Continue reading “COVID-19: Straight Talk about Testing, Potential Cures, & Reopening the Economy”

By C2ST Staff

As the COVID-19 epidemic rages on, many businesses around the world are struggling to stay afloat. But despite the enormous challenges inherent to operating in these trying times, some businesses are figuring out new ways to serve their communities. KOVAL Distillery is one such company. A Chicago-based distiller of whiskeys and gins since 2008, KOVAL is now a full-time hand sanitizer production facility. With the generous help of Chicagoans and people from around the world, KOVAL has been able to rapidly scale up production and distribution to police and fire departments, hospitals, and other organizations in need.

We spoke with KOVAL co-founder and president, Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart about KOVAL’s new normal and how folks can help the cause. Continue reading “From Spirits to Sanitizer: KOVAL Distillery Q&A”

By C2ST Staff

Dear friends of C2ST,

Given the growing threat of COVID-19, C2ST is implementing large-scale changes to the way our organization will interact with Chicago residents for the foreseeable future. As you may have seen by now, we have cancelled many of our upcoming in-person events. This now includes our annual “Science in the City” Gala. 

As much as it breaks our hearts to do this, we know that it is the right decision to make at this time. Beyond preventing us from interacting with our wonderful friends and supporters, we will also be losing out on what is our most important yearly fundraising opportunity–the gala is historically where we generate a great deal of our funds to be used for upcoming programming.

In order to adapt to these changes while maintaining our mission to provide science and technology education to the Chicago area, C2ST will host “Science From the Frontlines,” an ongoing series of virtual events tackling topics such as vaccines, public health, community best practices, and other subjects relevant to the COVID-19 epidemic. This series of virtual events will also serve as a fundraiser for C2ST and frontline efforts to combat COVID-19.

While we are concerned about our continued well-being as an organization, we know that our community is also in peril. To make sure we are doing our part for the community, 50% of all donations from the “Science From the Frontlines” series will be split between selected organizations involved in the fight against COVID-19. When you make a donation during this campaign, not only will you be ensuring that cutting-edge science will be accessible to the public, but you will also be helping the effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Please keep an eye on our event pages and stay tuned for details about our upcoming programs and fundraising efforts. We look forward to seeing you online!

Please consider contributing to Science From the Frontlines by heading here.

Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST Editor

This linked article from Argonne National Laboratory provides an exciting snapshot of several science and technology initiatives that will help us stop the COVID-19 pandemic. As you will read in more detail, one group of researchers is making progress finding a cure for the infection.  Another group is developing a statistical model to help policy makers make good decisions regarding social distancing and other mitigation efforts to flatten the curve. Finally, other technologists are figuring out how to keep the supply chains working so that grocery shelves are stocked, the lights stay on and we can enjoy the other basics of life while we battle on.

As you will see, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that we will get control of the pandemic soon and eventually neutralize this virus. In the meantime, let’s all keep pulling together to keep our distance and give the doctors, scientists and public officials the extra time they need to do their jobs.

Read the article in full here.

By C2ST Staff

Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago, and other C2ST partner organizations are at the forefront of the search for a cure or vaccine for COVID-19. Several of these organizations are tracking the spread of the virus while developing strategies for stopping it. In the meantime, these organizations are offering practical tips for protecting yourself and others from the virus. Over the next several weeks, we will be sending you links to the information prepared by these institutions. Additionally, we’d like to keep you in the loop on what these organizations and others are doing to fight COVID-19.

Continue reading “COVID-19 Update”