Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Top 10, Top 20 freshmen announced Lauren King Staff Reporter
Women for the 2022-23 class. Those who qualified as Top 10 Freshmen Men and Women were also announced. “Mortar Board is a national honor society recognizing college seniors for OSU’s chapter of the Mortar their exemplary scholarship, leadership Board honor society recently named the and service,” said Sarah Easterly, Morannual list of students qualified as Top tar Board Top 10 Freshmen coordinator. 20 Freshman Men and Top 20 Freshmen “The Top 20 award is based off the stu-
dent’s application, and the Top 10 award is based off an interview process. Mortar Board was highly impressed with the 153 applicants we had this year.” Those who receive the honor of Top 20 Freshman Men and Women apply for the honor during their sophomore year. The honor is given based on scholarship, leadership and community
service during their freshman year of college. The Top 10 Freshman Men and Women were recognized for the honor during the OSU-Kansas football game on Oct. 14 at Boone Pickens Stadium. See Freahmen on 5
Were college campuses COVID hot spots? Study shows that test-trace-isolate strategies prevented spread for most COVID cases Rick Sobey Boston Herald BOSTON — While many worried during the heat of the pandemic that college campuses would be COVID hot spots, a new study out of Boston University shows what strategies worked to limit the virus’ spread on campus. The study from Boston University’s COVID Clinical Testing Lab and Contact Tracing — along with researchers from Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine — has found that public health interventions prevented transmission for most COVID case introductions at BU. Only two major campus outbreaks were identified from January to May 2021, according to the scientists. The university’s testtrace-isolate strategies were “highly effective in limiting respiratory infection transmission,” the researchers said. These findings have implications for transmission protocols for other respiratory diseases and possible future outbreaks, they noted.
“We found that genetically linked cases overlap with outbreaks identified by contact tracing; however, they persisted in the university population for fewer days and fewer rounds of transmission than originally estimated via contact tracing,” said corresponding author John Connor, an associate professor of microbiology at the School of Medicine. “This underscores the effectiveness of test-traceisolate strategies in controlling undetected spread of emerging respiratory infectious diseases,” added Connor, a researcher at the Boston University National Emerging infectious Diseases Laboratories. “These approaches limit transmission from those people outside the university as well as those who caught the disease from someone within the campus community.” In April 2020, BU enforced weekly surveillance testing, social distancing, masking and prohibited school-sanctioned social events. People who tested positive were isolated for 10 days by moving into oncampus isolation housing or isolating at private off-campus residences. See Covid on 7
Habbie Colen October is breast cancer awareness month.
‘New era and treatment of breast cancer’
AI is helping detect breast cancer earlier Michelle Marchante Miami Herald
Tribune News Service A study from Boston University’s COVID Clinical Testing Lab and Contact Tracing — along with researchers from Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine — has found that public health interventions prevented transmission for most COVID case introductions at BU.
New AI-powered mammograms are helping doctors detect breast cancer earlier in patients, helping many avoid aggressive therapies and leading to better outcomes at Baptist Health South Florida’s cancer institute in Boca Raton. The AI technology, first implemented in 2020 during
the COVID-19 pandemic, has increased the cancer detection rate by 23% at the Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute, according to Dr. Kathy Schilling, the institute’s medical director. The institute is located on the campus of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., excluding skin cancers, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in
women, though deaths have steadily declined due to earlier detection through screenings and better treatment options. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. At the institute, AI has helped staff identify cancer as small as 3-6 millimeters in size. Catching the cancer early has led to patients needing less aggressive therapies, fewer mastectomies, smaller lumpectomies and fewer radiation and chemotherapy, said Schilling. See Treatment on 6