News

Unearth the Voyage Logo on Dark Blue Green Background

15 Unusually Cool College Degrees That Actually Exist [program featured]
Sep 8, 2026

Long before craft beer and artisan kombucha became trendy, fermentation was a science. Appalachian State University recognized that and built a degree...

Hundreds of people waited in line to get into the Beer Fest right at 3 p.m. when the general admission opened.

Bubbles, brews and sweet potatoes: High Country Beer Fest marks 19th year [staff featured]
Sep 3, 2026

BOONE — Thousands of beer lovers filled the Watauga County fairgrounds Saturday for the 19th annual High Country Beer Fest, sampling pours from 37 b...

Tents with people drinking beer in front of them.

Beer, bubbles and Boone businesses come together for Beer Fest [faculty featured]
Sep 2, 2026

Despite the nation’s declining alcohol sales and general consumption, here in the High Country, the annual High Country Beer Fest kicked off Saturda...

A bunch of sweet potatoes.

Upcycling sweet potato field waste into a plant-based milk [faculty featured]
Aug 19, 2026

North Carolina grows most of the sweet potatoes in the US, which means it accumulates most of the sweet potato waste, too. Approximately 28,600 tonnes...

Incoming first-year App State student Brenda Randell, of Chapel Hill, presents tardigrade research she conducted through Summer Ventures at the American Junior Academy of Science conference in Phoenix last February. Photo submitted

Summer Ventures at App State immerses NC high schoolers in hands-on science and math research
Aug 5, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — For four weeks each summer, high school students from across North Carolina step into the role of researchers at Appalachian State Uni...

Appalachian State University researchers, backed by a $1.82 million grant, have found a new use for sweet potatoes: sweet potato milk. It features a rich texture and sweet taste with a slight tint of the signature orange hue. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Buttery, sweet and orange: This milk alternative has deep North Carolina roots [faculty featured]
Jul 27, 2026

The humble sweet potato, long considered a North Carolina staple, is at the center of innovation as it’s transformed into the latest plant-based mil...

Erik Martella

Fermentation Sciences lecturer Erik Martella named one of SevenFifty Daily’s 2026 Drinks Innovators
Jul 21, 2026

While the wine industry often casts Gen Z as a culprit for the current downturn, Erik Martella, a North Carolina winemaker with a foothold in higher e...

Megan Hutton '22 (left) and Alicia Roberts '03 (right)

Megan Hutton and Alicia Roberts receive shout-outs in June
Jun 30, 2026

BOONE, N.C. — In June, four members of Appalachian State University's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) were recognized with staff shout-outs. Awar...

Dr. Brett Taubman holds a glass of Rootsii.

This App State Researcher is Taking Wasted Sweet Potatoes — And Turning Them Into Milk [faculty featured]
Jun 4, 2026

North Carolina may be famous for its beaches and Blue Ridge Mountains, but the state has a lesser-known claim to fame. As the sweet potato capital, No...