There was a 2.2 magnitude earthquake west of Asheville earlier this week. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it's the fourth small quake felt in the area in the past month. But Appalachian State University Geophysicist Scott Marshall says that's not really surprising. “Damaging earthquakes in the eastern U.S. are rare,” Marshall said. “Small earthquakes in the eastern U.S. are pretty common. Several hundred per year.”

Dula family reunions in western North Carolina include members of the black and white sides of the family. But for decades these two sides did not communicate or even acknowledge their relation. Filmmaker Beth Davison, a faculty member at Appalachian State University, explored this story in her recent documentary “Dulatown.”

Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and taking the right vitamins—like vitamin D—are the best ways to improve your immune system. “If you look at all the lifestyle factors that decrease the number of days you suffer from common cold, being a physically active and fit person is the most important,” says David Nieman, a professor of public health and director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University.

Hoverboards, an electric tricycle, and building an electric truck are among the projects students are working on at Alamance-Burlington Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC). Automotive instructor Terry Drummond hopes CTEC’s partnership with the Triad Electric Vehicle Association, which has ties to Appalachian State University in Boone, will jumpstart a new sustainable energy curriculum for the school.