COVIDCalls

EP #63 - Jason Ludwig and Elena Sobrino - Disaster Researcher's Roundtable

Today, we have a Researchers’ Roundtable with Jason Ludwig and Elena Sobrino.

Jason Ludwig is a PhD student in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University. His research interests include race, disaster and the politics of life and health.

Elena Sobrino is a PhD candidate in the History, Anthropology, Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS) program at MIT. Her research explores toxicity, water, science, and racial capitalism in the Great Lakes region of the Rust Belt, focusing on Flint, Michigan.

EP #62 - Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University - Collections & Engagement in Pandemic

Today, we have the second of our Academy of Natural Sciences COVIDCalls—today we talk about the collections of this amazing institution and how they’ve fared in this extraordinary time of COVID-19.

Mark Sabaj began studying fishes as an undergrad at the University of Richmond, Virginia. After completing his Masters degree there, he moved to the University of Illinois where he earned a Ph.D. He joined The Academy as a Collections Manager in 2000 and is now the Interim Curator. He has collected fishes throughout the US and on 43 expeditions to 12 countries on four continents. He has deposited over 10,000 lots of over 84,000 specimens into The Academy fish collection, about 800 lots shy of the leading contributor, the late James Böhlke. Mark is also a fish photographer

Niki Ciccotelli Stewart is the chief learning and engagement officer at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. In her current role, she oversees the exhibits, learning, visitor services, and volunteer services departments and is charged with creating an outstanding, meaningful, and relevant visitor experience for every single person that comes to the museum.

Niki holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, where she majored in Illustration and minored in Photography.  She has studied at Johns Hopkins University, The College of New Jersey, and Moore College of Art and Design.

EP #61 - 6/8/2020 - Globalization and Human History During the Pandemic

With globalization reaching higher levels than ever, more and more businesses and organizations are growing influence around the world, which is contributing to the Anthropocene narrative of the great impacts of human activity on the environment. Tune in to this conversation with Dipesh Chakrabarty, who is a Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor of History at the University of Chicago, to gain a deeper understanding of climate change history and human history and how that connection might throw some light on the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find Dipesh Chakrabarty’s information here: https://history.uchicago.edu/directory/dipesh-chakrabarty.

#60 COVIDCalls 6.5.2020 - COVID-19 and the Tech Economy

Social media and tech platforms are somehow even more relevant to the world than they were before the pandemic. Zoom is how businesses and students communicate; social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram are how information about COVID-19 and racial injustices are communicated. Join us in this conversation with Margaret O’Mara, a Howard and Frances Keller endowed professor of History at the University of Washington, to learn more about how tech relates to urban environments, higher education, and more. You can find O’Mara’s information here: https://www.margaretomara.com/bio.

#48 COVIDCalls 5.20.2020 - Climate Change & COVID-19

With more people teleworking than ever, the decreased use of vehicular transportation has caused several observable changes regarding the environment. The skies look bluer, there are more ducks in the pond, there seems to be less air pollution. However, it is important to note that this temporary pause in the economy should not be confused with the structural changes needed to avoid the effects of climate change. Let’s take a deeper look into this topic with Billy Fleming, a research coordinator for UPenn's Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Kate Marvel, a climate scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and Franco Montalto, a Professor of civil, architectural, and environmental engineering at Drexel University. You can find more information here: https://mcharg.upenn.edu/people/billy-fleming, http://www.marvelclimate.com/, and https://drexel.edu/engineering/about/faculty-staff/M/montalto-franco/.

#50 COVIDCalls 5.22.2020 - Lungs, Breathing, & COVID-19

There is a distinction between normal breathlessness and pathological breathlessness. What does it really mean to be out of breath? Let’s talk about the tobacco industry’s supposedly philanthropic response to COVID-19, ventilators and oxygen, lung-related diseases, and breathlessness with James Dodd, a Consultant Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Bristol, Havi Carel, the leader of the Life of Breath project, and Sarah Milov, a historian based in the University of Virginia. More information can be found here: https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/james-dodd, http://www.bristol.ac.uk/school-of-arts/people/havi-h-carel/, and  https://history.virginia.edu/people/profile/sem9dw.

#59 COVIDCalls 6.4.2020 - Emergency Management & Disaster Governance

Civil disorder, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires – these are all concurrent crises occurring alongside the pandemic. How should governments and institutions lay out disaster and recovery planning? Tune in to this conversation with Dr. Stephen Flynn, the Founding Director of the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University, and Dr. Arnold Howitt, the Co-Director of the Program on Crisis Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School to get a deeper understanding of recovery planning and disaster response planning during concurrent crises. You can find their information here: https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/bio/stephen-flynn/ and https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/arnold-howitt.

#47 COVIDCalls 5.19.2020 - Maintaining Dignity for the Dead During COVID-19

Due to the pandemic’s social distancing guidelines and lack of resources to manage the influx of dead bodies, many funeral homes are having to turn away requests for funeral services. How will society adapt cultural rituals to maintain dignity for the dead whilst staying in compliance with social distancing guidelines? Join us in this conversation with Maggie Jones, a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine, to learn more about how a five generation, family-run funeral home is managing during the pandemic. You can find more information about Maggie Jones here: https://bymaggiejones.com/.

#58 COVIDCalls 6.3.2020 - The Pandemic & Wildfire

How has COVID-19 shaped wildfire preparedness and disaster recovery from previous wildfires? How will California deal with the pandemic and wildfire season? Let’s sit down with Max Moritz, a Wildfire Specialist and Director of the Moritz Lab at U.C. Santa Barbara to discuss the environmental lessons of the shelter-in-place, compound disturbances in ecology, long-term planning for the state, and more. You can find Moritz’s information here: https://nature.berkeley.edu/moritzlab/.

#57 COVIDCalls 6.2.2020 - Academy of Natural Sciences Episode I: Biodiversity in the Pandemic

With the abrupt stop to the world due to social distancing mandates, people have been experiencing biodiversity revelations. More and more people are reporting instances of fox sighting, urban birding, and more wildlife. Let’s talk biodiversity with the Academy of Natural Sciences’ Mariangeles Arce, Jason Weckstein, and Richard McCourt to learn about the biodiversity disasters being obscured by the pandemic, the positives that come from increased awareness of biodiversity, and more. You can find their information here: https://ansp.org/research/systematics-evolution/ichthyology/ichthyology-staff/, https://drexel.edu/coas/faculty-research/faculty-directory/weckstein-jason/, and https://drexel.edu/coas/faculty-research/faculty-directory/Richard-McCourt/.