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Pandemics (2020)
Issue
Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions 2020: Pandemics explored the history, biology, and societal impacts of pandemics like COVID-19. Incoming NC State students learned how NC State faculty in many different areas were contributing to solutions to this wicked problem, and how the NC State community as a whole was dedicated to being part of the solution.
Unit 1: Setting the Stage
MR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 1: Setting the Stage in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.
RD
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Sometimes challenges confront our society in ways that call upon all of the expertise we have to both make sense of the phenomenon and to take the necessary actions. The virus that causes COVID-19 is one such challenge.
KG
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Kevin Gross, Ph.D. will help us to understand how and when potential pathogens move from non-human animals to humans, called spillover. Spillover events are rare, but given enough opportunity, rare events eventually occur.
KG
TP
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Archaeologists Tate Paulette, Ph.D. and Kathryn Grossman, Ph.D. describe the stories of the first settlements and cities and the circumstances that spawned many of the diseases we still battle today.
AM
Published: Aug 16, 2022
Are ALL viruses dangerous? Many play important roles for humans. They help us (and ask little in return). Anne Madden, Ph.D. will briefly describe a few. You might be surprised to find out what’s living on your face!
Unit 2: The Current Crisis
MR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 2: The Current Crisis in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.
MK
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Koci explains what a virus is, how common viruses are and the basics of the virus "life cycle" (although viruses don't meet the biological definition of "alive"). You'll hear about what we know about viruses and the enormous impact of these tiny microbes.
MK
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Matt Koci, Ph.D. zooms in on the story of COVID-19. What is it? How did this start? Where did it come from?
SN
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Neupert shares some of her research that highlights for whom and under which circumstances well-being can be optimized in times of stress.
DR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
David Rasmussen, Ph.D. explains how sequencing viral genomes is shedding new light on the origins and evolution of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.
DR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
David Rasmussen, Ph.D. shares his thoughts about forecasting the near-term evolution of viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2
JI
MM
Published: Aug 22, 2022
Decision making to satisfy the basic human needs of health, food, and education is complex. This involves thinking about the systems that drive the satisfaction of these basic needs and how they are connected.
Unit 3: How We See the Disease
MR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 3: How We See the Disease in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.
RK
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Not only do we affect animals, but our well-being is tied to theirs. The COVID-19 epidemic has made this point even more clear—we cannot separate ourselves from nature, instead we have to learn how to manage interactions to reduce the risk.
CC
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Cooper will review how citizen science is transforming scientific discovery, introduce students to NC State’s Citizen Science Campus program, walk students through an NC State citizen science project about safe drinking water, and show students 3 ways they can fight COVID-19.
CH
Published: Aug 22, 2022
As we all listen to the pandemic discussions, appreciate the limitations of available data and what data are still needed. As we hear about testing adequacy, remember that understanding how well or poorly accurate tests can perform, when testing for rare conditions, is important.
MG
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Gordon discusses a pair of films centered on tuberculosis: one from 1912 (Falling Leaves) and the other from 1914 (The Temple of Moloch).
MG
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Gordon discusses Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion (2011), which is about the emergence of a pandemic and the responses aimed at stopping its spread. She concludes with a brief discussion of Plandemic, a short conspiracy theory video.
Unit 4: Solutions
MR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 4: Solutions in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.
JP
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Joshua Pierce shares his story as a chemist, and then describes the ways in which new treatments are being discovered.
PL
Published: Aug 15, 2022
This presentation will explain the basics of how we develop immunity to dangerous infections. If enough people in a large group, like the Wolfpack, are immune, eventually the disease can’t spread anymore - then you get Herd (or Pack) Immunity!
JP
Published: Jun 22, 2022
This segment describes what vaccines are and the most common types of vaccines available for society; it also describes the manufacturing process for some of those vaccines and the current efforts to create a vaccine against COVID-19.
CW
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Cat Warren's expertise as a journalist impacted her experience and reflections in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BC
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Faced with the impacts of making and serving food during the pandemic, restaurants have been dealing with the challenge of protecting staff and customers, navigating the world of changing recommendations, and adjusting business plans all while trying to keep food safe.
JC
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Entrepreneurs are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the world around them, so when COVID-19 forced us to reimagine everything about our lives and our businesses, entrepreneurial thinkers had some experience with such drastic and rapid change.
JS
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Decision makers face limited resources and uncertainty, and they often have different objectives or constraints driving their decisions. Science can help guide decision making, with methods ranging from game theory models to disease modeling to optimization models.
Unit 5: Anticipating the Future
MR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 5: Anticipating the Future in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.
JR
Published: Jun 22, 2022
In many contexts and times, diseases have reshaped life, whether it be human life, animal life, or plant life. Here we share a podcast interview of ongoing research about the consequence of plant disease.
HH
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Holly Hurlburt discusses human reaction to pathogens during the bubonic plague of 1347-1349. She tells the story of the plague by referencing the 1348 last will and testament of Dogaressa Elisabetta Dandolo as well as Boccaccio’s Decameron.
AL
Published: Jun 22, 2022
During the COVID-19 outbreak we have often seen predictions of the epidemic created using models. These influence important decisions about disease control measures. But we hear that predictions made by models change, so how much can we trust them?
AL
Published: Jun 22, 2022
One of the simplest mathematical models for transmission of an infectious disease is the so-called SIR (Susceptible/Infected/Recovered) model. After explaining the setup of the model, we explore what it tells us about the spread of an infection such as COVID-19.
JM
Published: Jul 27, 2022
In this uplifting talk recorded in 2020, Jamal Moss shares his experience as an undergraduate student and graduate of NC State.
