Exploring the Global Meaning of Coronavirus: An Upper School Podcast Series
What is the global impact of the coronavirus outbreak? This is the X-day question recently posed to a group of Whittle Upper School students. They rose to the occasion, producing their own research papers and podcasts on COVID-19 and related issues. The podcasts were evaluated in real time by a group of health and communications experts.
A selection of questions answered include: what did China do right? How did lessons learned from the SARS outbreak come into play? How are climate change and infectious diseases related? What is a vector? Why does a country like Norway stand apart? Are there digital health solutions that could help? How has the economy in the U.S. reacted? Can we trust the media? These questions and more were deeply explored. A research paper was produced during the process, followed by the podcast.
The project began February 12th spearheaded by Mr. Greyson Mann of the Center for Excellence. Dr. Selvakumar of the STEM team led the 10th grade students through the experience while Mr. Mann led the 9th grade. After discussion and research the students interviewed health care providers at the Infection Control Unit at Children’s National Hospital and global health policy experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Dr. Selvakumar underscored the desired learning outcomes: to explore the connection between energy use, environmental change and the emergence of new infectious diseases; and the underlying global policy implications.
“I let them go in whatever direction fascinated them,” he said. On the challenge of incorporating hard data, he explained, “I would have a list of criteria on the board and ask them, ‘How does this apply to your project?’”
Mr. Mann was excited to see the student's enthusiasm and hard work to dissect a problem that directly influenced their lives and the lives of people around the globe.
"The academic caliber and attention to diverse viewpoints is evident in their projects." He further stated, "I was impressed to see how they worked to understand global health and produce projects that were meaningful to them, despite the challenges of news-overload, the novelty of the crisis, and the social distancing policies."
The resulting podcasts were deeply engaging and delivered highly valuable information. They were well moderated and delivered content with energy and personality. Well done to the entire team.
FEATURED 9TH GRADE PODCASTS
THREE BLACK QUEENS
by Kimora Vanderhorst ('23), Gabrielle McAllister ('23), and Helena McAllister ('23)
Three students share their thoughts on promoting equality for African Americans in the United States.
SEVEN: THE POLICY OF PANDEMICS
by Isabel Gray ('23), Valerie Yang ('23), and Inshera Kankam-Boadu ('23)
Three students share their thoughts on global health and diplomacy, specifically around bias and stigma, to promote tolerance and collaboration.
LORE
by Padraic Wasinger ('23) and Liam Einsel ('23)
Pandemics require global solutions, hear one student's thoughts on the history of pandemics and how they affect us today.
FEATURED 10TH GRADE PODCASTS
NOT YOUR NORMAL CORONAVIRUS
by Jia Jia Fu (‘22), Maren Stossel (‘22), Jaden Russell (‘22), Saudea Bisgaard (‘22), and Oliver Cox (‘22)
The students analyze the COVID-19 outbreak from the perspective of media, the difference between misinformation and credible sources; from the perspective of the indifference among some young and some sectors of government about following adequate public health precautions; from an international perspective, for instance, the criticisms and compliments about China’s response to the outbreak, the need to learn from effective measures taken by countries across the world; and from a biological perspective, such as why does soap kill the virus?
CAKE TALK
by Charlotte Weir (‘22), Calla O’Neil (‘22), Kirsten Vanderhorst (‘22), Ellie Fitzgerald (‘22), Grant Baxter (‘22), and Asher Rizer (‘22)
The students analyze the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of its scientific connection to climate change and energy use, including interviewing an expert from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC; in terms of how media can contribute to either needless panic or helpful information; in terms of its economic impact; and finally, in terms of potential solutions such as the significance of digital health programs in global health security or the relevance of switching to green energy.
WASH YOUR HANDS AND DON’T COUGH ON ME
by Rachel Muresan (‘22)
Rachel Muresan explores the connection between human energy use, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions and environmental pollution, and the emergence of new infectious diseases. She specifically asks how the USA can better prepare for future outbreaks, including an interview with an expert from the Center for Strategic and International Studies who weighs in on global health security policy to build pandemic preparedness capacity and health system capacity.