May

Since the days of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War and Clara Barton during the Civil War, nurses have been an integral part of the care and treatment of the sick and wounded. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed a spotlight on nurses and reinforced the essential role they have in hospitals and clinics worldwide. Caralise Hunt, an associate professor and associate dean for academic affairs in Auburn’s School of Nursing, discusses the spotlight and what Auburn is doing to prepare young people for the future of health care.

The School of Kinesiology’s Reita Clanton, coordinator of the Performance and Health Optimization Center, and Assistant Clinical Professor Ford Dyke teach the practice of mindfulness. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Clanton and Dyke offered mindfulness sessions for Auburn University’s campus community. Below, they share tips for people who are interested in incorporating mindfulness into their daily lives.

Auburn University’s College of Education, long a pioneer in the realm of online instruction, is preparing the next generation of educators amid changes posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Humana-Germany-Sherman Distinguished Professor of Special Education, Rehabilitation and Counseling Caroline Dunn and Christopher Clemons, an assistant professor of Agriculture Education in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Teaching, describe how instructors are implementing new techniques to deliver lesson plans to students and what the future of teaching may hold for K-12 educators.

Matt Malczycki, Joseph A. Kicklighter associate professor and director of undergraduate studies for Auburn University’s Department of History, comments below on how COVID-19 compares to other pandemics in history—saying COVID-19 is historic not so much for its number of cases but for the speed at which the world moved to stop its spread.

Karen Hopkins, a marketing expert and lecturer in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, says even though people tire of image advertising, companies must run those ads to keep up with competitors. She also discusses how companies have had to change their communications strategies and channels to reach consumers.

Associate Professor of Spanish Jana Gutiérrez Kerns discusses below how the Hispanic community has dealt with the effects of COVID-19, the unique challenges it faces in dealing with a crisis of this nature and how students in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures have adjusted to remote instruction through it all.

Franz Lohrke, the Lowder Eminent Scholar and Professor of Management in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, says opportunities exist for established businesses during economic downturns and he offers advice for those thinking about starting a business during this uncertain time.

With nearly 20 states delaying primary elections, mail-in ballots a widely debated topic and a presidential election on the horizon, the country’s political landscape has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Political Science Professor Ryan Williamson looks at the ways this year’s elections have been impacted, how voters and candidates will be affected as a result of the ripple effect from the coronavirus and how future elections may be influenced for years to come.

As the world reopens from the COVID-19 quarantines, Professor Brian Connelly of Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business discusses why some people follow guidelines and others do not. He looks at how people weigh their personal safety decisions and says now would be a good time to demonstrate an extra measure of empathy toward others.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide impact across virtually every aspect of society, and the nonprofit sector is no different. Kelly Krawczyk, associate professor and Ph.D. program director in Auburn’s department of Political Science, teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on a wide range of nonprofit topics. She described how the coronavirus has affected the nonprofit world and highlighted how its leaders have stepped up to help during the crisis despite their own struggle to survive.

Social distancing guidelines to decrease the spread of COVID-19 have many people spending much more time than usual at home. Many may be drawn to the idea of farming in their backyard and need to be aware of the risk of contracting foodborne illness through unsafe preparation. Interior Design Program Coordinator and Associate Professor Lindsay Tan and Culinary Science Lecturer Ana Plana share their expertise with novice backyard farmers on how to cultivate a safe, healthy backyard garden.

Auburn’s Harrison School of Pharmacy responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by making hand sanitizer for the community. It continues to be a resource for pharmacies throughout Alabama and the country seeking support and answers under new operations. Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, the school’s associate dean of clinical affairs and outreach, talks about the school’s efforts in response to this unprecedented situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest opportunity for threat actors and cybercriminals to prey upon the concerns of a worried nation. Some have even gone so far as falsely representing the World Health Organization, the United Nations’ agency responsible for international public health. Jason Cuneo, chief technologist for the Auburn Cyber Research Center and an adjunct lecturer in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, offers his thoughts on cyber threats during the pandemic.

While a pandemic indicates primarily a health crisis, there are many societal facets associated with it that are still being explored. One of the people looking at how a crisis may exacerbate existing disparities among the sexes is Melissa Blair, associate professor of history. Blair researches and teaches U.S. women’s history. With an April unemployment rate more than 14%, Blair talks about how and why unemployment affects American women and what new challenges and outcomes are likely to arise. 

With stay-at-home orders being lifted by varying degrees across the country and a multitude of people returning to work, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may begin to become more visible. Auburn’s Nadia Bhuiyan—an assistant clinical professor of psychology and director of the Auburn University Psychology Services Clinic, or AUPSC—describes the possible psychological impact of the coronavirus and offers advice and resources for anyone who may struggle to reconnect and adjust to the “new normal” in society after months of seclusion.

Auburn University Outreach’s Government and Economic Development Institute, or GEDI, assists communities, especially underserved and under-resourced communities, by providing expert consultation and training resources to address significant local issues and to promote economic development and effective government policy.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, we spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors—where we work, where we shop, where we worship, where we go to school—and we aren’t the only ones living there. Pathogens—germs—are there too. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to stay inside even more and raised questions about our ability to keep ourselves safe among potential pathogens, like the novel coronavirus.

Editor’s note: This Expert Answers piece was distributed initially April 30. Please look for continuing updates on the evolving, food supply situation on our Coronavirus Experts page.

Auburn University business faculty members James Barth and Pei Xu say using digital currency, or cryptocurrency, instead of paper money would reduce the spreading of viruses and they comment on the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies.

With schools closed during the COVID-19 outbreak, students and parents alike are adapting to online learning procedures. Parents are learning to provide academic support, while students are immersed in interactive and creative lessons.

John Jahera, professor emeritus of finance in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, comments on the possible effect of the coronavirus stimulus packages on the national debt, the prospect for inflation and how citizens can protect their financial well-being.

The worldwide quarantine has halted global travel, vacated hotels and forced restaurants to close or switch operations. Fortunately, the hospitality/tourism industry has faced crises in the past and survived. Martin O’Neill, the Bruno Endowed Professor and head of the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Management in Auburn’s College of Human Sciences, explains how the global industry will recover in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.

Some of the most important unknowns with COVID-19 are as follows:

Joanna Sztuba-Solinska, assistant professor of biological sciences in Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics, gives an update on her research of SARS CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—talks about how warming temperatures can affect the pandemic and what the future of the coronavirus may look like for everyone.

With most Americans experiencing weeks and weeks of lockdown and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, society may very well be changing right before our eyes. Auburn sociology professor Allen Furr examines the effects of the coronavirus on society and what it might all mean for the future.

Brian Gibson, the Wilson Family Professor and executive director of the Center for Supply Chain Innovation in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, comments on the impact of coronavirus on sales projections for retailers and suppliers, how supply chains are adapting and how consumer costs will be affected. He also gives details on the May 12 Fusion supply chain webinar that will cover how supply chains are effectively responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the world under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is spending more time at home than usual and perhaps even eating foods they don’t regularly consume. Mike Greene, associate professor in the College of Human Sciences’ Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Management, offers advice on the importance of maintaining healthy eating habits in quarantine.

Dave Ketchen, the Harbert Eminent Scholar and professor of management in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, comments on the “safer at home” status, provides advice on spending your stimulus check and what to do if bills are past due.