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WCU Stories

David Joy

RASC 2025: David Joy and campus research presentations

Western Carolina University double alumnus and best-selling author David Joy will give the keynote address at the annual Research and Scholarship Conference at WCU on Wednesday, March 19 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.   

Mountain sunset

Restoring through research: WCU professors assist law enforcement and National Weather Service

In the days after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, first responders and volunteers rushed to help their neighbors. Checking in on loved ones, restoring electricity to homes and businesses, and conducting search and rescue missions already looked like a daunting uphill battle.  

Kennedy and Hardin with potable energy model

Electrical engineering students create a portable energy model for Duke Energy

Ben Griffith and Hardin Kennedy, two seniors majoring in electrical engineering at Western Carolina University, have created a portable educational model for Duke Energy.   

Diane Styers

Restoring through research: professors navigate floodwaters post-Helene

As Hurricane Helene slowed and sat over Western North Carolina, dumping record amounts of rain, flooding began to devastate the region. In Asheville, the French Broad River rose nearly 25 feet higher than its normal water levels. The water carried cars downstream, leveled buildings, and picked up debris that mixed and churned in the river. This once-in-a-thousand-year weather event has now become the third-deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.  

Photo of salamander

Students engage in undergraduate research across disciplines

Western Carolina University has many opportunities for students to conduct undergraduate research across various disciplines. Students are able to engage in projects that deepen their understanding of course material and build essential skills for future endeavors.  

Blue Ridge Parkway mountain range

Restoring through research: WCU professors help rebuild after Helene

Hurricane Helene stormed into North Carolina on Friday, Sept. 27 and wreaked unprecedented havoc over the following three days. Thousands of homes and miles of roadways were swept away by the floodwaters. Tens of thousands more homes were damaged, displacing families. Waterways became clogged with debris and structures such as bridges, levees, and culverts sustained heavy damage. Updated estimates indicate the hurricane caused $59.6 billion in damage.   

Bora Karayaka

WCU professor secures $3 million in scholarships for students entering nuclear engineering field

Bora Karayaka, a professor at Western Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology, has secured $3 million in scholarship funding from the Department of Energy through the University Nuclear Leadership Program.  

Keith Gibbs holds a sicklefin redhorse

Gibbs earns grant worth nearly $40K for sicklefin redhorse research

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.   

WCU student interns

SECU Public Fellowships Internship Program at WCU earns grant for new year

The State Employees Credit Union Public Fellowships Internship Program has been a mainstay at Western Carolina University for the past few years. And thanks to a grant, the program will continue to thrive in 2025.  

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