Researchers around the world are trying to figure out how to reopen laboratories shuttered by the pandemic. By Jeffrey MervisA group of prominent academic scientists that has been advising the U.S.
government on security matters since the Cold War is conducting a quick-turnaround, pro bono study of a new threat to national security—the impact of COVID-19 on academic research.
And this time it’s personal.Last month, some 30 members of JASON began to tackle the thorny question of how to reopen university laboratories safely in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nobody is paying for the study, a rare departure for the group, whose work is usually financed by government agencies and often involves classified information.