Student Information
Energy is an integral part of our everyday lives. Today, a broad array of pressures have converged to make energy one of the most critical concerns of our time. Rising concern about high energy prices, increasing pollution, resource availability, supply reliability and other related effects have merged to create numerous opportunities for an aspiring energy-related specialist.
Opportunities for energy-related careers are more numerous and varied than ever. Today's student may find themself involved in energy via a wide array of fields, including: building technology, business, political science, physics, chemistry, and economics to name a few. The energy opportunities emerging today could involve project financing, advanced building systems design, research into novel advanced materials, and many other innovation-driven activities.
Energy at Appalachian
Appalachian State has long had an interest in energy. One little-known fact is that the University founded the New River Light & Power Company in 1915 to provide power to what was then the Appalachian Teaching School and the Town of Boone. The University continues to operate the company as a non-profit subsidiary today.
Appalachian State offers a wealth of resources for the student interested in energy. From student clubs and grant-funded research to academic degrees, many Appalachian students are involved in energy.
Students at Appalachian are extraordinarily active in energy. The Sustainable Energy Society is one of the longest-operating and most-active student organizations on campus. The student-led Collaborative Biodiesel Initiative has won several grant awards from the E.P.A. to produce biodiesel, an alternative bio-based fuel. And in a true testament to the student body's capacity for leadership and long-term vision, the student-led Renewable Energy Initiative (REI) was approved by an overwhelming 82% of student voters. The REI funds the installation of renewable energy equipment on campus through a $5 tuition assessment.
The University offers one of the nation's only Master's degrees in Appropriate Technology, and has built a solid reputation for providing quality building-science professionals. Several faculty members in the traditional sciences perform research into advanced energy topics such as fuel cells and biofuels. And, the University's Energy Center, performs a wide array of grent-funded applied energy research projects.
NEW - Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics
Because of its setting, Appalachian has always drawn faculty and students interested in envi-ronmental issues; but Appalachian's national reputation as a leading environmental and en-ergy research institution was not firmly established until the mid-1990s. In 1995, Dr. Neal Line-back, then Chairperson of the Department of Geography and Planning won significant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish one of the first state Greenhouse Gas Inventories in the nation. Created over three years with a team of scientists from across the UNC system, Dr. Lineback's report established the protocol that became the model for other states to follow. A decade later, EPA continues to cite this report's methodology to guide other researchers' efforts to set baselines for measuring greenhouse gas emissions.
To recognize an existing strength and to build upon a critical mass of expertise across departments, the Appalachian administration convened a multidisciplinary faculty task force for the purpose of establishing a research institute at Appalachian. As envisioned, the Institute will be multidisciplinary, serving as the focal point for research that emerges at the convergence of the environment, renewable energy and energy policy, and economics. Several centers and programs - including The Energy Center and the Small Wind Initiative, as well as the Southern Appalachian Environmental Research and Education Center - will become part of the Institute structure.
Institute Documents
Vision
To improve our environment, economy, and society through basic and applied research and technology.
Mission
To establish Appalachian State University as an international leader in energy and environmental research and application by supporting faculty, students, and the region through project development and research support.
