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.

This article in MoneyGeek shares advice and insight, valuable tools and resources designed to help people develop a “green” approach to their finances. Dr. Susan Weidmann, an assistant professor in App State’s Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, offers her expert voice about eco-friendly approaches to finances and savings.

Heat waves this June impacted Maine and other areas that are not accustomed to extreme high temperatures. This article in The New York Times notes that rural areas don't have the same access to cooling infrastructure as cities, which typically have shady parks, public pools and hydration stations. Dr. Maggie Sugg, an associate professor in App State’s Department of Geography and Planning, explains that many rural areas in the U.S. have homes with poor insulation, and that people with access to air-conditioning may not be able to afford to run it in high temperatures. All of these factors increase the chances of heat-related illness. Sugg has conducted extensive research on heat vulnerabilities in North and South Carolina.