Page 76 - Summer 2021

PANDEMIC IMPACT ON STUDENTS
studentshadtogreatlyreducethepaceofexperimentaldata collection to comply with Covid-19 occupancy and travel restrictions or stop these activities completely. Consequently, the nature and scope of the scientific inquiry contained within a given master’s or doctoral thesis is under intense reexamination nationwide, according to our survey data.
Some, like speech communication PhD student Drew McLaughlin (Washington University, St. Louis, MO) were able to overcome these challenges by moving their data col- lection online. “Learning to create tasks that operate well online took some learning, but now I'm pleasantly surprised with this approach...[t]he silver lining...is that it allows for larger sample sizes and fast data collection.” Many students have shown great creativity in reworking their schedules to accommodate more writing or computational tasks, while others shifted the focus of their research, like one student who examined the acoustic implications of mask wearing.
Other career adjustments, however, have not been so pos- itive. Undergraduate students report that their hopes of attending graduate school have become impossible. Some students express frustration that canceled conferences and other scientific events have eliminated crucial network- ing opportunities and made résumés look conspicuously sparse. Worries of degree delays plague some students who feel that they have been left to struggle through the stress of canceled classes and exams with little to no guidance.
Furthermore, the abrupt transition to researching at home negatively impacted the workday dynamic for many. Isolation from colleagues meant that it was harder for some to focus and feel excited about their research, while others reported that they waited longer before asking for help with new tasks. Practical problems like Internet connectivity issues compounded these effects. Most prevalently, students came to miss the intangible elements of working in a group setting; the flow of infor- mation and ideas that happens naturally in person felt stilted and artificial online, if it happened at all.
Encouragingly, this experience was not universal, and other students reported that meeting with lab mates, colleagues, and advisors online increased collaborative productiv- ity while still allowing time for the kind of extracurricular topics that maintain vital connections. For other individuals, unstructured interactions with coworkers had made them less productive in an office environment, and working with
fewer distractions and more flexibility was a refreshing change of pace. To strengthen a dwindling social network, the pandemic encouraged some to become more involved with school clubs and professional societies like the ASA.
As the line between work and home has become blurred, the ongoing detrimental impacts on students' personal lives have the potential to work their way into studies and research. As one respondent wisely commented, “It is all connected.” We are all aware that the effects of the pandemic extend far beyond the reach of our university campuses, research projects, grant applications, and the next meeting with an adviser. The personal cost and consequences of long-term isolation, multiple quaran- tine periods, and the potential health impacts (mental, emotional, and physical) cannot be overstated.
The majority of respondents expressed that the pandemic has negatively impacted their personal lives, using words like “hopelessness,” “loneliness,” and “extreme isolation.” For those at a higher health risk, the effects of isolation are extreme. Architectural acoustics undergraduate Megan Stonestreet (University of Kansas, Lawrence), shared, “I live alone, and have not seen a single friend in person since Covid protocols came into place, due to being high risk... Living in what I'd consider isolation has ended many, if not most, friendships.” Respondents who had made an academic switch that coincided with the onset of the pandemic seem to be hit particularly hard. Louise Roberts (Cornell Univer- sity, Ithaca, NY), an animal bioacoustics postdoc, shared a concise summary of international students and postdocs who are working through this pandemic, “There are many postdocs that are living abroad, often living alone and in new unfamiliar places. Postdocs are typically in short-term contracts,...so will have had no local support group, but could not return to their home country to loved ones either. The stress of living through a pandemic without being in the same country as close family or friends cannot be overesti- mated.”Thelossoftheseconnectionsandincreasingfeelings of isolation do not occur in a vacuum nor do their effects on students’ work and research.
The silver lining to this global test of our combined personal fortitude seems to be the opportunity our respondents found in increased time with their at-home companions: partners, children, roommates, and pets. One respondent shared, “Pets are life savers over the pandemic. They offer so much company and emotional
76 Acoustics Today • Summer 2021