Since Covid-19 swept the world, scientists have been grappling with an urgent issue: How do we prepare for the next pandemic—and at a time when science denial and misinformation are rampant. The question is not if, but when another pandemic will strike. Jon Cohen has spent his career as a science reporter talking to scientists, public health officials, politicians, and physicians on the front lines of combating infectious diseases, monitoring outbreaks, and developing new treatments, vaccines, and preventive measures. His new book, Planning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics, provides first-hand reporting on those efforts on four continents, and insights on how we might avoid disaster.

Jon Cohen is a longtime correspondent for Science magazine and a widely published magazine writer. He has collaborated on several science documentaries and series, and is the author of four previous books. His work has won awards from leading science academies and journalism organizations. 

We invite you to support the author by purchasing a copy of their book from Browseabout Books. Call-in orders are accepted at (302) 226-2665 or you can stop by the store to purchase a copy. For store hours, please visit their website.

The library's “Science and Society - Making Sense of the World Around Us” lecture series is co-organized and moderated by Fred Dylla, Executive Director Emeritus of the American Institute of Physics and author of Scientific Journeys, Linda Dylla, former public information officer at the Jefferson Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, and Colin Norman, the former News Editor at Science.

NOTE: this meeting is being conducted through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER to receive instructions for joining the meeting.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email the library.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.