Middlebury College students in Prof. Lindsay Repka’s fall Biochem class took an in-depth look at the science of coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. In their studies they saw how this pandemic reaches beyond the proteins, RNA and other building blocks of life to affect people in so many aspects of their everyday lives.
They reached out to experts and regular people in Addison County to understand the broad reaching implications of COVID-19 and put together a package of more than a dozen scientific explainers, reports on scientists’ strategies for neutralizing the virus, and accounts of how we are facing this disease.
Click on the headlines below to read the stories and watch the videos.

COVID-19: Addison County sounds off about coronavirus pandemic
Written by Alison Meyers
Data Analysis by Clara Loftis, Luka Petakov and Hope Robertson

What is the coronavirus and how does it attack?
Written by Meghan Keating and Infographic by Kaja Aagaard

How COVID-19 spreads
By Erin Nicholas and Karina Sharma

Models suggest how to get to herd immunity
By Thomas Khodadad and David Rigas

SARS-CoV-2: The Video Explainer
By Matt Brockley, Jenny Pushner and Carter Lombardi

New vaccines play off a long tradition of disease fighting
By Priya Kaur, Sloane Parker and Sophia Marlino

Bristol’s Missy Holland offers a picture of the pandemic we can relate to (video)
By Eli Miller

COVID and Community Survey Data (aggregated data from our survey)
Class project with Data Analysis by Clara Loftis, Luka Petakov and Hope Robertson

Racist stereotypes fuel discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans during pandemic
By Eunice Choi

Safely speeding up development of COVID-19 vaccines
By Zach Hilty and Greta Sirek

Treatment options for COVID-19 patients
By Grace Getman and Ali Wheeler

Pandemic lays bare the system racism in our nation
By Kamli Faour and Edith Lopez

Open Door Clinic provides COVID-19 info and services to marginalized Vermonters
By Minori Kawano

Native American Reservations are suffering more in this pandemic because of historic lack of health care
By Allison Stevens

COVID-19 and our dining experience with restaurant expert Bruce Newbury
By Eli Miller

Global health expert Pam Berenbaum eyes the route to herd immunity (video)
By Emily Bulczynski

UVM Medical School professor pivots to COVID research (video)
By India Drummond

Debunking common misconceptions about COVID-19
By Megan Job and Maria Than

COVID-19 exposes basic problems with our health care system
By Jenn Crandall

Local resident navigates complex COVID-19 advice
By Jenn Crandall

Middlebury’s Jim Greenamyre sees change in the COVID-19 era (video)
By Rhiana Carr

Joelle Logan and Project Independence adapt to the pandemic (video)
By Rhiana Carr

Contributing authors in our COVID and COMMUNITY series
See who created this package of stories