COVIDCalls

Today is June 1st, or the first day of the hurricane season. In the coming months, many areas around the world will deal with concurrent disasters. Emergency response in natural disasters oftentimes requires the gathering of people, so how will these communities comply with pandemic guidelines while responding to natural disasters? Tune in to this conversation with Aaron Clark-Ginsberg, of the RAN...

How is the pandemic opening the way for state violence or discrimination within states? And how do these situations compare with the situations in previous disasters? Join us in this discussion with Malka Older, who is a writer, aid worker, and academic, and Vivian Choi, who is an assistant professor of Anthropology and Sociology at St. Olaf College to learn more about how immigrants and migrant w...

People make plans for disasters so that they can be prepared for what is to come. However, if plans worked every time, then you might as well say that unicorns are real. What is disaster improvisation, and where are we seeing that right now during the pandemic? Let’s sit down with Tricia Wachtendorf, the co-director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, to hear about examp...

The last semester for seniors in high school and college often means bittersweet last’s--last time with peers, last time on campus, last time as a student where you spent the past few years studying in. So, what has the abrupt switch to online school been for our seniors? Let’s sit down with Olivia VanBuskik, a recent graduate from Central Michigan University, Apoorva Selvaraj, a senior at Drexel...

COVID-19 has caused schools across the country to change their teaching styles in a matter of days. What is it like being a high school student, especially a high school senior during remote instruction? What obstacles do teachers face? How will the pandemic change teaching and learning as we know it? Sit down with Science Leadership Academy’s founding principal Chris Lehmann, teacher John Henkel,...

Today, let’s tune into a conversation with Sulfikar Amir, of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, to talk about his experience in creating three documentary films about disasters and to take a deeper look into how he “pictures” this pandemic. Along with this, learn about the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, the media and the public’s reaction, and the responses of neighboring countries s...

Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, many people, businesses, and institutions have denounced systemic racism and police brutality. However, the property damage and looting that have co-existed with the peaceful protests have left some American reluctant to support the movement. To gain a better understanding of the current unrest, join us in this discussion with Rashawn Ray, a David...

The pandemic has brought about a renewed appreciation for workers who are considered to be essential to core functions of society. Among these, have been postal service workers who serve the important role of delivering essential objects to where they need to go, whether it be paychecks, medicines, or PPE (Protective Personal Equipment). However, does this renewed appreciation show in their worker...

There is a historical notion in society that people who wear masks or face coverings always have something to hide. I mean, think about it—thieves, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. In the inherently racist America we know today, it is not uncommon for Muslim women to be seen as a threat when they wear their hijabs. Today, let’s talk about the struggles of minorities such as Black Americans and Muslim Americ...

With different guidelines from the President of the United States, the Governor of Texas, and local communities, how are the communities of Southeast Texas dealing with some of the pandemic-related tensions that have risen? Join us in this discussion with Kaitlin Bain and Jacob Dick, both reporters for the Beaumont Enterprise, and with John Beard Jr, former city councilman for Port Arthur, to lear...

A century from now, what will historians be looking at for the COVID-19 archives? President Trump’s daily briefings? Journals of healthcare workers or other civilians? How will future generations pull lessons from what we are living through? Tune in to this conversation with Monica H. Green, an elected Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, and Jacob Steere Williams, an associate professor at...

Want to know what impacts COVID-19 has on transport methods, the environment, or infrastructure? Ever wonder about the national discourse about disparate impacts of COVID-19 affecting black communities in the United States? Join us in this researcher’s roundtable discussion with Rachel Chiquoine, a Civil Engineer in the U.S. Department of Transportation, Jennifer Trivedi, a Core Faculty Member at...

How can public health officials use social media to communicate important messages about COVID-19 to the public amidst rampant misinformation and disinformation? What causes certain messages about risk to break through online while others get lost in the noise? Dr. Jeanette Sutton , an associate professor in the Department of Communication and the Director of the Risk and Disaster Communication Ce...

Is the COVID-19 pandemic a preview of the type of disruptions that will come with the climate crisis? How are cities responding to and preparing for climate change related threats in a way that promotes environmental justice? Daniel Zarrilli , the Chief Climate Policy Advisor for the New York City Office of the Mayor, discusses how New York City is preparing for the climate crisis and working towa...

How does the COVID-19 pandemic evoke fears of the apocalypse and what is the psychology of apocalyptic thinking in the United States? How does COVID-19 fit into the history of apocalyptic visions and narratives from the Book of Revelation to nuclear holocaust? Dr. Chuck Strozier , a practicing psychoanalyst and professor emeritus of History at John Jay College, discusses COVID-19 and its connectio...

What are the challenges and opportunities COVID-19 presents for disaster researchers? What are the central problems with emergency management in the United States? What is the state of the pandemic in Philadelphia in early May 2020? Dr. Esther Chernak , professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health, rejoins to update listeners on the state of COVID-19 in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania...

Who do we rely on to keep the world running during the COVID-10 pandemic? What makes a worker “essential” during a pandemic, and is there really a difference between essential work during a pandemic and during normal times? Dr. Andrew Russell , the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, and Dr. Lee Vinsel , an assistant professor of history...

Dr. Eileen Boris , Hull Professor of Feminist Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara, Dr. Silvia Federici , a professor at Hofstra University, and Juliana Feliciano Reyes , a journalist for the the Philadelphia Inquirer, all discuss the intersections of labor, gender, and a pandemic that has forced many workers into new forms of precarity. Dr. Boris and Dr. Federici both talk about wo...

How has COVID-19 revealed and exacerbated fundamental disagreements over federalism in the United States that have been brewing for 230 years? Why does disaster reveal the broken linkages between different layers of government? Dr. Don Kettl , the Sid Richardson Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas-Austin, discusses the impact of federalism on disaster governance in...

How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting immigrant communities in the United States? How are those in the Trump administration and in the immigration restrictionist movement broadly using the emergency to further their policy goals? Dr. Carly Goodman , a visiting assistant professor of Modern American History at Lasalle University, and Camille Mackler , the Executive Director at Immigrant Advocates...

With 57,812 confirmed COVID related deaths in the United States as of recording, how will we cope with the amount of death brought about in such a short time by COVID-19? How do we cope with trauma when our usual social connections and interactions are restricted? Maiken Scott , a Health and Science reporter for WHYY Philadelphia and host of The Pulse a weekly Health and Science show, discusses co...

How can we see past monolithic depictions of nations and understand the underlying differences within national borders that are shaped by demographics, geography, and historical experiences? What can we learn from the Great Sea Islands Storm of 1893 and a bubonic plague outbreak in the 19th century about how local politics and racial animus can shape responses to disaster? Dr. Caroline Grego , an...

What explains President Donald Trump’s disastrous response to COVID-19 and can he politically survive the pandemic? What do Trump and his vices say about our society and why can’t we look away? Virginia Heffernan , a journalist for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Political and more, discusses President Donald Trump, his White House’s response to the pandemic, and the effect it might have...

What can public officials and public health experts learn from a series of yellow fever epidemics in the 1790s and other historical epidemics? What factor has race played in emergency management and infectious disease in American history? Dr. David Barnes , a professor of public health and the history of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Michael Yudell , Vice Dean and Professor a...

How much legal power does the U.S. federal government have to regulate states during pandemic? How are various issues related to the pandemic, from shelter-in-place orders, state specific quarantines, limits on religious gatherings, and deportations being litigated? How is Philadelphia dealing with the pandemic in late-April 2020? Dr. Esther Chernak , professor at the Drexel University School of P...