App State alumna Donna L. Bledsoe ’04 ’08 was named the 2023 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. Bledsoe has been the principal of Cedar Ridge Elementary School in Surry County since 2016. She was chosen among eight regional principals of the year and the charter school principal of the year.

Dr. Scott Collier, professor in App State’s Department of Public Health and Exercise Science, helps explain the difference between heart rate and blood pressure. Collier emphasizes the importance of understanding the numbers involved with heart rate and blood pressure in order to maintain good cardiovascular health.

Dr. Ellen Cowan and Keith Seramur, husband and wife and professors in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, searched for evidence of the long-purported Daniel Boone cabin site in Beaver Creek using remote sensing devices. App State seniors and environmental geology majors, Ben Mapes of Morganton and Michael Medlin of Jamestown, assisted with the research.

In this opinion piece, Carla Ramsdell, an instructor in App State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, explains how a hybridized kitchen can be an environmentally positive solution for gas stove users. Ramsdell suggests that along with a gas stove, having a single-burner electric induction cooktop provides another cooking option that helps improve indoor air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A recent viral Facebook post claims that mushroom DNA is closer to humans than plants. Experts, including John Walker, professor in App State's Department of Biology, confirm that this is true. In this article, Walker highlights the major overlapping characteristics shared by fungi and animals that plants do not have.

Dr. Marketa Zimova, assistant professor of biology at App State, explores how climate change has negatively impacted mountain hares in the Scottish Highlands. Zimova explains that mountain hares have turncoat capabilities — changing from a brown coat to a white coat during winter months to blend in with the snow — but with less snow each year, they are becoming more easily exposed to predators.

Michael Reddish, assistant professor in App State’s Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, is responsible for the university’s biggest ever National Institutes of Health grant. With $1.6 million in funding, including a $20,000 NCBiotech Flash Grant and a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant, Reddish is researching human enzymes in an effort that could lead to new therapies for treating cancer and other serious diseases. Reddish’s team is made up of App State undergraduate students.

Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, toured the Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center, headquartered at N.C. State, in February 2023. App State is one of nine institutions across the U.S. that are partners in the center, which aims to facilitate a 25% reduction in human dependence on mined phosphates and a 25% reduction in phosphorus losses to soils and water resources within 25 years.

Dr. Lindsay Masland, professor of psychology at App State, offers her expert opinion as to why students today may feel more disengaged in the classroom. Masland recommends ways for faculty to incorporate alternative teaching methods in the classroom.