WCU Stories      April 9, 2025

By Matt Salerno

The 2025 Research and Scholarship Conference at Western Carolina University took place March 19 and 20 where students, faculty and the community came together to celebrate the academic endeavors of participants.

The first morning of RASC began at the AK Hinds University Center, where the undergraduate and graduate oral presentations took place.  Walking into the history session and sitting among the presenters and supportive friends, attendees could hear students deliver a fifteen-minute lecture before a faculty moderator opened the floor to questions.  Attendees could step in and out of sessions in psychology, English, social sciences, technology, science, and real-world research.

The day continued when the Ramsey Arena transformed from the spacious home of WCU Athletics to an intimate space for David Joy’s keynote address.  Black curtains enclosed a few sections of the stands where, on the stage on the arena floor, Joy delivered, “A Mountain Knotted Together: Researching and Capturing the Inseparability of Place.”  Joy’s address centered around his book, “Those We Thought We Knew,” in which WCU relocated Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church and its graves to construct Robertson Residence Hall.

Joy learned about Mt. Zion while filming a PBS documentary that explored the place where he lives and informs his writing.  Surprised that he had never heard of an event which affected the lives of local families, Joy continued his research about the histories of individuals and communities within Jackson County.  During the address, images of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church and its congregants were displayed on a screen above the stage. Joy’s fictional exploration of historical events showed the importance of place in the lives of both his characters and those within the community.  Researching these histories allows the spaces that are central to community, tradition, and heritage to be preserved in memory.  He answered questions from the audience before attendees viewed the poster presentations.

Along the concourse of the Ramsey Center posters hung as undergraduate and graduate students displayed their research projects as well as faculty from the College of Health and Human Sciences.  Over 100 posters representing various disciplines wrapped around the building, popping with color and showing pictures of everything from native plants to screengrabs from social media platforms.  Graphs and text piqued the curiosity of attendees who could have students further explain their research.  Nervous excitement crackled beneath the fluorescents as many students shared their findings in a conference setting for the first time.

Isabella Berger, a junior majoring in emergency and disaster management presented her research on “Tropical Systems and Catastrophic Flooding in the Southern Appalachians.” 

Spurred by a desire to help fill that lack of literature, Berger has been sharing her research at more than just RASC.

“I found myself shocked by the lack of literature on mountainous flooding compared to flooding in coastal or plains regions,” Berger said.  “This spring I was awarded an Academic Project Grant to travel to the NOAA Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Summit on Extreme Weather to present my research.” 

Kelly McCarthy, a graduate student studying school administration and an NC Principal Fellow presented her research, “Leading Through Crisis: Unplanned School Leadership in the Wake of a Natural Disaster” that holds a strong personal meaning to her.

“Teacher wellness and resiliency have always been a passion of mine,” McCarthy said. “As a classroom teacher of young children for 14 years, I've experienced my share of compassion fatigue and burnout.” 

McCarthy’s experience teaching through the Covid Pandemic as well as the aftermath of Hurricane Helene showed her the need for prioritizing the well-being of both adults and students in the wake of a variety of crises.

The second day of RASC featured the Faculty 3MR Competition where seven faculty members, each from a different department, took the stage in the UC Grand Room to partake in the annual competition.  Each contestant gave a quick elevator pitch of their research findings before a panel of judges and the crowd in attendance. 

Jamie Wallen from the Department of Chemistry took the stage first and the room grew quiet as he shared how he and his students had been researching viruses that had helped patients recover from antibiotic resistant bacteria.  Soheyl Anbouhi, assistant professor of mathematics shared how geometric modeling can predict climate behavior.  Meghan Gangel from psychology gave a presentation on pelvic floor health in college females titled “It’s Not Cool to Pee Your Pants” which won the People’s Choice Award.  Wallen won first place and Anbouhi took second in a diverse and competitive field of competition.

The Faculty Scholarship Celebration continued with the awarding of research awards following a luncheon.  Chuck Thomas, Dean of Hunter Library, awarded the Hunter Scholar award to Yiging Yang, associate professor of sociology. Debra Burke, professor in business law, Sloan Despaux, professor in mathematics, Brian Byrd, professor in health sciences and Bora Karayaka, professor of engineering, added their names to the list of faculty who have received the Million Dollar Circle Award, given in recognition of faculty who have been awarded over a million dollars in grant funding towards their research. 

Melissa Mecadon-Mann, assistant professor in the Department of Human Services was awarded the Curtis Wood Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring.  Kaitlin Richie, the associate Director of Global Engagement and Zachary Forrest, the International Admissions Coordinator, received the Graduate School Partnership Award which recognizes individuals who have contributed outstanding service to WCU’s graduate education mission. Recipients of the Provost Scholarship Development Award and Helene Impact Mitigation Grant were also recognized.

RASC embodies the core of scholarship.  While it is easy to get caught up in preparing for exams or worrying about grades and GPAs, RASC allows students and faculty to share what gets them excited about learning.  Students decide what avenues of inquiry to explore and come together to share that spark with others. 

Faculty share research on topics they are passionate about and have dedicated their careers to furthering their understanding of.  Provost Richard Starnes commented on the scholarship and research model, coupling the expansion of knowledge on any given subject with the quality of education students receive.  RASC allows the entire WCU Community to come together not just to foster academic excellence but also the spirit of being a life-long learner.