BIOL 488: Plastic Free Campus? Implementing an Eco-friendly Campus at Longwood University

Longwood University has implemented many ideas to become an environmentally safe community, however, the use of plastics has not decreased but increased with the addition of Upchurch, a new dining area for students to grab various food options. Because of the lack of change, we as students need to figure out a way to become environmentally safer when it comes to our use of plastics on campus. Our idea is to implement a reusable bottle system where newly enrolled students will receive a free bottle at the beginning of the semester with a punch card. After every 10 uses the student can redeem a free drink from various food options on campus. We are also implementing Longwood go plastic-free on campus by replacing bags, cups, straws, and to-go boxes with alternative sources. With these ideas we are very hopeful Longwood will become more conscious about plastic waste produced on campus and one day become completely plastic-free

A high-throughput response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Four years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to reflect on the events that have occurred during that time and the knowledge that has been gained. The response to the pandemic was rapid and highly resourced; it was also built upon a foundation of decades of federally funded basic and applied research. Laboratories in government, pharmaceutical, academic, and non-profit institutions all played roles in advancing pre-2020 discoveries to produce clinical treatments. This perspective provides a summary of how the development of high-throughput screening methods in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) environment at Southern Research Institute (SR) contributed to pandemic response efforts. The challenges encountered are described, including those of a technical nature as well as those of working under the pressures of an unpredictable virus and pandemic