Home

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 and Innovation

The Office of Research and Innovation 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

>> Learn More

Research News

App State Oral History Program preserves the past and present through storytelling
November 18, 2024
Excellence in Teaching: A Q&A with App State’s Dr. Brooke Christian
November 11, 2024
NCInnovation selects App State as a support hub for applied research commercialization
November 8, 2024
Carbo-loading before a big run? Here’s what experts suggest. [faculty featured]
October 23, 2024
Webb Telescope Captures Mysterious Gas Jets From Speeding Object in the Outer Solar System [faculty featured]
October 10, 2024
App State’s Dr. Adam McKay co-authors study identifying carbon dioxide in distant solar system object
October 8, 2024
Meteorite hunters scavenge for meteor pieces in N.C. mountains [faculty featured]
September 21, 2024
3 App State students awarded NC Space Grants to conduct STEM research
September 20, 2024
Dr. Brooke Christian awarded National Science Foundation grant to study biomolecule stabilization
September 12, 2024
App State’s Dr. Maggie Sugg awarded over $1.5 million to study climate disasters and youth mental health
September 10, 2024

More research news: Appalachian Today

Apply

Visit

Connect

Degrees

Professional Development Opportunities from the Office of Research and Innovation

View the Office of Research and Innovation 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.

Learn more >>

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

App State faculty awarded $531,902 National Science Foundation grant to study aerosols’ effects on the climate
December 7, 2023
Supported by a $531,902 grant from the National Science Foundation, a team of App State researchers in the Appalachian Atmospheric Interdisciplinary Research (AppalAIR) program will conduct a three-year study on aerosols and how they affect Earth's climate.
Glacial lake outburst floods in Alaska and the Himalayas show evolving hazards in a warming world
October 9, 2023
This article in The Conversation about glacial lake outburst floods cites a new study conducted by Dr. William Armstrong, an assistant professor in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, which finds that of the 120 glacier-dammed lakes in Alaska, 106 of them have drained at least once since 1985. The study finds that due to globally rising temperatures, these lakes have decreased in volume over time. New lakes have the potential to develop in mountain valleys from glacier melt, resulting in new potential hazards.
Ancient Footprints Affirm People Lived in the Americas More Than 20,000 Years Ago
October 5, 2023
New research suggests that fossilized human footprints found in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park were made more than 20,000 years ago. The study, conducted by geologists in the U.S. Geological Survey, challenges decades of thinking about when humans arrived in North America. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce — a professor in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences who has studied ancient human footprints in Tanzania — explains how this study further supports the presence of humans in North America during the last ice age.
Tiny brains, big data: App State-led project aims to prepare the neuroscientists of tomorrow
August 14, 2023
Undergraduate students across the U.S., including those at App State, have greater access to enriched neuroscience education — and are engaging in real-world research — as part of an App State-led project funded by nearly $500,000 from the National Science Foundation.
On Everest, App State faculty fine-tune tools for sky-high scholarship
July 27, 2023
App State professors Dr. Baker Perry and Dr. Brian Raichle conducted weather station maintenance with a group of elite climbing Sherpas on Mount Everest as part of a National Geographic Society expedition, supported by Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Spectrograph installed at South Africa’s Boyden Observatory to aid App State, UFS astrophysicists
June 30, 2023
App State astrophysicist Dr. Richard Gray has completed the installation of a spectrograph he designed and built for Boyden Observatory’s 1.5-meter telescope. The new instrument will allow App State and UFS scientists and students to gain new insights into the origins and evolution of celestial objects.
Appalachian Energy Summit announces $1.75 billion in statewide avoided energy costs
June 29, 2023
The Appalachian Energy Summit continues toward the established 2025 goal of $2 billion in avoided energy costs for the UNC System and state agencies. Since 2002–03, the System and its partners have collectively avoided $1.75 billion in energy costs.
Construction of App State’s Conservatory for Biodiversity Education and Research set to begin Summer 2023
June 9, 2023
Construction for App State’s Conservatory for Biodiversity Education and Research — the first academic building of the university’s Innovation District — is set to begin in July. The facility, offering classroom, office, laboratory and event space, will be built to the rigorous sustainability standards of the Living Building Challenge.