We Roar

Dark matter physicist Cristian Galbiati describes how he conceived of a “very simple, cheap and effective ventilator” for COVID-19 patients that uses off-the-shelf components — and how his team went from design to production in just six weeks. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-galbiati

The loss of visitors and revenue has presented museums with an existential crisis, says James Steward, the director of the Princeton University Art Museum. At the same time, the pivot to digital alternatives provides an opportunity to rethink many assumptions – including new ways to diversify content while improving access and inclusion. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-steward

Marina Di Bartolo, M.D., ’10, is one of the 27,000 DACA recipients “on the front lines of the front lines” in the COVID crisis. She shares her gripping journey from Venezuela to Princeton to the June 2020 high court ruling that protects DACA — for now. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-bartolo  

Social distancing has devastated the performing arts and changed how we move through public spaces. Rebecca Lazier, a Princeton senior lecturer in dance, considers the impact on artists, theaters and venues, and how we’re all navigating a new concept of togetherness. Transcript: https://www.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2020/06/RebeccaLazier_transcript.pdf

Natalie Guo ’12 took two problems — hungry healthcare professionals and unemployed restaurant employees — and created one solution: Off Their Plate, a donation-funded program paying chefs and shift workers to provide meals to health care staff. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-guo  

Céline Gounder, M.D., ’97, an infectious diseases specialist and host of the “EPIDEMIC” podcast, knew COVID-19 was poised to cause a pandemic like the U.S. had never seen. Convincing others required her to use an unexpected tool in her medical arsenal: her voice. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-gounder

Historian Keith Wailoo discusses how race, class, urban congestion and a failed public health system have contributed to the extraordinary gulf in coronavirus fatality rates. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-wailoo

Professor Andrew Chignell of the University Center for Human Values teases out a pathway to hopeful engagement in pessimistic times. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-chignell

From legacy media to community newspapers, journalism faces pressure on several fronts as it reports on one of the most important stories of our lifetime — a global pandemic and economic crisis that also threaten the news business. Edward Felsenthal ’88 offers his take on what news media must do to continue its essential work. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-felsenthal

Not all colleges and universities will survive this pandemic, says Kate Foster *93, president of The College of New Jersey. But the forest fire raging through higher education will also make room for new growth — opportunities for creative partnerships and possibilities. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-foster

Even as the "Princeton diaspora" is scattered across the world, Rabbi Ira Dounn of the Center for Jewish Life finds that students are maintaining relationships and finding, if not closure, the continuity of being part of the University now and for the rest of their lives. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-dounn

How do you make sound policy decisions for one of the U.S.’s largest cities when faced with limited information about a fast-spreading disease? Eric Johnson *03 explains how he’s charting a course for his constituents through uncertain times. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-johnson

No vaccine has ever come to market in less than four years, says Gordon Douglas ’55, the former president of Merck’s vaccine division and a doctor with decades of clinical and academic experience. Hear how he recommends speeding up the process. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-douglas

Princeton senior Nicholas Johnson reflects on becoming the first black student to achieve this honor in school history. He also explains the impact he hopes to have with his computational research into human behavior — including behaviors related to COVID-19 — and how he and his 2020 classmates have persisted through one of the worst crises in modern times. Transcript: https://www.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2020/05/Nicholas%20Johnson%20-%20transcript.pdf

Catching COVID-19 isn’t all-or-nothing, says immunologist Caroline Bartman: like poison, a high dose of virus can kill while a low ‘viral load' may cause mild infections. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-bartman

Surgical resident Glenn Wakam ’11 urges broad-based action to remedy health disparities exposed and amplified by the pandemic. Transcript: https://www.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2020/05/GlennWakam_transcript.pdf

Economist and Princeton Professor Alan Blinder considers the parallels between the Spanish flu of 1918 and the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the current disruption “one of the most extreme economic events that has ever taken place.” Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-blinder  

Laura Conour, the University's attending veterinarian, describes her team’s unflagging care for campus laboratory animals under pandemic conditions and shares early research toward vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Transcript: https://princeton.edu/content/transcript-conour

President of the American Federation of Scientists Ali Nouri *06 discusses the scientific misinformation and disinformation that has hampered our pandemic response and how his organization is responding. Transcript: https://www.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2020/04/AliNouri_transcript_0.pdf

This economic crisis is unlike any the nation has ever faced. Cecilia Rouse, economics professor and dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, examines the economic and societal vulnerabilities exposed by this pandemic and highlights areas demanding assertive government steps to protect us from the next one. Transcript: princeton.edu/content/transcript-rouse

For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Princeton’s Director of Sustainability Shana Weber notes an unexpected side effect to our pandemic response: the resurgence of nature. Humanity’s pause has allowed new soundscapes to be heard and has awoken for many a renewed appreciation for the value of nature. Transcript: https://www.princeton.edu/content/transcript-weber

With over 45 years of healthcare experience, Bill Frist has thought long and deeply about pandemic readiness. He says we can expect these facts of nature every 10-15 years. Immediate and sustained investment in pandemic preparedness, however, can mitigate the enormous human and economic suffering we are experiencing today. Transcript: princeton.edu/content/transcript-frist  

COVID-19 has delivered unprecedented disruptions to student life. USG President Chitra Parikh reflects on her changed role as a campus leader, challenges for students still on campus and the importance of staying close despite being dispersed. Transcript: princeton.edu/content/transcipt-parikh

Friday, March 13, 2020 stands as a singular day in Princeton’s history — it was the last day of normality in an academic year disrupted by the COVID-19 virus. President Chris Eisgruber describes the intense consultations behind the decision to disperse students from campus, move teaching online and suspend regular operations. Transcript: princeton.edu/content/transcript_eisgruber

As coronavirus spread beyond China, and Princeton recalled its overseas students, another kind of crisis emerged when several countries interrupted commercial air traffic. Peru, where seven Princeton students were studying this spring, blocked even emergency charter flights from taking off and landing. Kara Amoratis, Princeton’s associate director of International Travel Safety and Security, describes the unfolding events as she led efforts to bring Princeton’s students home from abroad. Transcript: www.princeton.edu/content/transcript_amoratis

Like college seniors across the nation, Princeton classics concentrator Kirsten Traudt ’20 is finishing her coursework online under the ‘new normal’ rules of social distancing. It’s an unprecedented situation. At the same time, she’s finding a 2,000-year-old account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius provides thought-provoking perspective. Transcript: www.princeton.edu/content/transcript_traudt

When coronavirus forced Princeton to close its campus classrooms in favor of remote teaching, Professor Jeremy Adelman drew upon a decade of pioneering work in distance education. As director of the “Global History Lab,” Adelman has experimented for years with ways to keep students connected and engaged online. His spring undergraduate course at Princeton is on-topic, too, focusing on globalization since 1820 and offering historical observations of human and environmental interdependence. Transcript: www.princeton.edu/content/transcript_adelman