The 2027 Cloud Analytics Faculty Fellows Program (CAFF) competition is now open, and applications are due Monday, October 26.
Funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and delivered by App State's Research Institute for Environment, Energy & Economics (RIEEE) in partnership with the High Technology Foundation of West Virginia (HTF), NOAA's Open Data Dissemination (NODD) initiative, and a cohort of implementing institutions (Appalachian State University, West Virginia University and Berea College), the CAFF program is designed to support Appalachian State faculty in designing innovative classroom experiences that integrate:
- NOAA weather and climate datasets
- Modern cloud computing tools
- Entrepreneurial thinking and real-world use cases
Seven faculty fellows will be selected for the second and final cohort of the program. Fellows will receive support to revise and implement a classroom activity or assignment for either the Spring 2027 or Fall 2027 semester. Faculty from all disciplines are welcome, and no prior experience with cloud tools or entrepreneurship is required — this program is designed to build faculty capacity with hands-on support. See full program details and application instructions here.