As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

Sooraj Shah ’24 The COVID-19 pandemic has been featured on every television and newspaper since early 2020. Social media platforms were also covered with news about the virus including deaths, cases, and variants. As COVID grew, the coverage revolving around other public concerns seemingly took a back seat, one of these being climate change. A study led by Dr. Oleg Smirnov, a professor within the … Continue reading As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

Lydia Wang ’26 SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that attacks the respiratory system, causing the disease COVID-19. The disease’s severity and risk factors have been shown to vary across certain populations. In particular, COVID-19 mortality rates were observed to be significantly higher in males than in females. One possible explanation for this cites testosterone levels, which have been seen to correlate with the ratio of digit … Continue reading Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

Depression as a Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 Infection

Peter Gillespie ’25 Covid-19 has been at the forefront of concern for many since the pandemic struck, especially for patients with risk factors for severe diseases if infected by Covid-19. Respiratory and cardiovascular disease, old age, hypertension, and diabetes have already been established as high risk factors for severe Covid-19 infection. However, recent research from Dr. Sean Clouston and his colleagues has identified a new … Continue reading Depression as a Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 Infection

COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

Figure 1: Stony Brook University research team finds significant increase in psychological stress among lung cancer patients during pandemic. Zhifei Zeng ’23 COVID-19, which has ravaged the world, is still a public health concern and there are multiple theories about the cause of severe COVID-19 infection in young people. Previous research on genetic factors associated with severe COVID-19 has been limited to the gene pool … Continue reading COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

Why Do Some Young People Develop Severe COVID-19?

Zhifei Zeng ’23 COVID-19, which has ravaged the world, is still a public health concern and there are multiple theories about the cause of severe COVID-19 infection in young people. Previous research on genetic factors associated with severe COVID-19 has been limited to the gene pool of European populations. Coincidentally, while comparing the gene pools of Japanese and European patients, a large Japanese genetic research … Continue reading Why Do Some Young People Develop Severe COVID-19?

Usage of Music Therapy on Anxiety-Presenting COVID-19 Patients

Sooraj Shah ’24 A rise in chronic respiratory and cardiac ailments has been attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. However, one overlooked consequence of COVID-19 is isolation, which increases the risk of developing stress-related disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as patients ponder whether separation is permanent. Previous research supports music as an important tool in addressing this psychological distress, as it has been shown to … Continue reading Usage of Music Therapy on Anxiety-Presenting COVID-19 Patients

Using Computation Fluid Dynamics to Mitigate Airborne Disease Transmission in Orchestras

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many performing arts groups such as choirs, orchestras, opera, and dance companies have suffered a heavy loss. This is mainly because COVID-19 can be spread through infectious aerosols produced by singing or playing wind instruments, which led to show cancellations throughout the industry. To assess mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of infection to performers, … Continue reading Using Computation Fluid Dynamics to Mitigate Airborne Disease Transmission in Orchestras

The COVID-19 Pandemic is Associated with Increased Rates of OCD in Pregnant Women

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder indicated by intrusive thoughts, such as fears of uncleanliness, which lead to repetitive behaviors. While it is common in the US, OCD rates have increased in the overall population due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thought that higher OCD occurrences are due to fear of how contagious the virus is and how little … Continue reading The COVID-19 Pandemic is Associated with Increased Rates of OCD in Pregnant Women

Discrimination During COVID-19 Exacerbates Academic Disconnect of Asian Students

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Since January 2020, the world has been suffering from a pandemic brought about by COVID-19. In addition to the direct health threat posed by the virus, a survey showed that the rate of racist and xenophobic attacks against Asians increased all over the globe, especially in the United States. In fact, the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center has reported 3,800 hate crimes … Continue reading Discrimination During COVID-19 Exacerbates Academic Disconnect of Asian Students

Nationwide RCT Single Session Interventions on Depression in Adolescents: COVID-19 edition

Daphne Siozios ’23 Once the coronavirus pandemic emerged, distress due to isolation caused an immediate surge in adolescent depression. While depression in youths was already regarded as the biggest psychosocial adversity prior to COVID-19, newfound disruption of social-emotional support because of direct seclusion resulting from the pandemic has led to elevated depression. By observing randomized controlled trials of brief, scalable interventions, it has been said … Continue reading Nationwide RCT Single Session Interventions on Depression in Adolescents: COVID-19 edition