School started at my institution this past Thursday. The pandemic has altered many of the ways we do things and the learning curve has been steep for me. We are using a new learning management system, and some of my teaching is done with only half of the class in the room (all six feet apart and in masks) while the other class is watching a live stream either from some other place on campus or from their homes.
There is new technology to learn, new software, and specifics of sanitizing a classroom after each use. Meanwhile, I am listening to the book “Spillover” on Audible. Written by David Quammen (Norton Trade Titles, 2013), the book is about zoonoses- diseases in humans that emerge from animal reservoirs. AIDS is one, Covid-19 is one, SARS, Ebola, and swine flu are others.
The take home message from the book and from the CDC is clear- these diseases will continue to “spillover” from animals to humans as a result of climate changes, wild animal least, deforestation, and human encroachment on animal ecosystems.
A Colleague of mine, Dr Craig Story, spoke on a panel about “Science and Faith in Pandemic Times. Hosted by the Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Biologos, The webinar explained why it matters that people listen to evidence in a pandemic, and how our faith ought to make us care about the impact of the pandemic on others. An African American Pastor discussed the impact of COVID-19 on his congregation. As a scientist, it was encouraging to hear.
Biologos:
Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute