As part of an advertising campaign for the Winter Forum, Duke students may find themselves amid a group outfitted in Hazmat suits on the quad.
The Duke Global Health Institute will host this year’s conference from Jan. 9 to Jan. 11. “Pandemic 2011” will provide 100 students with the opportunity to learn about disease outbreaks and their ramifications for society. Applications are available online and must be completed by 5 p.m. Sept. 17.
“Pandemic 2011” is the University’s second Winter Forum.
As part of an advertising campaign for the Winter Forum, Duke students may find themselves amid a group outfitted in Hazmat suits on the quad.
The Duke Global Health Institute will host this year’s conference from Jan. 9 to Jan. 11. “Pandemic 2011” will provide 100 students with the opportunity to learn about disease outbreaks and their ramifications for society. Applications are available online and must be completed by 5 p.m. Sept. 17.
“Pandemic 2011” is the University’s second Winter Forum. In January, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions hosted “Making the Green Economy Work.” This year, about 20 more students will be able to participate, said Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education.
“For better or worse, pandemics will be a part of our future,” said David Boyd, associate professor of the practice of global health and a key organizer of this year’s forum. “As global citizens, we have a responsibility to learn how to prevent and control pandemic outbreaks.”
Universities are like incubators for diseases, particularly because students tend to do a significant amount of traveling, Boyd said, adding that “viruses don’t need passports, they just need airplanes.”
The conference’s first day will feature an opening ceremony and keynote speakers, including Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Schuchat had a major role in preventing a widespread outbreak of the H1N1 virus last year, Boyd said.
Other speakers for “Pandemic 2011” will vary from Duke faculty to government officials and physicians, Boyd added. The agenda includes presentations about the impact of pandemics, group work among students and debates.
“This is going to be a very interactive conference,” said Geelea Seaford, assistant director for the DGHI communication department.
DGHI began planning “Pandemic 2011” in February, creating an agenda they hope will appeal to a large portion of the student body, Boyd said. Part of that preparation was selecting required background readings for students, but Seaford noted that the amount of work before the conference would not be unreasonable.
The Winter Forum concept is a collaborative effort between the Office of Undergraduate Education and the University’s various schools and institutes as part of Duke’s Quality Enhancement Plan. Each year, a different school leads the forum. Its goal is to provide a venue to connect Duke students’ education with real life issues, Nowicki said.
Organizers are willing to expand the program in future years if more student interest is demonstrated, but they hope to maintain the intimate dynamic that was characteristic of last year’s forum, he added.
The Office of Undergraduate Education is currently discussing the idea of creating a committee of students and faculty to review proposals for future forums. Nowicki said he hopes that future proposals from the University’s individual schools will help broaden the topics available to students.
“I can see the Winter Forum becoming a valued and treasured Duke experience, so feedback from the students is important,” Nowicki said.
Next year’s forum will be hosted by the Kenan Institute for Ethics and will explore refugee issues, Nowicki added.
This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions hosted the first Winter Forum in January. The original story incorrectly stated that the Nicholas School of the Environment hosted the conference last year.
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