BERG: Biological Emerging Risk Group

Infectious diseases and pandemics have plagued humanity since the beginning of civilization, claiming about 14 million lives a year nowadays and tens of billions of lives over human history. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated our continued global vulnerability with about 800 million confirmed cases and 7 million deaths (and the true numbers are likely vastly higher). In addition to these natural pandemics, bioweapons programs have attempted to engineer ways to spread deadly human diseases since World War II. As it becomes easier to manipulate biology, there is a growing risk that rogue actors and states might become able to inflict similar harm.

However, researchers in biosecurity and pandemic preparedness are working to respond to both natural and man-made risks with new technology and policies. With research into environmental metagenomics, far UV-C sterilization, mRNA vaccines, biological weapons treaties, and much more, we can work towards a safer world.

BERG (Biological Emerging Risk Group) is a 9 week program consisting of weekly readings and discussions about pandemic risks and responses. By the end of the program, you'll come away with a better understanding of the field and how you can contribute.

Will Nickols led the Fall 2023 groups.

 

  • BERG sections will meet for 1 hour each week to discuss 1-1.5 hours worth of reading. These 8-10 person meetings will usually be over dinner, and they’ll be similar to discussion sections in classes.

    Additionally, there will be two optional sub-weeks for people interested in antimicrobial resistance and evolution-based disease control strategies. We’ll decide how we discuss these once the program begins.

    Finally, since this is a Harvard University Effective Altruism group, all participants are encouraged to attend the weekly EA socials to meet other students interested in using evidence to improve the world.

  • The section times will be determined based on the applicants’ availabilities. We try to accommodate as many people’s schedules as possible, but accepted applicants can defer to the spring if they cannot make any of the final times.

  • Any Harvard student (undergraduate or otherwise) interested in or curious about biosecurity or pandemic preparedness should apply. Students of all concentrations are encouraged to apply, though we expect that a majority of the participants will be STEM concentrators. Most weeks will involve significant amounts of material from scientific journal articles, so comfortability reading technical pieces will be helpful.

  • Readings will take about 1-1.5 hours each week, and discussions will last for about an hour over dinner.

  • Applications are due on September 19th, and discussion sections will start the following week (the week of September 25th). The fellowship is 9 weeks long and will conclude on the week of November 20th (the week before Thanksgiving break).