In the second project of the Pahl Initiative on the Study of Critical Social Issues, researchers will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the underserved.
No packed arenas cheering the nominee. No delegates dressed like Uncle Sam posing for photographers. No balloon drops. The U.S. political nominating conventions, which begin next week, are going to be less of a spectacle than usual. Does this mean they won’t provide either nominee with a boost at the polls?
After the coronavirus pandemic exploded worldwide, Ari Friedlaender, a marine ecologist at the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz, had to abandon his fieldwork in Antarctica, where he was studying the effects of tourism and fishing on humpback whales. He was stressed, but after returning home Friedlaender realized the pandemic offered an unprecedented opportunity for similar studies of whales in nearby Monterey Bay. Lockdowns had dramatically reduced noisy boat traffic, which can stress marine life, and he and his colleagues were soon discussing how to investigate the whales’ response to the hiatus.
The young Mexican Americans boarded boats and a seaplane that brought them to the shores of Santa Catalina Island. They wore conference badges that identified them as members of a Catholic youth group, but they had wrapped paramilitary-style uniforms in blankets. They placed them in duffel bags, alongside tents and a flag the size of a dining room table.
