App State research led by Dr. Caroline Smith, in collaboration with NC State, aims to advance firefighter safety by testing whether new moisture barriers in personal protective gear prevent overheating — a key factor in reducing firefighters’ risk of heat stroke and cardiac events. The work is supported by a $1.5 million FEMA grant.

To address child care staffing shortages in the region, App State and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are partnering to offer three Child Care Academies in Western NC this spring and summer. Each academy will provide intensive child care training and certification at no cost to participants.

Supported by a $1.1 million NCInnovation grant, App State’s Dr. Gavin Colquitt is developing an interactive, AI-powered web-based platform designed to identify delayed development of movement skills in young children and provide support resources for these children and their families. Colquitt plans to launch the platform in Western NC, with a goal of expanding it across North Carolina and the U.S.

App State has received a $838,276 grant from Dogwood Health Trust in support of the university’s work as part of the Health Policy Research Consortium — an initiative aimed at addressing physical and mental health issues, substance use and misuse, and housing and food insecurity in Western North Carolina.

App State research in the wake of Helene has the university joining local partners, diving into health data, surveying ecosystems and energizing transdisciplinary initiatives to armor the Western North Carolina region against future disasters.

With more than $1.4 million in federal grant support, App State has developed a new career pathways initiative aimed at addressing the shortage of special education teachers in rural Appalachia. More than 100 regional teacher’s assistants, educators and school administrators will take part in the program this fall.

A $367,088 National Science Foundation grant is funding major upgrades to the 32-inch telescope at App State’s Dark Sky Observatory. The upgrades will provide faculty and student researchers with an enhanced view, and a deeper understanding, of the cosmos.

App State researcher Dr. Zachary Russell and his team have received a $2.3 million NCInnovation grant to develop an AI-enhanced robotic microscope that will streamline parasite analysis in livestock and poultry — helping to strengthen NC’s billion-dollar agriculture industry.

A nearly $2 million, six-year grant awarded to App State by the National Science Foundation will boost academic and scholarship support for more than 50 Mountaineer students pursuing STEM degrees. Eligible students will receive up to $8,500 in scholarship funding per year, for up to four years.