COVID-19 Task Force, PPE, Fall Classes, Online Tools

A few updates on research restart and the fall semester.

1. The Bloomington campus’ COVID-19 task force report is scheduled for release today, as is the Research Restart report.  We were given advanced notice from the College that individual groups will be required to submit a restart plan to department chairs, who then must approve prior to restarting research.  Approximately half of us in Chemistry have already provided a plan.  For those of you who have not yet done so, please prepare one, discuss its implementation with your group members, and email it to Jon Karty.
2. Some PPE will be made available by the university (details on logistics are pending). In the meantime, Jon and Norm have mixed up large quantities of hand sanitizer and disinfecting cleaning fluids, and the department has purchased some masks and gloves.
3. For the fall, classes are scheduled to start on 24 August.  The current assumption is that there will most likely be a combination of face to face and virtual instruction, with face-to-face ending Thanksgiving week (online instruction will continue).  However, everyone should be prepared to conduct their entire course virtually.  Lectures of more than 50 will also likely to be conducted virtually, regardless.  If there is an alarming post-Memorial Day flare-up in cases, there is an increased likelihood that instruction will be entirely virtual.
4. The College is still working on tools for better online assessment.