News

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.

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.

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

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

Emma Roy, along with other WCU undergraduate students, flew out to Long Beach, California, on April 7 to present their research projects at NCUR.

Western Carolina University’s School of Music and Department of Biology are teaming up for a lecture recital Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of Coulter.