faculty research

Three people examine papers and a plastic container while sitting on rocks beside a stream; others stand in the background near trees and water.

From living ecosystems to human health and new monitoring tech — the New River anchors App State inquiry and contemplation
Sep 15, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University research starts high in our watershed and flows down to mountain communities and beyond, informing policy...

Professional headshot of a smiling man with glasses and dark hair, wearing a black collared shirt against a black background.

Dr. Scott Marshall contributes to Chronicle article on California faults
Sep 9, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Scott Marshall, professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences (GES), recently co...

Smiling man in a striped polo holds two rock samples in a geology lab, with mineral specimens, charts, and equipment behind him.

Anthony Love contributes to new study dating rare Mars meteorite to 1.2 billion years old
Sep 2, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — A new study in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta has dated a rare Martian meteorite to 1.27 billion years old, identifying it as an unus...

Five researchers pose in a laboratory beside a large microscope and computer monitors, smiling warmly in a collaborative, welcoming setting.

App State researchers secure NSF MRI award for microscope upgrades
Sep 1, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Faculty members in Appalachian State University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) have been awarded a two-year, $182,268 grant from...

Dr. Brooke Hunter

Mountainous landscapes store far more carbon than previously thought [faculty featured]
Jul 7, 2026

Hilly and mountainous landscapes have a much greater ability to store carbon in the soil than previously thought, according to a new study co-led by s...

The App State-led Devonian Anoxia, Geochemistry, Geochronology and Extinction Research (DAGGER) group unfurls the National Geographic Explorers Club flag during geology research in Mongolia. Pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Sersmaa Gonchigdorj; Togtokh Javzankhuu; App State Professor Emeritus and adjunct research professor Dr. Johnny Waters; App State professor Dr. Sarah Carmichael; Will Waters (behind Carmichael); Dr. Diana Boyer; Randy Blood; App State senior geology majors Vanya Dill, of Morrisville

Off the map in Mongolia: App State geology students explore origins of ancient mass extinction
Apr 1, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Humbling. Awe-inspiring. Life-altering. These are the words of students and alumni who have followed App State professor Dr. Sarah Car...

Dr. Scott Marshall

My fault or yours — earthquake source detection gets lift from App State
Feb 27, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — Linking earthquakes with the most likely causative fault just got better, thanks to an externally-funded project by Dr. Scott Mar...

dr benfield

Dr. Adam Benfield Launches Past Climate and Ecosystems Research in Southern Appalachian Bogs
Jan 23, 2026

Since joining the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year, Assistant Professor Dr. Adam Benf...

Dr. Gregg Marland is an affiliated research professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University.

Turning point: Global greenhouse emissions will soon flatten or decline [faculty featured]
Nov 24, 2025

In July, a team of scientists assembled on a video call to study an anomalous wobble in a data curve. This blip didn’t signal a new particle decay i...

Dr. Bob Swarthout is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences and Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Bob Swarthout co-authors chemical analysis of USS Arizona oil leak
Nov 10, 2025

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Bob Swarthout, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences and Department of ...