From the Editor

When we were planning the content for this issue of the magazine, I wanted to write about something that had been raising red flags for me for several years—the global spread of an unusually virulent bird flu variant, H5N1. I conceived of the story as an informative piece on a pathogen that had been devastating wild bird populations worldwide for decades, including infecting and often killing species that traditionally weren’t exposed to bird flu. This variant had also caused some alarming die-offs in marine mammals that had scientists worried about it becoming mammal-adapted. Even so, the main trajectory of the story was a little-talked-about but evolving threat to wildlife and ecosystems, with culls of millions of commercial poultry as a side effect that had implications for our food supply chain. 

I also wanted to touch on how the virus has the potential to cross the animal-human barrier and become a threat to people. But I was also acutely aware that a story that even hinted at the potential for a new pandemic could be construed as alarmist or exploitative. To keep the story balanced and factual, I interviewed Washington College experts who gave real-world and research-based perspectives and put any pandemic threat in its appropriate context.

Overnight, the story took a dramatic turn when the USDA announced that H5N1 had been discovered in dairy cattle in the U.S. That revelation catapulted this once obscure pathogen into the forefront of mainstream news, sparking concerns that it could potentially trigger the next pandemic. Suddenly, I wasn’t Chicken Little (pun intended). Could I be the voice of reason after all?

Fortunately, the College experts stepped in again to provide fresh perspectives and be the authentic voices of reason. Their insights not only shed light on the dairy cattle development, which does take the virus a dangerous step closer to humans but not as close as it would appear from some of the recent headlines. They also placed it within a broader context of where the virus has come from and how we have tools such as antiviral medications and vaccines already stockpiled that differentiate our ability to respond to this from what happened when COVID-19 jumped the animal-human barrier.

I hope you find this article and all the articles, stories, opinions, and news in this issue informative and entertaining, providing a glimpse into the broad reach and impact of Washington College’s faculty, students, staff, and alumni. 

Thank you, 
Darrach Dolan, Managing Editor

Volume 71 No. 3
Summer 2024
ISSN 2995-2565

Managing Editor
Darrach Dolan

Editor
Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven

Executive Editor
Brian Speer

Contributing Writers/editors
Hillary Bitting, MacKenzie Brady ’21,
Tim Corrao, Darrach Dolan,
Dominique Ellis Falcon, Todd Farley,
Courtney Hardy, Michael Harvey,
Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven, Jodie Littleton

Art Director
Morgan Gilpatrick

Design
Morgan Gilpatrick, Jennifer Quinn

Contributing Photographers
Tim Corrao, Pamela Cowart-Rickman,
Rebecca Drobis, Nicolas Gouhier, Wang Huan, Steve Ruark, Ben Solomon, Matt Spangler

Contributing Illustrators
Alex Nabaum, Marcy Dunn Ramsey

Administration
Michael Sosulski
President

Brian Speer
Vice President for
Marketing and Communications

Susie Chase ’90 P’21
Vice President for Advancement, Alumni and Constituent Engagement

Emily Kate Smith ’10
Associate Vice President for 
Alumni and Constituent Engagement

The Washington College Office of Marketing and Communications publishes Washington College Magazine (USPS 667-260) four times a year: February, March (admissions), June, and October. Periodical postage paid at Chestertown, Maryland, and at other offices. 

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