I am today completing my second week of teaching in person. My course is an undergraduate course in the iSchool’s Informatics program. Though it’s is an elective for Informatics majors pursuing the cybersecurity specialization, I find those students outnumbered by those who come from Computer Science or from the College of Arts and Sciences. I like the kind of diversity of thought that such backgrounds will produce.

Not much to report except that I am still working on breathing through a KN-95 mask for two hours at a time, while I teach. And a persnickety technology problem that reared its head in the first two classes has now been taken care of by fixing a setting on my notebook when I am on battery power only. Being back in the classroom is such a relief, for myself and for my students. I am expecting great things this quarter.

Our guest speaker today is Steven Charvat, who heads the university’s emergency management program. After I ask him three context-setting questions, I turn him over to the students and their questions. Each of the quarter’s guest speakers for this course manage risk at a high level for their area of responsibility at the university. I am thrilled that Steve could kick us off this quarter, and that he is coming to the classroom to do so.