Joe Bigley ’04, lecturer in the Department of Art at App State, is executive director of the Western NC Sculpture Center, located in the Happy Valley community of Caldwell County. The center recently collaborated with Hudson Elementary School art teacher and App State art education alumna Emilee Aldaco ’14 on a cast iron project designed by a fourth grade class.

Astronomers predict that a star about 3,000 lightyears away from earth in the constellation Corona Borealis is about to go nova. The star, which cannot normally be seen with the naked eye, will temporarily be as bright as Polaris — also known as the North Star. Dr. Daniel Caton, a professor in App State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, speaks about the rare astronomical event in this interview with WFAE. Interviewing Caton is WFAE Morning Edition host Marshall Terry, who graduated from App State in 2007 with a degree in communications.

ESPN college football writers ranked the top 25 stadiums in the sport, with App State’s Kidd Brewer Stadium coming in at No. 23 on the list. ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. describes the Mountaineer’s stadium as "one of the most beautiful scenes in all of college football" with a "booming" fan atmosphere.

Western North Carolina had three small earthquakes in a 24-hour span this June. The earthquakes were near the area of the 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Sparta in 2020. Dr. Scott Marshall, a professor in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, said that a recently discovered fault line could be the cause of these smaller earthquakes, and that they are likely aftershocks from the 2020 event.

Work is set to begin to remove Shull’s Mill Dam on the Watauga River in July in order to restore a healthy river ecosystem. The project will involve the relocation of eastern hellbenders, a species of special concern in North Carolina, who live in the river near the dam. Dr. Mike Gangloff, professor in App State’s Department of Biology, speaks to the importance of hellbenders, including how they can increase water and habitat quality in rivers. Gangloff is the aquatic lead researcher for the Shull’s Mill Dam removal.

This “Dean’s List” roundup in The Charlotte Observer includes information about the UNC System’s budget requests and App State’s new cybersecurity program, which will be offered through the Walker College of Business starting this fall on both the Boone and Hickory campuses. It will be the first undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity available through the UNC System in Western North Carolina.

This feature in the Watauga Democrat highlights the career of Kaaren Hayes, who recently retired after 36 years with App State’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network. Parent to Parent provides free support to families who have a premature baby or a child with a disability, or to families who are grieving the death of a child. Hayes was with Parent to Parent since its inception in 1988, and she became program director in 1998. Hayes graduated from App State in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in child development.

Health experts and athletes explore the benefits of non-alcoholic beer as a post-workout recovery drink in this GQ magazine feature. Dr. Laurel Wentz, associate professor in App State’s Nutrition and Foods Program, explains that non-alcoholic beer provides hydration effects similar to water, but also has the benefit of carbs, which the body needs to help recover after workouts. Wentz explains how pairing non-alcoholic beer with a high-protein snack can achieve similar results to sports drinks.

NCInnovation approved $5.2 million in funding for eight research projects at seven North Carolina public universities. One of the projects to receive funding is App State’s beehive improvement and monitoring system, developed by Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, professor and chair in the Department of Computer Science. The Beemon system presents a unique and innovative tool for decreasing honeybee die-off and increasing hive production by allowing beekeepers to monitor hives with efficient and accurate data.