The passing of a legendary figure.
Donald Kennedy, biologist, former head of the FDA, cofounder of Stanford’s human biology program, and Stanford president from 1980 to 1992, died April 21 of COVID-19. Among his legacies are Stanford’s commitments to public service and to interdisciplinary studies. “He was dynamic, the best teacher I think I’ve ever seen,” biology professor H. Craig Heller told STANFORD magazine. “He had the ability to absorb complex information and then convert it into a highly understandable explanation. He was an amazing interpreter of science.” Stanford’s Haas Center site will feature tributes to Kennedy through May 1.
What’s the deal with antibodies?
Antibodies are top of mind right now—testing for them, how many of us have them, and most important, what they might mean for when we can all get back to something resembling normal. Infectious disease specialist Yvonne Maldonado, MD ’81, talked viruses with Stanford Alumni Association president Howard Wolf, ’80, on the Stanford Pathfinders podcast and said that while we can test for antibodies to the novel coronavirus, that doesn’t give us a complete picture. “We know we make antibodies to this virus and we know that these antibodies are very specific to this virus. So that’s helpful. But we don’t know if these antibodies actually protect us.” Antibody protection varies by disease, she explained, ranging from lifelong protection (like you’d get from having measles) to seasonal protection (the temporary immunity we see with many colds and flus) to no protection (HIV antibodies co-exist with lifelong infection). If you’ve got a household bet going, you might put your money on COVID-19 being a lot like its close relative SARS-CoV-2. People who had SARS “did make antibody that was highly protective, and it turns out that antibody was protective for many years,” Maldonado says. Bottom line: We just don’t know. Yet.
Scientists are working on that. Medical research has been in high gear over the past few months, which has led to essential knowledge as well as some potentially risky conclusions. “There’s quite a Wild West of testing going on right now,” Scott Boyd, associate professor of pathology, told STANFORD magazine.
Kindness is the new self-care.
As medical workers continue to battle the novel coronavirus on the front lines, psychology professor Jamil Zaki says that “wartime metaphors can be dangerous, but they can also increase the range of our compassion, by highlighting our role as co-combatants in a global fight.” That’s important because compassion—and its close cousin empathy—is the cure for a lot of what ails us right now. Zaki, who teaches a seminar called Becoming Kinder, spoke with STANFORD magazine about how being kind to others makes you feel better, too, and offers four ways to start.
Let’s go for a walk.
Susie Brubaker-Cole, vice provost for student affairs, and her dog, Riva, invited now-remote students for a series of strolls around campus, including a walk around Lake Lag. Brubaker-Cole wanted to give undergraduates a way to stay connected to the campus community. “I wanted to break out of the administrative mode we’ve been in that’s all about communication intended to convey information,” said Brubaker-Cole. “I wanted to do something that was more about eliciting feelings and sharing a connection to campus places.” Special requests for places to stop and sniff are welcome. Don’t forget to get out for a non-virtual walk, too. As Graduate School of Education dean Daniel Schwartz and psychologist Marily Oppezzo, PhD ’12 , have found, walking gives creative thinking a boost.
Photo credit: Student Affairs
Maybe just don’t list the location of your internship as “Mom’s basement.”
Millions of Americans have lost jobs in recent weeks, and current students—just settling into an online spring quarter—now face another unknown: What about their summer internships and jobs? Polls earlier this month indicated 35% of college students who accepted internships had been told the internship is canceled, and another 24% of internships would be done in a virtual format. That means a lot of upheaval and lost time (not to mention money, for some) for students who were hoping for valuable experience in a chosen or potential field.
If you are looking for a way to help, Stanford’s career center, BEAM, has opportunities for alumni to offer students career advice, jobs, internships, and one-time projects. And if you are facing your own career transition, the Stanford Alumni Association has resources for job hunting, networking and more. Edward Lazear, professor of economics at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, believes there is light at the end of a (hopefully) short tunnel. He told the GSB’s Insights that though the job losses are staggering, they aren’t spread uniformly across sectors. He also points out that since this recession is caused by turning off supply, when the country begins to reopen we should see demand return quickly.
But wait, there’s more.
We may not know what BBQs will look like this summer, but STANFORD magazine reports on the future of the burger.
Is it ethically OK to get food delivered right now? Stanford philosophy professors Debra Satz and Jorah Dannenberg weigh in on a complicated question.
Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern that mail-in ballots could unfairly benefit the other party in November. But a new study finds voting by mail has neutral partisan effects.
If you need something to talk about at your zillionth Zoom happy hour, here are a few facts you may not know about viruses, including why COVID-19 can make you lose your sense of smell.
Carl Bergstrom, PhD ’98, a biology professor at the University of Washington, has dedicated his career to “calling bullshit” on misinformation cloaked in suspect data. And then came the coronavirus.
How does everyone seem to have time to bake sourdough bread? And are you failing quarantine if you don’t? Kathy Zonana, ’93, JD ’96, and Summer Moore Batte, ’99, muse each week(ish) on comfort carbs, TP tallies and the Stanford Duck Syndrome.
“It is not for government officials to decide whether religious worship is essential; the First Amendment already decided that. The question is whether, and how, it may be conducted without undue risk to public health.” A New York Times op-ed cowritten by Michael McConnell, Stanford Law School professor and director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, calls for reasonable accommodations so that religious services may resume.
Summer Moore Batte, ’99, is the editor of Stanfordmag.org. Email her at summerm@stanford.edu.
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