Appalachian State University will conduct a full test of its emergency notification system – including siren, email, voice and text messaging and the Alertus desktop notification system – Wed., Jan. 13, at 11:55 a.m. The siren test will consist of a 75-second discontinuous air horn tone followed by a pre-recorded voice message that says, “This is a test. This is a test of the emergency warning system. This is only a test.”

A five-year UNESCO and International Union of Geological Sciences project on the interaction between climate change and the earth’s biodiversity, IGCP 596, has culminated in the book “Planet Earth – In Deep Time,” co-edited by Professor Johnny Waters at Appalachian State University.

Show most people a core sample from the ocean floor and they only see mud. Ellen Cowan sees a ribbon of time dating back 1 million years or more. Since 2013, Cowan, a geology professor at Appalachian State University, has been part of an international team of scientists studying climate change and earth systems in the Gulf of Alaska. Their work with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program is supported in part by the National Science Foundation.

BOONE—The Appalachian Journal has published its first special edition on Appalachian music. This double issue (vol. 42, nos. 3-4) is the largest one in the journal’s 42-year history, with 300-plus pages and 60-plus contributors. Guest editors Mark Freed and Trevor McKenzie are both musicians and music teachers who kick off this issue with a roundtable discussion: 25 musicians, teachers and scholars who select and describe their Appalachian “Top 10” playlists, offering lively defenses of their choices.

BOONE—Grab a friend and “Take a Break with the Chancellor” on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. in the atrium of Belk Library and Information Commons. Free snacks, coffee and tea will be provided. The event with Chancellor Sheri N. Everts and college deans is one of several activities that are part of Belk Library’s Library Cares week Dec. 6-9, an opportunity for students to achieve balance, relaxation and success during exam week.

BOONE—Appalachian State University diplomas will be awarded this month to 1,321 undergraduates who will complete their degree requirements in December, and 407 graduate students who completed degree requirements in either August or December.

BOONE—As final exams for fall semester near, Appalachian State University offers a variety of options for maintaining well-being. Appalachian’s Rich Mountain Meditation Room in Plemmons Student Union has been remodeled to better serve students, faculty and staff looking for a quiet respite from their busy lives. It is located on the third floor of Plemmons Student Union and is available for prayer, meditation or small group spiritual gatherings.

KANNAPOLIS—David Nieman, DrPH, with the Appalachian State University Human Performance Lab on the NC Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, gets a steady stream of emails from runners who find themselves unable to recover from intense exercise like marathons after years of training and competing.

BOONE—End-of-semester projects in the industrial design program at Appalachian State University have names like Flow, Sip and Sprout, Cinnaway and Hollo Band. The work of senior students in the product design studio is a culmination of their experiences in the product design concentration within the Department of Applied Design’s industrial design program.