Historian Barry Strauss, who specializes in ancient and military history, notes that plagues and epidemics have often been linked to wars. The current pandemic will accelerate the use of computer models and big data in the field of history; however, he says, COVID-19 has taught us that models are only as good as the assumptions on which they’re based.
The pandemic will highlight the fragility of society and significantly influence U.S. politics – with unknown consequences – as well as the U.S.-China relationship. He predicts we’ll be hearing more about communism, and that colleges and universities will see a lasting shift toward online and budget education.
On a personal note, he says the pandemic has given him insight into what it feels like to have one’s life shaped by an historic event.
Strauss is the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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From left, MFA students Gerardo Iglesias, Sarah Iqbal and Aishvarya Arora listen to observations by two young poets at the Ithaca Children’s Garden.
Ryan Young/Cornell University
Semiconductors are at the core of the economy and national security. Their importance makes them a target. Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, discusses how Cornell is helping to keep the semiconductor supply chain safe.
Doug Nealy/Unsplash
The Peace Arch, situated near the westernmost point of the Canada–United States border in the contiguous United States, between Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia.