Unit 5: Anticipating the Future

In this video, Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D. provides a preview of Unit 5: Anticipating the Future in Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions: Pandemics.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

In this uplifting talk recorded in 2020, Jamal Moss shares his experience as an undergraduate student and graduate of NC State.