Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Design and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. The programs’ diversity provides varying perspectives, yet they unite to deliver the finest quality education.

Appalachian Cares

It's up to me|us

Appalachian Cares is a place to find resources and support available for our students faculty and staff regarding student health and safety.

  • App State at Hickory
  • Accessibility
  • Bookstore
  • Contact Us
  • Emergency
  • Employment
  • Equal Opportunity Policy
  • Maps
  • Pay Bills
  • Policy Manual
  • Title IX

Connect

Facebook logo Twitter logo Youtube logo Insatgram logo

Connect with Appalachian's social media accounts from university programs, departments and administrative units.

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University

287 Rivers St., Boone, NC 28608 | 828-262-2000 | Copyright 2023 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer | Privacy | Website manager: waterworthae (wycoffdn) | Website feedback