Serious Games: A new Approach to Foster Information and Practices About Covid-19?

The current Covid-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented global challenge in the field of education and training. As we have seen, the lack of proper information about the virus and its transmission has forced the general population and healthcare workers to rapidly acquire knowledge and learn new practices. Clearly, a well-informed population is more likely to adopt the correct precautionary measures, thus reducing the transmission of the infection;likewise, properly educated healthcare workers are better equipped to manage the emergency. However, the need to maintain physical distancing has made it impossible to provide in-presence information and training. In this regard, new technologies have proved to be an invaluable resource by facilitating distance learning. Indeed, e-learning offers significant advantages because it does not require the physical presence of learners and teachers. This innovative method applied to serious games has been considered potentially effective in enabling rapid and large-scale dissemination of information and learning through content interactivity. We will review studies that have observed the development and use of serious games to foster information and practices about Covid-19 aimed at promoting behavioral changes in the population and the healthcare personnel involved on the front line.

Issue 1 - "Update on adverse respiratory effects of outdoor air pollution". Part 1): Outdoor air pollution and respiratory diseases: A general update and an Italian perspective.

OBJECTIVE: to summarize the main updated evidence about the health effects of air pollution and to focus on Italian epidemiological experiences on the respiratory effects. RESULTS: the recent literature indicates that there is strong evidence for causal relationships between PM2.5 air pollution exposure and all-cause mortality as well as mortality from acute lower respiratory infections, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. A growing body of evidence also suggests causal relationships with type II diabetes and impacts on neonatal mortality from low birth weight and short gestation as well as neurologic effects in both children and adults. Italy, a Southern European country, faces a more threatening air pollution challenge because of the effects of both anthropogenic pollutants and natural dust (particulate matter, PM). The 2020 Report of the European Environment Agency highlighted the number of premature deaths in Italy attributable to main pollutants: 52,300 for PM2.5, 10,400 for NO2 and 3,000 for O3 in 2018. In Italy, original time series and analytical epidemiological studies showed increased cardio-respiratory hospital admissions and mortality and increased risk of respiratory diseases in people living in urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: adverse health effects of air pollutants, even at low levels, have been confirmed by recent epidemiological studies. Further studies should focus on the potential link between air pollution exposure and respiratory infections. This topic has become particularly important in the current SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Based on strong scientific evidence, the Italian government, which hosts the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD)-Italy at the Ministry of Health, the scientific respiratory societies and the patients' associations, as well as others in the health sector and civil society, must increase their engagement in advocacy for clean air policies, especially in light of the new Air Quality Guidelines of the World Health Organization.

Learning in a crisis: Online skill building workshop addresses immediate pandemic needs and offers possibilities for future trainings

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension ofmany summer research opportunities for science, technology, engineering andmathematics students. In response, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Education and Outreach program, in collaboration with Miami University, offered a free online Seismology Skill Building Workshop to increase undergraduates' knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and interest in observational seismology and scientific computing. Registrations were received from 760 undergraduates representing 60 different countries. U.S. participants consisted of 59% women and 29% from populations traditionally underrepresented in the geosciences. The workshop design consisted of a tailored Linux virtual machine, regular webinars, a Slack workspace, tutorial-style active e-learning assignments, and an optional final project. Every other week for 12 weeks, a module with ∼6 assignments was released to build skills with Linux, Generic Mapping Tools, Seismic Analysis Code, webservices, seismic network processing, Python, ObsPy, and Jupyter notebooks. A final module focused on competitiveness for graduate school, summer internships, and professional jobs. Evaluation of the workshop relied on registration data, pre- and post-workshop surveys, and performance data from the learning management system. 440 participants completed at least one assignment, 224 completed at least 80% of the assignments, and 191 completed all 35 assignments, significantly higher than most comparable large-scale, open-access courses. Participants invested ∼6 hrs per week and averaged a score of 88%on assignments. We identified > 60%normalized gain in scientific computing skills. There is evidence that the inclusive design of the workshop was able to attract and retain a diverse population. However, some additional investigation is needed to ensure that benefits were evenly experienced. Regardless of the degree of completion, participants perceived the workshop quite positively: On average 96%described it as high to very high quality, 83%satisfied to very satisfiedwith their experience, and 70%very likely to recommend to peers. We identify future directions for running a second iteration of the workshop, including strategies to continue broadening participation and improving retention. © 2021 Seismological Society of America. All rights reserved.