Salem State's Dr. Kristin Pangallo To Talk School COVID Response

SALEM, MA — Salem State professor and Salem School Committee member Dr. Kristin Pangallo will host a virtual forum on how science guided the city's public schools pandemic response as part of SSU's 43rd annual Charles Darwin Festival.

Pangallo's presentation "The Best Bad Option: Using Science to Guide Public Schools' Pandemic Response" is available via Zoom on Feb. 10 at 11 a.m. The presentation is open to the public as well as SSU students with a link to register available here.

Pangallo is scheduled to share how her training as a scientist has helped her navigate the COVID-19 pandemic in her role as a school committee member. She is an associate professor in the chemistry and physics department at SSU and has served on the Salem School Committee since 2020.

Pangallo earned her undergraduate degree from Bates College and her doctorate from M.I.T./Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Applied Ocean Sciences and Engineering.

Pangallo recently spoke with Patch about the benefits and some of her concerns about the new statewide COVID testing program for students and school staff.

(Also Read: New MA School Coronavirus Guidance Put To Test In Salem)

Salem State's annual Darwin Festival will be held virtually for the second consecutive year. It is designed to be a community-oriented event for scientists and non-scientists alike held in conjunction with Darwin's birthday in February. This year's event runs from Feb. 7 through Feb.. 11. More information on the festival can be found here.

Pangallo's talk is sponsored by the chemistry and physics department and the Charles Albert Read Trust.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)