Outbreak: DIY
Penn State Schuylkill will host the new Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Exhibit, “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World,” for a three-month period running from October 1 through December 21. The exhibit, exploring the origins of zoonotic disease and humans’ role in spreading animal-borne viruses, will be touring nationwide for a three-year period.
This year, the Smithsonian marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Influenza pandemic, that eradicated between 3 and 5 percent of the world’s population, with this informative exhibition that examines the human ecology of epidemics.
The exhibit will illustrate how viruses can spread from animals to people, why some outbreaks become epidemics, and how people in different disciplines and countries are working together to eradicate diseases from the Nipah virus to SARS and HIV.
The Outbreak exhibit is located in the Ciletti Memorial Library on the Penn State Schuylkill campus and is open to the general public during library hours. Drop-in guided tours will be available on Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Upcoming Outbreak Events
October 17 | 7 p.m.
Novel Control Measures to Combat Infectious Disease
Guest Speaker Nancy Tryano, Ph.D., BCE
Entomologist and Director of Technical Education and Training
Rentokil North America
November 16 | 12:20 p.m.
Ebola Surveillance
Guest Speaker Mike Wiley
Civilian Government Contractor
U.s. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
December 4 | 6:30 p.m.
Historical Implications of the Influenza Pandemic in Schuylkill County;
John O'Hara's The Doctor's Son Performance and Panel Discussion
Featuring performances by the Penn State Schuylkill Nittany Players
Guest Speaker Harold Aurand, Ph.D.
Associate Teaching Professor of History, Penn State Schuylkill
Guest Speaker Michelle Jacobs
Schuylkill County Historical Society
