{"id":51954,"date":"2020-04-21T14:34:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T21:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=51954"},"modified":"2020-04-21T14:34:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T21:34:12","slug":"5-ways-that-colleges-and-universities-are-pitching-in-to-deal-with-the-coronavirus-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/5-ways-that-colleges-and-universities-are-pitching-in-to-deal-with-the-coronavirus-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways that colleges and universities are pitching in to deal with the coronavirus pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

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From conducting crucial\u00a0research regarding the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>\u00a0to transforming\u00a0student dorms into housing<\/a>\u00a0for the sick and\u00a0quarters for medical personnel<\/a>, colleges and universities are pitching in to help everyone cope with the new normal.<\/p>\n

We research how schools<\/a>\u00a0contribute\u00a0to society<\/a>\u00a0in ways that go beyond teaching students. These efforts to serve the common good at the\u00a0local, state, national and global levels<\/a>\u00a0are, in our view, a natural extension of what institutions of higher education do in good times and in bad.<\/p>\n

1. Conducting research<\/strong><\/h4>\n

University-based researchers<\/a>\u00a0are working in the U.S. and around the world to\u00a0discover and develop treatments and vaccines<\/a>\u00a0that might slow or even stop the spread of the new coronavirus. In many cases, they are\u00a0collaborating in new ways<\/a>\u00a0with governments, the\u00a0private sector and nonprofits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scientists and physicians at the federal quarantine facility located at the\u00a0University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha<\/a>, for example, are using what they\u2019ve learned from past epidemics to quickly create tests, containment protocols and safety measures for health care workers.<\/p>\n

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is similarly using its expertise to engage faculty, students, alumni and others as entrepreneurs motivated by the pandemic to\u00a0identify problems that need to be solved<\/a>. Over 50 projects at university labs, home offices and companies are underway, ranging from a tracking system for ventilators to recording cases at the county level \u2013 all while trying to match inventors with investors. Many others are\u00a0innovating at a record pace<\/a>\u00a0as well.<\/p>\n

2. Sharing data and information<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Universities are\u00a0a key source<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0accurate, science-based information<\/a>\u00a0that can\u00a0inform policymakers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the public<\/a>\u00a0about everything from how to sanitize work spaces to the history of past pandemics.<\/p>\n

The Johns Hopkins University\u00a0Coronavirus Resource Center<\/a>\u00a0has become a go-to source for pandemic information. Among other things, the team is regularly tallying up the number of people who have gotten COVID-19 and the total who have died from it.<\/p>\n

Many schools, including the\u00a0University of Wisconsin<\/a>, the\u00a0University of Georgia<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0University of Washington<\/a>, are providing local health guidance and information. These schools are helping their communities learn how to cope with isolation and find out where food pantries and testing locations are.<\/p>\n

And the\u00a0Pasteur Institute<\/a>, a French research center that studies diseases and vaccines, has joined with the University of Pittsburgh to lead a global coalition of universities, biotech firms, government agencies and others. The researchers plan to test drugs that could be useful for treating COVID-19, while\u00a0changing the way \u201cthe world does science together.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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Millions of people have been turning to an interactive map created by #HopkinsEngineers<\/a> for the latest #COVID19<\/a> statistics. Meet the team behind the map. https:\/\/t.co\/2t57ohlsO8<\/a><\/p>\n

— Johns Hopkins Engineering (@HopkinsEngineer) April 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n