19 March 2020
Dear Community,
Following COVID-19 news is challenging as the situations around
the World and U.S. vary and continue to be very fluid. Here in California,
several counties now have “shelter-in-place” orders in effect. This is
enforceable and now in effect in Yolo County in which the majority of the UC
Davis Campus resides. In response, UC Davis has suspended operations as of
March 18. We are fortunate to have the backing of the UC system which has
policies in place to ensure continuity and safety of its employees.
The status of the UC Davis campus is as follows:
- Instruction for Winter and Spring Quarter has
been/will be offered remotely. - All international and U.S.-based Study Abroad
programs through summer have been suspended. - Campus is urging no gatherings at all.
CIG thrives as a virtual organization. We have been early
adapters of many technologies that allow us to communicate internally and
externally with our teams and community. At HQ, we will continue to leverage
these tools as we telecommute during this uncertain time. Our experience from
our highly successful 2020 ASPECT Virtual Workshop will be key as we transition
our early summer events to virtual and provide opportunities for virtual
interactions.
I am reminded that working virtually is a new experience for
some and encourage you to reach out to those around you to help them adapt
their workflows. We have started an Education and Outreach category in the CIG Forum for our
community to exchange online teaching materials and tips. Consider sharing K-12
and general science resources too.
Lastly, we would like to also hear more about your computing
needs during this period. We encourage our community to continue to use the
forum to obtain and offer help and resources.
This crisis is a good reminder of why modeling and data are
vital to our national resiliency.
Looking forward to seeing you in Davis this Fall for the CIG
Community Workshop October 23-24, 2020.
Best wishes to you and your family,
-Lorraine