April 17 Day 40: COVID Disruption to Scholarship

Three of ten weeks in Spring quarter are done. I am choosing engagement and humanity over coverage — so I’m a little behind. This Spring more than ever I dread the joyous announcements of folks finishing their Spring semester many weeks before our quarter ends.

After a three hour reappointment zoom meeting, I am thinking about how Covid-19 will disrupt scholarly productivity for years to come.   No archival research. Labs shut down. Conferences and keynotes cancelled.  Those lucky enough to have the health, mind space, and lack of care-taking responsibilities to continue in isolation will be fine. Everyone else will fall further behind. How do we protect (and reward) the very people that keep us going?

Published by Jenny Quinn

Mathematician. Mother. Wife. Leader. I am the Executive Director of Seattle Universal Math Museum after many years working as a professor of mathematics at the University of Washington Tacoma. Mother of Anson and Zachary. Wife to Mark. President of the Mathematical Association of America 2021-2022. Past-President of MAA 2023.

Leave a comment