Investigating how viruses transform human health and the fate of our planet
Prof. Weitz and assistant professor at Spelman College Maira Goytia share their opinions about President Trump’s border policy in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
There should be no doubt that the practice of separating children from families at borders and then confining separated children in cages should be described with the same term: child abuse.
A recent New York Times article on ‘Trillions Upon Trillions of Viruses Fall From the Sky Each Day’ focused on the role of viruses of microorganisms in shaping life on Earth. The article highlighted a recent call for a new initiative in this area, proposed by Prof. Weitz and colleagues – Prof. Steven Wilhelm (UT-Knoxville) and Prof. Matthew Sullivan (Ohio State University):
‘Last year, three experts called for a new initiative to better understand viral ecology, especially as the planet changes. “Viruses modulate the function and evolution of all living things,” wrote Matthew B. Sullivan of Ohio State, Joshua Weitz of Georgia Tech, and Steven W. Wilhelm of the University of Tennessee. “But to what extent remains a mystery.”’
The initiative proposed by Weitz, Wilhelm, and Sullivan is termed Unveiling the Viral Ecology of Earth and was released as part of the Science Philanthrophy Alliance’s XO Files.
Prof. Weitz urges universities in Georgia to speak on the civic engagement of high school students following the shooting in Parkland, Florida.
What should institutions of higher learning do in response? Following on Parkland, more than 250 colleges and universities, both public and private from across the United States – from Texas to Florida to California – have communicated a simple message: the admission status of students who engage in peaceful protest will not be jeopardized.
Critically, the entire University System of Georgia, including Georgia Tech – my home institution – has thus far remained silent.
Prof. Weitz wrote a letter to the editor of Technique, the Georgia Tech student newspaper, inviting the institution to repeal the new campus carry law.
In assessing various other campus carry bills and gun-related incidents, a 2016 Johns Hopkins public health policy report concluded that more guns on campus are “unlikely to lead to fewer mass shootings”. Instead, concealed carry laws can “have a deleterious impact on the safety of students, faculty, and staff”. In essence, concealed handgun laws are bad policy.
Prof. Weitz recently published an opinion piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education addressing the impacts of the current administration on scientific research. Image via The Chronicle.
Investigating how viruses transform human health and the fate of our planet
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School of Biological Sciences
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Website developed by Audra Davidson for the Weitz Group, 2021. For more information on the group, contact Dr. Gabi Steinbach: gabi.steinbach (@) physics.gatech.edu