WELCOME TO WEEK FOUR OF THE CORONAVIRUS BLOG!
Thank you to everyone who read the blog last week! As a reminder, or for anyone just joining us, I’ll be sharing college-related updates with you each Friday while we ride out the waves and impacts of coronavirus. These will include tour and admission information, how schools are staying connected, and news from the home front (me!). If there’s anything specific that you’d like to see featured here, don’t hesitate to reach out and I’ll do my best.
NEWS AND UPDATES
StriveScan’s Virtual College Fair Has Extended Its Dates
Originally scheduled until April 23rd, the Virtual College Fair will now continue until Friday, May 8, 2020!
Last week, we notified readers that StriveScan would be sponsoring Strive for College Knowledge: A Virtual College Exploration Week. By popular demand, StriveScan has extended the program two additional weeks to include individual college information sessions.
Thus far, there have been more than 30,000 student registrations for the 96 different panel presentations.. Over 300 different colleges and universities from 44 states and 10 countries are participating and sharing their expertise with students. The schedule for the first week of the panel presentations is available and still open. Students can register here. Please note that registration is not yet open for the individual college information sessions. We will post updates on our website when available.
SAT and SAT Subject Tests Cancelled for June
In accordance with public health guidance and school closures across 192 countries, the College Board will not be administering the SAT or SAT Subject Tests on June 6, 2020. If it’s safe from a public health standpoint, they will provide weekend SAT administrations every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. This includes a new administration in September as well as the previously scheduled tests on August 29, October 3, November 7, and December 5. Students can register for these test dates starting in May. The College Board will contact students directly when they have the exact date. Be sure to check with college counsellors and/or the College Board website for additional updates.
COOL THINGS STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES ARE DOING IN THE MEANTIME
The Ventilator Project: A Rapid And Scalable Solution To Solve The Global Ventilator Shortage
A team consisting of members from the worlds of business, academia and medicine are working together as part of a new non-profit, The Ventilator Project, to develop a ventilator specifically designed to meet the needs of coronavirus patients. Among those who are dedicating their time and invaluable expertise to this altruistic project are undergrads and grad students from a number of colleges and universities, including Cornell, Ohio State, UConn, Northeastern, Tufts and University of Chicago. These students are serving in roles that vary from engineering to finance. Together this team, which has grown to over 250 remote volunteers since the project began on March 20, is working to produce a ventilator that can be manufactured quickly and at a fraction of the cost of normal ventilators by using non-medical supply parts. The goal: to fill the ventilator shortage here in the U.S. and around the world—and hopefully save lives in the process. According to Preston Mantle, one of the project’s co-founders, the project’s most imminent need is to raise money to get through validation and FDA approval and start their first manufacturing run. Once they are over that hurdle, they plan to produce 1,000 to 5,000 units within the first three days, and between 25,000 and 60,000 units per month after that. Take some time to read about the Ventilator Project and the group that is striving to save lives. More info is available on their website and in this article.
UW Nursing Students Respond to An Urgent Public Need in the Fight Against Coronavirus
“With their education forced online and in-person clinical practice opportunities canceled by the novel coronavirus pandemic, University of Washington nursing students eager to use their skills and knowledge during this historic challenge to human health and well-being had few options. Unwilling to accept this limited role for nursing students, the UW School of Nursing has partnered with Public Health–Seattle & King County to give students three opportunities to join frontline efforts to meet health needs and treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the deadly disease caused by the virus.” Read the rest of the article about how these students are contributing to the healthcare needs of the community..
THE HOME FRONT
My daughter Brittany has officially earned her MFA in Theater for Young Audiences! The thesis has been submitted for publication, and while she will not have the traditional commencement ceremony that she had envisioned, we will find a way to celebrate nonetheless!
