Comment on changing mask requirements in WIMR from Chair & Professor, Dr. Brian Pogue
“I write as we enter a new phase of our lives, starting Monday, where a mask mandate is no longer in place. For many this will be an extremely welcome event, freeing up the ability to work at WIMR without the frustration of dealing with a mask. However, also for many it will also be a nervous time where we are concerned about exposure, risk to ourselves or others, and being conscious of our human mortality. Starting Monday, everyone has to make the decision by themselves about their own comfort level. As we do this, we should recognize that we will be living with COVID19 for most of our lives, and possible future variants. The CDC guidance says that Dane county risk is ‘Low’ and “People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.” For the most part, this means going about our daily lives as was normal prior to March 2020, although people who have compromised immune systems need to be extra careful. So we need to approach the next few days/weeks with freedom balanced with respect for each other. However, as you choose to work in the way that suits you, also think about your long term goals, as they start whenever you want them to.
The one topic that I would like to weigh in on, at this juncture, is the presence of students within our WIMR space. While many have been working from home, I think we all recognize that this is sub-optimal for laboratory-based science or for most graduate students. These latter people benefit enormously from in person interactions, and in reality the whole ecosystem of science education that involves inventions, discoveries, iteration & improvement, is better done in person with multiple/frequent daily human interactions. This is the core reason why the UW (and most universities) has advocated for in person instruction while the mask mandate was in place. This will of course not change without the mask mandate, it is just that people can choose to wear a mask or not, and to find ways that are reasonable for you. I encourage you to think about what is best for you and what is best for your scientific advancement. In most cases, being present in WIMR before and after classes, during work hours and in laboratories will be the right choice, with or without a mask. Most successful graduate students and researchers approach their education as though it was a full time job, 40 hours a week, and showing up every day for work is part of that. I want nothing less than to see everyone approach their future life with confidence and enthusiasm for what lies ahead, in a way that you choose, but feeling re-enthused about the freedom to come together again given our ‘Low’ risk rating by the CDC.
We need to find a work situation that benefits you, and I am committed to helping you find that. In the future we will hopefully be able to plan some small get togethers, for those who want that, where people can feel a sense of community and find useful ways to connect on a personal level and a scientific level within WIMR. Our Dept space in WIMR is the place where we all have a core sense of scientific community, and we need to continue to build that and advance our ability to work as Medical Physicists. We need your participation if there is to be a community that continues in this space. I ask myself, do we want to see a future world were there are no more offices co-located in a common space? I don’t think so, but our approach in the coming year(s) will determine what happens to universities and their spaces. I firmly believe that those departments that find synergistic ways to work as a group again will be the successful ones.
Thanks for being considerate to each other, and thank you for doing the phenomenal work that you do!
I remain available to talk to anyone anytime, as needed, and welcome your suggestions.
Brian”