ETSU Trailblazers
Amplifying Appalachia
ETSU helping digitize landmark encyclopedia
A transformative new chapter is underway for one of East Tennessee State University’s most celebrated scholarly works, reaffirming the university’s role as the flagship of Appalachia.
With a $350,000 implementation grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, ETSU’s Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services is leading the effort to digitize and revise the “Encyclopedia of Appalachia,” a landmark reference work first published in 2006. The funding builds on a previous NEH planning grant of nearly $50,000.
“This is the only encyclopedia focused on Appalachia,” said Dr. Ron Roach, the center’s Director and General Editor of the project. “Making it accessible online will ensure reliable information about this remarkable region reaches a global audience for years to come.”
The original volume included more than 2,000 entries from over 1,000 contributors. The new online edition, produced in partnership with the University of Tennessee Press, will update and expand that legacy.
Roach is joined by fellow ETSU faculty and staff Dr. Jeremy Smith, Dr. Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, and Dr. Ted Olson. A distinguished board of scholars from across the region is also advising the project.
Provost Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle praised the initiative as a reflection of ETSU’s intellectual leadership.
“Reviving the ‘Encyclopedia of Appalachia’ is not only about preserving the past — it’s about amplifying the voices and complexity of this region for a new generation,” she said.
Now celebrating its 40th year, the Center of Excellence anchors ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies and includes the Archives of Appalachia, Reece Museum, and more. Through its academic programs, publications, and community outreach, the center exemplifies ETSU’s enduring commitment to cultural stewardship and regional pride — a cornerstone of its mission as the flagship institution of Appalachia.
Seeds of Change
ETSU study reimagines seed nutrition
Millions around the world suffer from vitamin deficiencies. It’s a public health issue with serious consequences. At East Tennessee State University, researchers are taking bold steps to help solve it.
Dr. Tianhu Sun, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, secured an impressive $450,000 grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to explore how to naturally increase vitamin content in seeds. The project, set to unfold over the next three years, represents a cutting-edge blend of genetics, biotechnology, and machine learning.
“This project is about finding ways to activate the genes that are already present in seeds to naturally boost their vitamin content,” said Sun. “We need to think creatively about how to strengthen the nutritional quality of our food supply.”
Focusing on soybeans — a major crop in Tennessee and across the U.S. — Sun and his team aim to identify short DNA sequences that can switch on genes responsible for producing essential vitamins like provitamin A, folate, and vitamin E. Their approach could lead to precise, non-transgenic genome editing solutions, resulting in nutrient-rich crops without introducing foreign DNA.
The work highlights ETSU’s expanding role in global research addressing food insecurity and sustainability.
Sun joins a growing list of ETSU scholars who are advancing this mission. In 2022, Dr. Aruna Kilaru published groundbreaking work on how farmers and agencies can reduce food waste and lower harmful emissions — part of ETSU’s larger effort to combine science and service in ways that change lives.
“This is the kind of high-impact research that reflects ETSU’s mission to improve lives and build healthier communities,” said Provost Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle. “It shows that our faculty are not only leading in their fields — they’re shaping a better world.”
Bees, Brains, and Blooms
ETSU joins global conversation on bee decline
When Skylar Mathieson began graduate school at East Tennessee State University, she carried a simple but compelling question.
Why have some plants evolved potent chemical compounds like caffeine, morphine, and nicotine?
“These plants didn’t evolve for human benefit,” she said. “So, what was the purpose?”
That curiosity led Mathieson into a research project that has drawn attention for its insights into bees, brains, and the delicate balance of the natural world.
Working under the direction of Dr. Melissa Whitaker – a biological sciences professor known for her work on plant-insect relationships – Mathieson joined a team exploring how naturally occurring nectar chemicals affect bee behavior.
The findings are striking.
Caffeine, for instance, seems to sharpen a bee’s memory and improve foraging efficiency – similar to how it works in humans, as scholars have long known.
“There might be some real parallels in how these chemicals impact the human and pollinator brain,” said Whitaker.
A key element of the study involves robotic flowers – 3D-printed devices co-designed by Whitaker’s research team and engineers from ETSU’s Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, Interior Architecture, and Surveying. These artificial blooms offer nectar substitutes, allowing researchers to track bee interactions in a controlled setting.
Mathieson and her colleagues have since found that bees respond to addictive plant chemicals like caffeine and nicotine in a very dose-dependent manner – too much of the bitter-tasting compounds will deter their visits to the robotic flowers – and that the compounds affect the bees’ behavior in surprising ways.
For example, bees fed on nicotine-laced nectar are much more aggressive than those
fed on plain nectar. Bees also appeared to quickly develop a tolerance
to morphine.
As bee populations continue to decline worldwide, this research places ETSU in a global conversation about food security, pollinator health, and ecological resilience.
“This has been such a hands-on project from the very beginning. We conceived and designed and built this project from the ground up, and with some heavy collaboration from Engineering, Engineering Technology, Interior Architecture, and Surveying,” said Whitaker. “The project has also involved several graduate and undergraduate students in diverse aspects of engineering and research.”
She added: “It’s an incredible testament to how critically important graduate students are as the driving engine of research at ETSU. Without talented graduate students, we simply would not be able to do the cool work we do.”
By O.J. Early
Read more incredible stories in the Summer 2025 Edition of ETSU Today. #BucsGoBeyond
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