Is the COVID-19 virus here to stay?
How should we evaluate rumors about the coronavirus outbreak across China?
What is the path forward?
These are the kinds of questions that will be addressed at a free public forum convened by the Wisconsin China Initiative (WCI), “Perspectives on China’s Coronavirus Crisis: Politics, Messaging and Public Health.” The forum will be held 4-5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2, in the H.F. DeLuca Forum, Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard Street.
Moderated by Genetics Professor and WCI Faculty Director Jerry C.P. Yin, the event will feature a panel of UW-Madison experts including:
- Emeritus Political Science Professor Edward Friedman, who studies Chinese politics, US-Asian relations, and the international political economy.
- Virologist Robert Kirchdoerfer, who studies the molecular aspects of the coronavirus life cycles, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.
- Infectious Disease specialist Joseph A. McBride, who has been directly involved in the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics coronavirus response.
- Communication Science Professor Zhongdang Pan, whose research examines media and social changes in China.
- Senior Scientist, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Fuxian Yi, who has addressed China’s health policies and is currently focused on the impact of politics on academic research in China.
“This event is designed to offer expert commentary from different corners of campus on the current coronavirus crisis, with a focus on how it has emerged from China, our current understanding of the outbreak, and how the Chinese government has responded to the crisis,” said WCI Director Jerry Yin. “We hope to offer a well-rounded perspective on this key global event.”
The format will consist of comments from the five panelists from the vantage of their particular expertise, a round of questions and discussion with Professor Yin, and then time for questions from the audience.
Directions to the event: Although onsite parking is not available at the Discovery Building, there are three University of Wisconsin-managed lots (lots 17, 20 and 80) nearby, which charge $1 per hour after 4:30. To check on the number of available parking spaces, please see: https://transportation.wisc.edu/parking-lots/lot-occupancy-count/
The Discovery Building is located near several city of Madison Metro Transit bus stops, including the Randall Avenue and Engineering Drive stop on Route 80, which is the free campus route.
For further information, check the WCI Facebook events page, or contact the WCI by calling 608-262-3643, or by emailing Laurie Dennis at ldennis@wisc.edu