taste of science | Humanity and COVID-19: Responding to a Pandemic

Much of the news around COVID-19 is focused on the here and now, but this will undoubtedly change the world from now on.

What can we expect and how can we learn so that we make changes for the better?
Set your clocks for Sunday April 5th at 7pm EST, and join our expert speakers for our first online event!

Dr. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. Cooney’s research in coffin reuse, primarily focusing on the 21st Dynasty, is ongoing. Her research investigates the socioeconomic and political turmoil that have plagued the period, ultimately affecting funerary and burial practices in ancient Egypt. This project has taken her around the world over the span of five to six years to study and document more than 300 coffins in collections around the world, including Cairo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Vatican City. Her first trade book, The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt is an illuminating biography of its least well-known female king and was published in 2014 by Crown Publishing Group. Her latest book, When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt, was published in 2018 by National Geographic Press.

Myeashea Alexander is a Brooklyn-based biological anthropologist and creative. Myeashea holds a bachelor’s degree in Culture and Media from The New School, a master’s in biological anthropology from City University of New York, Hunter, and is a trained filmmaker and digital creative. Myeashea has been able to work with institutions such as the Smithsonian, Franklin Institute and more. She is currently the Impact and Design Manager for the Clinton Global Initiative University and spends summers continuing to study and assist as a forensic anthropologist at sites around the world.

In 2015, Myeashea started the blog The Rockstar Anthropologist–a site that highlights science, anthropology, and culture, and two years later launched a mobile bone lab that brings hands-on forensic anthropology and archaeology learning to underserved classrooms and community centers in New York

Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and the San Antonio Program Director for The Immunization Partnership. She was the Pandemic Flu Coordinator for the San Antonio Metro Health District (SAMHD) in the Public Health Emergency Preparedness division. Dr. Rohr-Allegrini served as the Communicable Disease Program Manager for the Department of State Health Services, Region 8 where she led the outbreak investigation of the H1N1 pandemic. She is an experienced tropical disease scientist and science educator. Dr. Rohr-Allegrini has also written on science and public health topics for the Rivard Report, a San Antonio-based news site.

Dr. Susan Tsang is a wildlife biologist specializing on Southeast Asian bat biogeography, conservation, and pathogens. Her consulting work centers around counter wildlife trafficking, natural resource management, and capacity building. She is a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the Philippines, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Julie Squires is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist and Certified Life Coach who brings a unique perspective and approach to support the sustained energy and passion of those exposed to the highly stressful, challenging and sometimes traumatic environments of lab animal research, veterinary medicine and animal welfare.

Julie has over twenty-five years of experience within the veterinary industry as a veterinary technician, hospital administrator and leading organizations, developing and executing training and workshops most notably for Nestlé Purina, Bayer Animal Health and IDEXX Laboratories. She is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist through the Traumatology Institute.

Julie is a recognized international speaker and also offers on-site seminars and workshops, an online courses Compassion Fatigue Rx, private coaching and the Rekindling podcast all as a result of the need Julie saw to help those that work with animals maintain their wellbeing and mental health. Julie lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband John, pugs Ernie & Mabel and Gregg & Duane, their two cats.