The New River Conservancy and New River State Park are working to reopen Elk Shoals to the public through a plan they are calling ReWilding Elk Shoals. A team from Appalachian State University's Appalachian Studies program participated in planting native trees in the flood plain at Elk Shoals on Sept. 20.

Online shopping giant Amazon revealed a carbon footprint Thursday that rivals that of a small country and vowed to reduce the damage to the planet by cutting its use of fossil fuels. "Its greenhouse gas emissions are about 85% of the emissions of Switzerland or Denmark," said Gregg Marland, a professor at the Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics at Appalachian State University.

You agreed to stick it out through sickness and health and for richer or poorer, but marital vows don't address the other big things that can untie your knot. In one Appalachian State University study, for example, experts asked 52 couples to reminisce about fun times they had experienced both alone and together; those who liked to recall shared laughs were most satisfied with their relationships.

The campus and local community celebrated Appalachian State University’s 120-year legacy of educational leadership with the second annual Founders Day celebration Sept. 5. The day included dedication of the Lillie Shull Dougherty statue, the ringing of the Founders Bell, a panel discussion with past leaders, and research by faculty, staff and students.

The American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Health and Safety has announced Appalachian State University’s Samuella B. Sigmann as the recipient of its 2019 Howard Fawcett Chemical Health and Safety Award. The award recognizes outstanding leadership and service in the field of chemical health and safety.

More than 100 ponds and landfills containing coal ash lie in areas FEMA has designated as high-risk flood zones, according to a POLITICO analysis. Adding climate change to the mix presents “a major issue,” said Ellen Cowan, a scientist at Appalachian State University who has studied coal ash spills across the country.

A substantial body of research shows that students systematically give lower teaching evaluations to women and people of color than to white men, even when there are no differences in the teaching’s quality and effectiveness. Nevertheless, most universities and colleges continue to use student evaluations to inform decisions about who gets promoted.