Appalachian’s Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce describes the site where she led a 10-year research project to examine footprints preserved within an ancient volcanic mudflow produced by the nearby Oldoinyo L’engai, a still-active volcano in the East African Rift. She is a sedimentologist and paleoenvironmental scientist in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. She also directs the university’s environmental science program.

In this opinion piece, Appalachian sociologist Dr. Ellen Lamont — author of “The Mating Game: How Gender Still Shapes How We Date” — reviews two new shows and the images they offer of love.

Appalachian’s Dr. Baker Perry co-authored the recently released North Carolina Climate Science Report. In this interview with public radio, he explains how each part of the state will feel the impacts of climate change. Perry teaches in the Department of Geography and Planning.

Appalachian State University is among universities across the U.S. identified as having plans to reopen for fall semester while their leaders determine what measures need to be taken for vulnerable populations that can't risk returning to class.

Brian MacHarg, Appalachian’s director of academic civic engagement, co-authors this opinion piece that COVID-19, much like Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina, is a time for renewed focus on service-learning. “Universities have an obligation to serve the country in new and unique ways in the face of the coronavirus, and offices of service-learning and community engagement should again be on the forefront of helping the nation to recover…,” he writes.

Computer science professor Dr. James Wilkes, who is also a farmer and beekeeper, explains the first World Bee Count and how to participate with a free app for your smartphone and a willingness to snap photos.

In this Armenian news story, Dr. David Nieman, a professor of public health and director of Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Lab, says plain water has a tendency to slip right through the human digestive system when not accompanied by food or nutrients. “There’s no virtue to that kind of consumption,” he says.

Appalachian State University Athletics partnered with Ransom and Stick Boy Bread Co. to deliver between 150 and 175 brunch meals to Appalachian Regional Healthcare System staff at the Watauga Medical Center on April 12. The athletics department wanted to bring some joy and a demonstration of support for health care workers while also supporting local businesses, according to Kate Misltead, assistant director of marketing for App State Athletics.

How do the beverages we consume each day contribute to the nutritional quality of our diet? Among the options, sports drinksmay be refreshing and feel fitness-forward, but they’re really appropriate only for endurance athletes who need a quick hit of carbs and to replenish electrolytes, says David Nieman, Dr.P.H., director of the Appalachian State University Human Performance Lab. For the rest of us, they’re just sugars, salt, and artificial coloring in a bottle.