Alabama State University has managed to keep COVID-19 cases at zero since the start of the fall semester, even as the number of infections rises among college students at other campuses across the U.S. The university's president, Quinton Ross, Jr, in part, credits Dragonfly's thermal-screening technology that identifies coronavirus symptoms.
"This is a contactless device that we're using. We're non-invasive, where students can just walk up and get a quick check of their temperature and other vital signs," he told Cheddar. "It's been an asset to all of the protocols that we've set in place here to help identify and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus."
Even before the technology was implemented at the historically Black university, steps were already being taken to protect the safety and health of everyone on campus.
"From the outset, we determined — even before the city of Montgomery, even before the state of Alabama — that we would become a mask-mandatory campus," he said.
For Ross, safety, especially for students, was the sole priority in taking steps to reopen campus. While a lack of PPE was a major concern for many early in the pandemic, the university was committed to avoiding "any barrier" that could potentially keep students from learning on campus. Therefore, the school decided to provide masks for them, he said.
Once back on campus, Ross explained, students have even stepped up and are doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“I cannot say enough about my student leadership, who’s embraced keeping our campus safe,” he noted.
In the event of an outbreak, Ross said there is a contingency plan in place that includes isolating students in already established dormitories.
A common criticism of universities' reopening plans during the pandemic has been that restrictions prevent students from socializing — a notable aspect of the on-campus college experience. It is also a scenario that, in many cases, is unavoidable; but Ross said the protocols and safety standards that were set, along with the students' ability to be mindful, are the reasons for his school's success in keeping infections at zero so far.
"I'm just thankful to our Board of Trustees and all of our leadership team for allowing us to put these procedures in place," he said.
Plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat's reign over the fast food world continues, as McDonald's announced that it is expanding its test of Beyond's McPlant burger, to nearly 600 restaurants, an increase from the eight that it's been testing in since November. This comes less than two weeks after Beyond Fried Chicken made its nationwide debut at KFC restaurants, the first time that plant based chicken has been widely distributed in a fast food capacity. Arun Sundaram, Senior Equity Analyst at CFRA Research explains why these latest collaborations may be proof that Beyond Meat products could slowly be becoming an unlikely staple in the fast food and chain restaurant world as consumers opt for more healthy food options.
BD Veritor is a variation of the at-home COVID test that uses a smartphone to interpret the results. The test is taken via a nose swab test strip that is then scanned by your phone’s camera with the result clearly displayed as positive or negative. James Walker, vice president of integrated diagnostics USA for BD, joined Cheddar to discuss how the test hopefully takes the "guesswork out of testing." Walker also went into what BD is doing to deal with the surging demand for at-home tests amid the omicron spread. "While we don't disclose how much we produce, we have capacity to manufacture up to 12 million rapid antigen tests per month and are delivering on our commitments to distributors and retailers," he said.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Sidechef CEO breaks down how it's building a platform to make recipe shopping easy; Luum CEO explains the process of having a robot put on eyelash extensions; A look at Curiosity Stream's new original series, 'Evolve.'
Moderna launched a clinical trial of a COVID-19 booster shot specifically targeting the omicron variant. The first participant has already received a dose, and Moderna expects to enroll about 600 adults total, split between two groups. In the first group, participants will have previously received two doses of the Moderna vaccine, and in the second, participants will have received its booster. Dr. Paul Burton, chief medical officer at Moderna, joined Cheddar’s Opening Bell to discuss the trial, yearly boosters, and what lies ahead for the company.
With the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics right around the corner, experts are warning that climate change is threatening not only the event but also the future of snow sports. Despite being the world's top polluter, China is hoping to use the event to demonstrate the country's commitment to fighting climate change, and pledging to host a "low carbon" games. Xubin Zeng, professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona, joins Cheddar News.
New research is suggesting that giving extra cash to low-income mothers can actually influence the brain development of their infants. These findings provide the first rigorous evidence of how payments and monetary support can affect children in the early years of life. Authors of the study, Nathan Fox, professor in the department of human development at the University of Maryland, and Sonya Troller-Renfree, postdoctoral research associate at Teachers College at Columbia University, join Cheddar News to discuss.
Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change and continuously feel the impacts. Mark Magaña, founding president and CEO of Green Latinos joined All Hands to discuss.
