Appalachian Energy Center Director Dr. Jamie Russell is spearheading plans for a study on the feasibility of installing microgrids to armor some schools against prolonged power outages — especially because school buildings tend to be places where residents congregate during extreme events and because their closures were so disruptive following Helene. The study is featured in an Appalachian Today article highlighting a variety of post-Helene research projects in progress at App State.