BOONE, N.C. — A year has passed since five teams led by Appalachian State University faculty and staff were awarded grants for the 2018 Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program, and their winning proposals have transformed into progress. The recipient teams earned awards up to $10,000 each from the Office of the Chancellor and the Division of Academic Affairs.
Projects ranged from the production of a regional outdoor recreation database and the development of a regional food recovery and waste management system to research on new biodiesel fuel production techniques, the creation of a minitheater at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and the expansion of a program providing impact assessments to businesses.
Six Innovation Scholars Program winners were recently announced for 2019.
Here are updates on the 2018 projects:
A minitheater at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
Dr. Beth Davison, professor in the Department of Sociology and co-director of Appalachian’s University Documentary Film Services, collaborated with Dr. Derek Davidson and Cameron Van Dyke, assistant professors in the departments of Theatre and Dance and Applied Design, respectively, to build a minitheater in the information center at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, which is operated by the National Park Service (NPS).
The Innovation Scholars Program funded materials, furniture and audiovisual equipment used for the minitheater, which is used to screen educational videos, as well as production costs for a viewing of one of the films.
Van Dyke said his students used a “design thinking” approach in creating the theater.
“Small groups of students explored different possible arrangements for the space, meeting criteria set forth by the NPS. The students went to the manor with five potential floor plans and evaluated traffic flow, sightlines, egress and window glare. Out of this process, the best floor plan was chosen,” he explained.
Students created functional and durable furniture concepts based on the style and time period of the manor, then fabricated the furniture out of forged steel, mahogany and glass.
“The students greatly benefitted from this real-world project — having to manage site constraints, user constraints and a particular architectural style,” Van Dyke said. “They had a complete start-to-finish design and build experience that developed many interrelated skills that will make these students into better designers.”
The minitheater opened in summer 2018 and featured a short film about Moses Cone and the family legacy. Davidson and Davison are working together to produce a new film about the history of the Cone Estate, to be shown beginning mid-year 2019. The upcoming documentary will feature theater students who volunteered for the project.
Davidson said, “Beth thought using real people, rather than image after image of photos, would make the documentary more lively, dynamic, and show off the manor more effectively. Martha Marking, one of the professors in our department, found costumes and appropriate props, and brought her expertise to hair styles.”
Davison added, “Now that the minitheater is in place, we can keep adding films that can be rotated through.”
The high-quality design of the theater and educational documentaries will serve thousands of park visitors every year.
Impact Clinic — furthering socially responsible business practices
Dr. Tammy Kowalczyk, interim director of Appalachian’s Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE) and professor in the Department of Accounting, launched the Impact Clinic pilot program in 2017 through the Walker College of Business with the aim to further socially responsible business practices. She extended the initiative using funds from the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program.
“Appalachian’s Impact Clinic, modeled on B Corp certification goals, pairs teams of three to four students with businesses to measure and manage their environmental and societal impacts,” Kowalczyk explained. “The teams utilize a ‘B impact assessment tool’ to evaluate how the business’ operations impact stakeholders, including owners and investors, consumers, workers, the local community and the natural environment.”
A Certified B Corporation is a type of business that balances purpose and profit, working for the greater good. “Contrary to popular belief, a business does not have to be organized as a corporation to become a B Corp,” Kowalczyk said.
The Impact Clinic is ongoing and utilizes two sustainable business courses — one interdisciplinary undergraduate class and an MBA course. To date, 11 businesses and more than 100 students have participated in the clinic, Kowalczyk shared.
“This project is providing experiential learning to students, promoting more sustainable practices among businesses and offering an opportunity for academic engagement with the community,” Kowalczyk said.
“Students who participate gain experience in working in a multidisciplinary, service-learning environment, which develops professional skills needed to be effective change-makers after graduation, and helps elevate the students’ opportunities for employment in mission-driven organizations,” she said.
A database of local parks to encourage physical activity
For his 2018 Innovation Scholars project, Dr. Richard Christiana, assistant professor in Appalachian’s Department of Health and Exercise Science and team member of the university’s Healthy Outdoor Play and Exercise (HOPE) Lab, proposed to develop a regional outdoor recreation database to encourage outdoor physical activity for all ages.
Christiana and his fellow HOPE Lab team members — Dr. Rebecca Battista, professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science, Dr. Joy James, professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education (RMPE), and Dr. Brooke Towner, assistant professor in the RMPE department — identified the need for this database during a previous research study conducted by the HOPE Lab that piloted a pediatrician prescription program for outdoor physical activity.
The team collaborated with Park Rx America, a national leader in the park prescription movement. Through this program, pediatricians talk to patients about the health benefits of outdoor exercise and write prescriptions for patients to engage in 60 minutes or more of such activity each day.
The Innovation Scholars Program grant is being used to assess local outdoor recreation spaces within Watauga, Avery, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell and Wilkes counties, a process anticipated to be complete by May. Student researchers travel to parks and complete assessments to enter into a database available through the Park Rx America website to be used by physicians, patients and the public.
Additionally, part of the grant funding was used to contract a website developer who made the Park Rx America site more user friendly. The website was recently used in a graduate student thesis project that launched Appalachian’s Student Outdoor Champion Club, which consists of students being trained to promote outdoor activities among their peers.
Christiana said their research and programming efforts with Park Rx America have received national and international attention. He added, “With recent emphasis being placed on the benefits of being outside and in nature from the National Recreation and Park Association, we anticipate our work will continue to be an important component in this initiative.”
The use of nanoreactors in biodiesel fuel production
Dr. Nicholas Shaw, assistant professor in the A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, directed a team of undergraduate students in the Shaw Research Group to explore the use of nanoreactors — vessels capable of restricting chemical reactants to nano-sized cavities — to synthesize novel biodiesel fuels.
“The Innovation Scholars grant allowed us to answer critical commercial feasibility questions,” Shaw said.
He described a nanoreactor in human terms, for perspective: “Picture us as the reactants. In traditionally run reactions, if you and I were reactants trying to find each other, we’d have to do that in a reactor the size of Jupiter. However, in a reaction conducted in a nanoreactor, you and I would have to find each other in a reactor the size of a swimming pool.”
Shaw’s students explored the production of biodiesel fuel from used cooking oil. “When pure cooking oil is used for cooking, the oil degrades giving rise to its rancidity. Used cooking oil poses conversion challenges and requires special processes in order to convert it into biodiesel fuel,” Shaw explained.
“We discovered that when using our nanoreactors, biodiesel fuel produced from used cooking oil is converted with the same efficiency as biodiesel produced from pure cooking oil,” he said.
The team also explored the production of biodiesel fuel made using ethanol, which yields a completely “green” fuel, Shaw said. “Unfortunately, when ethanol is used in place of traditionally used methanol, the reactivity diminishes so significantly it is cost prohibitive. However, we discovered that when using our nanoreactors, biodiesel fuel produced using ethanol is converted with the same efficiency as that produced using methanol,” he added.
Shaw said his undergraduate research assistants were successful in producing novel biodiesel fuels using unique waste oils such as lard and tallow, as well as a number of different alcohols. Six of Shaw’s students attended the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month to present their research contributions.
The next step, Shaw said, is to explore one simple question: “Does our procedure for biodiesel fuel production translate to the commercial scale?” His research team will conduct pilot scale-up reactions to explore answers to this question.
‘Waste Not’ — a regional food recovery and waste management program
Kevin Gamble, lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, worked with Hei-young Kim, research assistant in the Appalachian Energy Center (AEC), on the second phase of the “Waste Not” initiative — a project to promote local awareness of food waste and develop a regional food recovery and waste management program.
“We wanted to see how we could educate and encourage more businesses to donate edible wasted foods — specifically to the Hunger and Health Coalition — and collect data which might be useful if the county ever moves forward with a collection service, or if a local entrepreneur decides to start a private collection service,” Gamble said.
Prior to receiving the Innovation Scholars award, Gamble’s team conducted a preliminary survey that found while most local food businesses are willing to practice food recovery and waste separation, they were concerned about liability issues and extra labor costs that might arise from food donation.
Based on the findings, the next step — funded by the Innovation Scholars grant — was to explore federal and state regulations related to food donation, and to analyze and track food waste generation from survey participants.
The team, including two students, worked with Stick Boy Kitchen in Boone, collecting food waste six times a week for eight weeks. Cataloguing, along with weighing of waste and composting, was completed at Appalachian’s NEXUS research site located at the Watauga County Landfill. Meanwhile, Kim focused on researching local, state and national laws and guidelines related to food donations.
“Many of our respondents in the initial study had hesitation regarding donating food scraps, as they needed better understanding of the rules and regulations behind these actions. In fact, food donation is very well protected by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act,” said Gamble, referencing the act passed in 1996 to limit liability and encourage companies and organizations to donate healthy food that would otherwise go to waste.
As a result of the Waste Not project, information packets are being developed, detailing the proper procedures and guidelines to help local businesses likely to be involved in these practices. “We will be sending these packets out to our survey respondents and other local food service businesses for their benefit,” Gamble said.
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About the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program
The Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program supports innovative research and practice by Appalachian State University faculty and staff throughout all disciplines and program areas on campus. These internal grants are awarded to Appalachian thought leaders who work creatively and entrepreneurially to address challenges; create lasting institutional change; provide community and societal benefits; establish opportunities that increase student engagement with research, creativity, innovation, design thinking and entrepreneurship; and promote broad-based sustainability in the areas of economics, equity and the environment. The program is intended to complement other innovation initiatives at the university. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu/innovation-scholars.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier, public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.