The University of Southern Mississippi recently released a free online course to help the public better understand COVID-19 and other pandemics.

“Understanding the Pandemic: A COVID-19 Public Service Short Course” covers the history of pandemics and their social and economic impact; the coronavirus and epidemiology; the spread, prevention and treatment of pandemic diseases; vaccines; and personal health and wellness in a pandemic in a series of video presentations that USM faculty members created.

Douglas Masterson, senior associate provost for institutional effectiveness and a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at USM, created the course together with Karen Coats, dean of USM’s graduate school and a professor of cell and molecular biology.

The course takes about three hours to complete but does not have to be completed in one sitting, a release from USM says.

To take the public service course, visit https://usm.instructure.com/courses/54932.

USM Holding Giveback in Place of Annual Speakeasy Event

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the DuBard School for Language Disorders at the University of Southern Mississippi has partnered with Brass Hat in Midtown Hattiesburg to hold a giveback event on Oct. 1 in place of the university's usual annual Speakeasy event.

The event will be free to attend, and those attending can purchase food and drinks with a portion of proceeds going to DuBard School. USM is encouraging attendees to wear 1920s attire. Live jazz music will play throughout the night, and USM will offer themed drinks. The Giveback will be from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 1.

DuBard School plans to return to the traditional Speakeasy format for the 2021 event on Oct. 7 at the Bottling Company in downtown Hattiesburg.

For more information, visit dubardspeakeasy.com or call 601-266-5223.

JSU Receives Grant for Collaboration With University of Michigan

Jackson State University’s Department of Political Science has received a $30,000 Minority Serving Institutions Outreach and Collaboration Grant in the amount of $30,000 as part of a partnership between JSU and the political science department at the University of Michigan.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, JSU and collaborators from the U of M received an initial $8,000 award to support the planning and implementation of small-scale activities.

Funds from the first year of the grant allowed three JSU political science students to participate in summer research programs and for Leniece Titani-Smith, a political science professor at JSU, to attend a four-week intensive research course on machine learning at U of M.

The grant also includes plans for additional research and projects as well as a three-way, jointly-taught course on the politics of race, ethnicity and nationalism for undergraduates.