User talk:Macie Duran

Week 2 Feedback

• Thank you for submitting your assignment on time. Here is the feedback on your assignment.
• You wrote something in the summary field for 41 out of 44 saves (93%) since Week 1, which is excellent! Keep up the good work!
• The purpose that you wrote was more of a "learning" purpose instead of a "scientific" purpose.
  • You wrote: The purpose of this week's assignment is to demonstrate the importance of modeling a pandemic or epidemic. Using models, we can better understand the safety precautions that must be taken when an outbreak occurs.
  • I would revise it to be: The purpose of this assignment is to explore the SIR model of infectious disease transmission by altering the model parameters and interpreting the results. The results will be related to the current COVID-19 pandemic and the safety precautions that must be taken when an outbreak occurs.
• With regard to your questions from the video:
  • How can this be applied to coronavirus when we know that recovered people can become susceptible again in a fairly short period of time? Would we add in a new group of people who have recovered, and may have some antibodies, but are still considered susceptible?
    • You could roll over these people into the main susceptible category or create a subcategory of people that were previously infected, if their infection rates were different.
  • How do we figure out rates 1 and 2 for SARS-CoV-2 or other novel viruses? How much time would it take to estimate those rates? Can we base the rates on other similar viruses, such as SARS-CoV?
    • Mathematical modelers are working on this right now. They are using the current data from infection rates to figure this out. It would not be a good idea to use other virus data, like from SARS-CoV because the two viruses have turned out to be quite different in terms of infection rates.
• You needed to interpret the model results of the initial model before you changed the parameters.
• Your interpretations of the model graphs after you manipulated the parameters were good.
• Your explanation of the Giordano et al. (2020) article was good.
• Beyond making fun of people who make models, the XKCD comic is referring to how models have assumptions that can be limiting (in this case about the amount of mixing college students would do).
• Your conclusion needs to also be more specific. Restate in more detail some of the main findings that you made from manipulating the model parameters, not just what they were about.
• Make sure to acknowledge your partner. If you did not work together, make a statement to that effect.
• To answer your questions that you posted in the class journal:
  • Is it likely that SARS-CoV-2 will become a common virus in the same way that Influenza is? Will there be yearly vaccines?
    • I don't know if it is likely, but it is a possibility. Time will tell on this one.
  • Some people are saying that the vaccine will be ready by the end of the year. How likely is that to happen? How do we make sure enough Americans are on board to get the vaccine and gain herd immunity?
    • I think it is more likely that a vaccine will be ready some time in 2021. Even that is fast for vaccine development. We need a consistent public health message from our leaders, to start.
  • What are the long-term health effects of those who recover after being infected?
    • Unfortunately, only time will tell on this one.

— Kam D. Dahlquist (talk) 12:23, 1 October 2020 (PDT)

Week 1 Feedback

I will be posting the feedback on your weekly assignments on your talk page. You will be able to earn back the points you lost on the Week 1 assignment by making the changes listed below by the Week 3 deadline on 12:01 am, Thursday, September 24. Here is the feedback for Week 1.

• Thank you for submitting your assignment on time.
• You completed all of the tasks except for the following:
  • You wrote something in the summary field 28 out of 30 saves (93%). That is very good! Remember we are aiming for 100%.
  • You need to have three levels of headers, and you only had two. You had the "==" and "===", but you need to go down one more level to "====".
  • For your list of assignments and class journals on your template, go back and add labels to the links. For example, instead of [[BIOL368/F20:Week 1]], use [[BIOL368/F20:Week 1 | Week 1 Assignment]].
• I think it's interesting how you applied the idea of compression to how you learn. I've never thought of it that way before but now that you mention it, I can immediately see the analogy. Cool!

— Kam D. Dahlquist (talk) 09:11, 17 September 2020 (PDT)