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.

App State has opened a new food pantry — the Mofford and Giffin Food Hub — at its Hickory campus. A vital resource for Mountaineers who are experiencing food insecurity, the new pantry was made possible by a generous donation from local residents David Mofford ’09 and Zac Giffin.

Tommy Guy ’07 said the out-of-the-box thinking he learned as a Mountaineer has been fundamental to his success since graduating from the university. Now Guy — who works at Microsoft as a principal architect for Copilot AI — remains an engaged member of the App State Community, investing in students and programs across the university.

Milestones from App State’s 125th anniversary year include new pathways to expand education access, record support for research funding, the continued improvement of campus facilities and recovery from Hurricane Helene — a historic natural disaster.

App State has received a $333,000 gift from La-Z-Boy Foundation to establish a new endowed professorship in the Department of Applied Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The professorship will support a department faculty member, with a focus on furniture design or interior design.