Keeden Burnette, a recent Southwestern Community College (SCC) graduate, immediately put his education to work by participating in Appalachian State University’s Summer Research Experience in Boone.
Appalachian State University is home to the Appalachian Atmospheric Interdisciplinary Research (AppalAIR), an ongoing research program initiated to better understand aerosol chemistry, air quality, changing meteorology and their impacts on regional ecosystems and climate change.
“Apparently, the Boone area is the only area in the last 20 years that has not warmed due to climate change, and they think [sulfate aerosols are] a part of it,” said Burnette about his summer project.
While the summer research team initially planned on testing air quality, Burnette and his colleagues ended up honing their engineering skills through machine and equipment repair. He took on this challenge and saw it as a chance to gain additional experience while working on his project and credited SCC with providing him the technical expertise needed to identify and address various issues. He is attending Western Carolina University this fall on a scholarship.
The Summer Research Experience is an annual program developed as part of an ongoing partnership between Appalachian State University and the Smoky Mountains STEM Collaborative at SCC. Students ages 18+ who are interested in attending next year can contact Matt Cass at mcass@SouthwesternCC.edu for more information.
