D4P: COVID-19

Welcome to D4P: COVID-19 Edition

Since March 2020, which is around the time the SARS-CoV-2 virus officially began to shut down the world, science has witnessed an unprecedented pace for research reporting on a focused topic. Unified by the shared goal of understanding and preventing the spread of COVID-19, the scientific community began to churn out SARS-CoV-2-related research at a rate of ~2,000 primary publications per week [visit NIH’s LitCovid to see for yourself]! But these papers could not be contained to scientific circles alone. More and more, people from non-scientific and non-specialist backgrounds NEEDED TO KNOW so they began sifting through the nonstop deluge of new scientific knowledge — knowledge that would help shape how humans could protect themselves and their communities from SARS-CoV-2 viral outbreak.

Making it through a scientific report, however, can be quite challenging, even for scientists studying the topic being reported on. Not only do most scientific reports use inaccessible, field-specific jargon, many publications remain behind expensive paywalls (although, most scientific journals lifted their paywalls for COVID-related research reports). So with some help from friends and colleagues, RockEDU decided to create a platform that helps distill and discuss the main findings of a research report: Data for the People (D4P).

Each paper featured in a D4P webinar is presented by a scientific trainee — either a graduate student or a postdoc — who is passionate about connecting with others through science, resulting in low-key, accessible, and informative presentations. Catch the entirety of our D4P:COVID19 season here, along with dedicated discussion guides, and connect with Covid-19 research, straight from the source!

#D4P #science4all