MEDIA ALERT: Experts available on coronavirus
Cornell faculty members can speak about coronavirus from a variety of perspectives: the science and health implications of the disease, its impact on the global economy, the science of vaccines and impact on healthcare systems, labor and specialized industries, effects on countries around the world and the broader impact the crisis is having on our daily lives.
Cornell Media Relations Office is the university's representative to local, regional, national and international media organizations. Part of University Relations, Media Relations works across the university to connect faculty experts and thought leaders with print, broadcast and digital media.
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Expert Quotes
“If the omicron variant proves more contagious, more likely to lead to severe illness, or more resistant to current vaccines, I would expect that many employers will extend the timeline on their return to the office plans. They may also be more likely to restrict access to the office for those who have started to come back in, particularly if they are confident in their ability to maintain operations with a fully or largely remote workforce.”
Bradford S. Bell
Professor in strategic human resources and director of ILR’s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies
Featured Video
Britney Schmidt, associate professor (A&S, ENG) is in Antarctica through February 2022 with a small team of researchers to explore the confluence of glaciers, floating ice shelves and ocean using a submarine robot called Icefin – the first mission of its kind. But the whole time, she’ll also be thinking about worlds beyond Earth. The members of her Planetary Habitability and Technology lab, which is transitioning with Schmidt from Georgia Tech to Cornell, are working to better understand how oceans work both on Earth and beyond, and to develop tools for further exploration. Read the article in the Cornell Chronicle.
In The News
“China, I won’t say it’s winning the PR war, but it’s very competitive,” says Sarah Kreps, professor of government. “Some 90 per cent of the Netherlands has Western vaccines, but it’s got higher levels of Covid than in the history of the pandemic. They’re trying to poke holes in the democratic system.”
Instagram unveiled measures designed to keep teens safe while using the app. Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication, notes that many of the features are opt-in which “puts the onus on the teen users and potentially their parents to engage in this form of self-regulation. It deflects responsibility from the platform.”
“There is potential for crop damage from chromate accumulated in soil, as well as possible risk to human health if chromate levels in soils are too high,” says Murray McBride, professor of soil and crop sciences.
Diego Diel, associate professor of population medicine, explains how his COVID-19 testing lab is working to identify variants and mutations in the coronavirus genome. “It’s really important to identify variants as early as possible after they emerge,” says Diel.
Eswar Prasad, professor of economics and international trade policy, talks about why the People’s Bank of China want a digital currency.
“These companies have tremendous power and are reaping tremendous rewards from the creator economy, but they don’t provide the mechanisms of support that a traditional workplace would,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communication. “The job is profoundly individualized and precarious. The fact is, it’s all on you.”