In the Spotlight

In the Spotlight is a science communication podcast where we interview graduate students or postdoctoral fellows in the sciences about their research and how it relates to the world around us. What problems are they trying to solve? What should we all understand about their work? What policies may be needed to support this research? These are the questions we will try to answer on In the Spotlight. This podcast is hosted and produced by Emily Schafer and Nicolas Scrutton Alvarado, and supported by Northwestern University's Science Policy Outreach Taskforce (SPOT).

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In the Spotlight

Science Policy in the Spotlight: COVID-19 and Schooling 3

March 30, 2022 • Northwestern University Science Policy Outreach Taskforce • Season 3

We are introducing a new monthly policy episode series called "Science Policy in the Spotlight," where we will focus our attention on a timely and local policy topic in the greater Chicago area and understand how science helps inform the topic. This series, we're focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 schooling.
In the 3rd episode of this 4 episode series, we next dive into the research behind COVID-19, but this time more specifically about transmission and risk mitigation strategies in schools. Dr. Priya Edward and many others from Lurie Children's Hospital are doing ongoing research on how SARS-COV-2 transmission through schools can be characterized and shares about how this could make a big difference in how we make policy decisions moving forward.
If you want to learn more about the information discussed throughout this episode, our sources are listed here:

Dr. Edward's study on asymptomatic COVID-19 transmission in Chicago private schools and preprint study on COVID-19 variants in children
Information on the childhood opportunity index measurement
Detailed information on COI in Chicago zip codes as of 2015 and the "Healthy Chicago 2.0" plan of action that incorporates COI data
Chicago Teacher's Union's safety committee resources, including vaccination rates in Chicago Public Schools
The CDC's "Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools"

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @SpotlightThePod to stay up-to-date on all news and episode releases! Learn more about Northwestern University SPOT on Twitter @SPOTForceNU or at our website spot.northwestern.edu