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Coronavirus information: The university remains open, with emergency management protocols activated and operational modifications and precautions in place. Instruction has transitioned online for summer sessions. Read the latest update posted 6/2/2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Research at Appalachian

Research at Appalachian

Appalachian’s location in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina provides unique opportunities for research and scholarship. Passionate and creative faculty come here to stay, and students learn in academically challenging settings under their close mentorship. Small communities, access to diverse natural resources and significant weather patterns combine with a university culture that supports innovative, interdisciplinary pedagogy, making our location one that is not only stunningly beautiful, but also intellectually stimulating.

Student and faculty research stories

What kind of research could you undertake as an Appalachian student? Read about what our students and faculty are doing in their fields, where and how they learn, and share their work.

stduent with professor handling chemicals

>> Featured research stories

Office of Research

The Office of Research provides support for the research, creative and scholarly endeavors of Appalachian faculty, staff and students. The office offers assistance with finding funding, writing and submitting proposals, preparing budgets, beginning and managing projects and continued fiscal management of awarded projects.

chemistry student working with professor

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Research News

More research news: Appalachian Today

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Degrees

Professional Development Opportunities from the Office of Research

View the Office of Research calendar of events

Appalachian faculty actively engage in research

Find out more about our Research Centers and Institutes here:

The value of undergraduate research

Working with professors on meaningful research or creative endeavors gives Appalachian students the skills they need for career or graduate school success.

Graduate Research Associate Mentoring Program

The Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies has a competitive assistantship program, which pays a stipend to graduate students who collaborate with faculty members on their research projects.

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The North Carolina Research Campus - a public-private research center

Appalachian partners with the North Carolina Research Campus, providing our students with extraordinary opportunities to engage in collaborative and multidisciplinary research in human health, nutrition and agriculture.

North Carolina Research Campus

Energy research

International research & development

When individuals from countries and cultures across the globe can share knowledge and experience with one another, all nations benefit. Find out more about the research in which our faculty, staff and students are engaging in crosses boundaries and borders for the betterment of all.

Resources and support

Are you a faculty member, staff member or student looking for resources for your research endeavors? Start here to find some terrific resources available to help.

News

Counting bees, because bees count — App State creates pollinator-tracking app
May 18, 2020
Appalachian’s Center for Analytics Research and Education (CARE) launches a global initiative to count the world’s pollinator population.
Ancient footprints in Tanzania
May 15, 2020
Two faculty members in Appalachian’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences have published a culminating article about ancient human footprints in the journal Scientific Reports after a decade of research. The footprints give clues to human social behavior tens of thousands of years ago.
App State researchers form interdisciplinary clusters to address COVID-19 topics
May 1, 2020
Nearly 40 members of Appalachian’s faculty are working collaboratively to address topics related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Such topics include the virus’s economic impact on the region and how to support rural, socially vulnerable community members living alone.
App State research yields insights into glacial activity — from Greenland to Antarctica — ‘in a warming world’
April 15, 2020
Research results from a paper co-authored by Appalachian professor Dr. Ellen Cowan and published in the journal Nature Communications show that “increased glacial melting and sediment delivery may delay catastrophic retreat of large marine glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica in a warming world.”
NC scientists predict a warmer, wetter and more humid state climate
April 9, 2020
In the latest North Carolina Climate Science Report, N.C. scientists, including Appalachian State University professor Dr. Baker Perry, report greenhouse gases promise a warmer, wetter and more humid climate for the state.
App State alumnus identifies a new tyrannosaur species
March 25, 2020
While working on his master’s thesis at the University of Calgary in Canada, Appalachian alumnus Jared Voris ’16 noticed unique features on some tyrannosaur bones, leading to the discovery of a new species.
App State researchers scale Mount Everest to conduct climate research as part of National Geographic expedition
June 14, 2019
Dr. Baker Perry and Dr. Anton Seimon were part of a multidisciplinary expedition that installed the world’s two highest weather stations (at 8,430 meters and 7,945 meters), examined soil samples and glacial lakes to better understand the range of life surviving on Earth’s highest peaks, and more.
Climbing into thin air for climate research
March 15, 2019
Appalachian students joined Dr. Baker Perry, one of the top experts in his field, to climb mountains and traverse glaciers in Peru, all while participating in climate research projects that may impact the world.

Events

Jun
11
to
12
POSTPONED: 2020 Appalachian Energy Summit
June 11 - 12, 2020
This event has been postponed. Check back for updates. The 2020 Appalachian Energy Summit is the ninth-annual gathering of some of the world’s best minds in energy policy and practice. This unique event, held in Boone each year, brings together energy, sustainability and academic communities of the state and region to share knowledge, innovation and best practices.
Oct
2
Mr. Jose Minaya
October 2, 2020
10:00 am
Rescheduled from April 3, 2020. Mr. Jose Minaya—CEO of Nuveen, a TIAA company—oversees all operating and investment activities for more than $970 billion in assets spanning the globe and covering equities, fixed income, real estate, private markets, natural resources, other alternatives and responsible investments. Mr. Minaya also chairs the Nuveen global investment committee and is a member of the firm’s executive committee.
Jun
4
to
Nov
6
Retracing Audubon: Eco-Conversations with Krista Elrick
Jun 4 - Nov 6, 2021
Retracing Audubon: Eco-Conversations is an exhibition and book project reexamining John James Audubon’s epic life journey and the production of his beloved tome, The Birds of America. The exhibition features contemporary photographs made by Krista Elrick of the American landscapes in which Audubon traveled 200 years ago and includes quotes from Audubon’s journals and entries Elrick made in her own travel notebooks two centuries later.