The pandemic is far from over, yet the past year contains ample proof that the College will help end it. We spoke to faculty, staff, and students who have contributed to this massive effort, and from their stories we distilled the 10 practices that make us pandemic-proof.
Sometimes, symptoms of a disease are obvious – think of the mass mortality events observed in crows infected with West Nile Virus (a mosquito-borne virus that can also cause febrile illness in humans), says Angela Bosco-Lauth, a virologist and veterinarian and at Colorado State University. Often, signs are much subtler – if they are there at all.
Teams will pursue significant issues in our society using research partnerships to create new opportunities and solutions. Two projects from CVMBS are the Center for Metabolism of Infectious Diseases (C4MInD) Accelerator and VetVR: Virtual Reality for Veterinarians.
“Seeing the people in action, the great work that’s going on here, it is phenomenal. It’s helping us to beat this pandemic.” -Tom Gonzales, Larimer County Health Director
"The paradigm's changing where a [smoke event] is not just this one-time disaster for many communities in the West," says Sheryl Magzamen, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Colorado State University. "They're actually chronic disasters that occur every two to three years."
LISTEN: According to microbiologist Carol Wilusz, CSU's efforts seem to be working: When they've identified elevated levels of the virus in wastewater, follow-up testing has found positive cases.
To maintain the effectiveness of hand sanitizer, Karen Dobos, Ph.D., a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and pathology at Colorado State University, recommended to Health.com, that it’s stored at a temperature of 45 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
To explain how researchers are harnessing big data to understand more about the coronavirus, Dan Jacobson, a computational systems biologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will deliver a virtual talk, followed by a panel discussion with Ray Goodrich, director of CSU’s Infectious Disease Research Institute, Professor Carol Wilusz, and other CSU faculty.
VIDEO: Mark Zabel spearheaded the effort to develop the saliva testing in Fort Collins. The test costs under $10, can be processed in less than a day, and allows campuses to figure out who might be infected with COVID-19 even before they show symptoms.
"What drives me is that we are working towards equal opportunities to live a healthy life. I am completely convinced that the work we are doing can improve health. I wake up thinking there is something important that I can do today, big or small." -Dr. Marcela Henao-Tamayo