Appalachian Today

This spring, App State students and Mountaineer Medics traveled across the pond to study international emergency services firsthand, observing the London Ambulance Service — one of the world’s busiest emergency medical service agencies — in the field. They aim to use their insights to help strengthen local and campus emergency response protocols.

Since its launch in fall 2023, App State’s early literacy field experience program has served nearly 500 K–3 students with reading support across Watauga and Catawba counties. The program has also supported nearly 460 App State teacher candidates, who have gained hands-on experience working alongside their literacy professors in local schools.

A team of App State industrial design students, led by Department of Applied Design faculty Jimena Vergara-Sanz and Dr. Garner Dewy, is taking a human-centered approach to innovation. Using 3D printing technology, the team is working to design and develop next-generation prosthetic hands that are both accessible and customizable for users.

Professor Dr. Anthony Wilson — a two-time App State alumnus — leverages decades of industry experience to bridge the gap between the classroom and the runway, mentoring App State’s next generation of designers. Learn how he inspires his students to make a positive impact through their creative work.

A new, interdisciplinary partnership at App State is harmonizing health care. The Hayes School of Music and Beaver College of Health Sciences have launched a pilot program this spring that integrates music therapy into the university’s Preschool Language Classroom — using rhythm and song to help strengthen communication and social skills in young children.