Good morning, Johnson City.

On April 9, professor Pete Ward gave a lecture at the Reece Museum for the String Band Summit hosted by the Institute for Appalachian Music and Culture.

He explained how faith shapes bluegrass into a unique Appalachian sound—insights that intrigued both scholars and music experts.

ETSU students traveled to Panama from January 10 to 17 for the Global Brigades Program to provide health outreach and cultural exchange, with 14 Quillen Honors Scholars among the 40 participants.

The trip — planned after months of work — helped them build skills and confidence as future professionals.

ETSU Speech and Debate will host its Spring Showcase on April 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Culp Center’s East Tennessee Room — the event is free and features debate and speech performances for students, faculty and the public.

Carter County school officials are considering moving seventh and eighth graders to standalone classrooms on the Hampton and Unaka High School campuses — a plan aimed at providing specialized labs and expert instruction in a long-term process.

ETSU’s Geosciences Department is advancing research on environmental risks and disaster mitigation while working at the Gray Fossil Site.

The department will launch a new Master of Science in Environmental Health and Disaster Sciences this fall (an interdisciplinary program designed to enhance community safety).

On Monday, Apr. 13, the ETSU chapter of International Justice Mission hosted Threads (a pop-up thrift shop) at Borchuck Plaza in front of the Sherrod Library, where students paid by donation to help end modern-day slavery.

TEDxETSU returned on Monday at 7 p.m. (doors opened at 6:30 p.m.) to feature seven student speakers sharing personal stories on belonging and rebuilding their community due to limited seating.

In this fifth year of the event, participants experienced meaningful conversations on identity and connection.

On April 10, ETSU held a panel at the East Tennessee Room to celebrate Bruce Behringer’s book on rural health, with faculty, students, and community members discussing ways to engage and build trust in rural communities; proceeds from book sales will support ETSU Elevates, a competition pairing students with community partners.

Student Wellness hosted early events like a Spring into Action run on April 6, a Healthy Relationships talk on April 8 & Happy Hour with a Twist on April 13, and will end the month with Denim Day on April 29 to break stigma on ETSU’s campus.

ETSU Baseball posts a 2-1 series win over Belmont on April 10 and 11.

Today the Buccaneers face the Bulldogs at 3 p.m. in Athens with the game streamed on the SEC Network Plus.

ETSU Women’s Tennis lost to Furman on April 11 when Furman clinched the SoCon regular season crown, and the Buccaneers will play in the SoCon Tournament from April 16 to April 18.

Freshman Mariangel Estrella earned the sole point in a three-set singles match.

Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza

1-7 p.m. — Founders Park — Sample over 150 unique beers — Celebrate Tennessee Craft Beer Month at the 13th annual festival.