Appalachian Today

Since opening last summer, App State’s Robotics Lab has expanded its research activities and student involvement, giving student researchers opportunities to explore how robots can learn, adapt and collaborate with humans in dynamic environments. The lab combines research in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning while also emphasizing experiential learning.

During an Oct. 12 event at the Hickory campus, App State recognized five community partners for helping the university expand clinical services, strengthen rural healthcare outreach and launch a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the Catawba Valley. The partners are Catawba Valley Health System, UNC Health Blue Ridge, UNC Health Caldwell, and the Caldwell Memorial Hospital and Golden LEAF foundations.

To mark the 40th year of App State’s Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, the Rosen siblings have made two significant gifts to the university that continue their late parents’ legacy of supporting the visual arts at App State: “Braid,” for the university’s permanent sculpture collection, and an experiential learning award supporting faculty and staff artists.

App State is teaming up with Vaya Partners on the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen rural healthcare across 12 NC counties. Supported by an $11.5 million-plus grant, App State will develop educational pathways, clinical placements and financial assistance to help prepare and retain healthcare professionals where they are needed most.

App State has received a second consecutive $35 million GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The seven-year award will expand college preparation and career readiness services to thousands of middle and high school students across Western North Carolina.