Monthly Archives: March 2021
Novel Foods Surface on TikTok
Christina Kingan ’23
EE Staff Writer
Throughout quarantine, social media has kept relationships alive and has become such an influential part of how we connect and interact with one another. The variety of platforms makes people so much more accessible then we could have anticipated. Social media was our only tether to the world outside our confined houses for months, and for some of us even currently.
One of the platforms whose popularity has exponentially grown is TikTok. With 689 million monthly users internationally, it is worthy to be deemed as one of the most appreciated and used social media apps. One of the most liked aspects is the range and types of videos presented. Videos range from comedic to informative. People can share their experiences or just scroll through hoping to cure their boredom.
One of the most popular genres of TikTok videos is cooking. Users can share recipes or try out popular cooking trends. Some of the most popular recipes include cloud bread, whipped coffee, nacho table, dip night, pancake cereal, and nature’s cereal.
Cloud bread is more arts and crafts than it is food. It is edible as it’s made out of egg whites, sugar, cornstarch and optional food coloring, which is encouraged. It’s known for its texture and cloud like structure, admired for its squishiness and color.
Vigorous Vaccine Distribution
Hannah Adams ‘23
EE News/Feature Editor
As we celebrate a full year since Trumbull High shut down due to COVID-19, we begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel as vaccines are being distributed and rolled out throughout America.
This past month, our very own teachers received their vaccines and felt a rush of relief, despite their slight fear of needles. But as the demand for vaccines becomes greater, the government is revising plans and hoping they can fulfill the needs of those who want the vaccine.
In a recent report presented to Congress, entitled “From the Factory to the Frontlines,” a detailed outline of the planned distribution of vaccines is described. It discusses what is required, what the government is currently doing, and a phased structure of their plans. This 11-page report gives details of partnerships with the state and the importance of accommodation.
In terms of the government’s requirements for an efficient and effective distribution plan, the report states that it “…must ensure safety of the products, maintain control and visibility, manage uptake and acceptance, ensure traceability of product, and maximize coverage…” This is an efficient, structured outline of the government’s goals and objectives when it comes to the distribution of a new vaccine to the public.
Along with an outline of the government’s objectives, the report included three key components of the distribution plan:
- Partnerships with state, local, and tribal health departments and federal entities to allocate and distribute vaccines.
- A centralized distributor contract for back-up distributors for storage and handling needs.
- A flexible and secure web-based IT vaccine tracking system for ordering, uptake, and management of vaccines.
Partnerships with all 50 states are imperative for an effective rollout of vaccines, especially if venues are needed to set up numerous vaccination stations.
The report goes into more detail on these partnerships, stating that the CDC has awarded grants to limited dose areas as a part of the Coronavirus Aid to help fund immunization programs that allow enhanced capacity to support staffing, communication, pandemic preparedness, and mass vaccination.
Centralized distribution contracts will be drawn, which allows the government full visibility, control, and ability to shift assets and use data to optimize vaccine uptake. These contracts help with the legality in terms of the possession of the vaccines.
Jurisdiction will be assigned, meaning specific areas will be given control over vaccines and will distribute the vaccines to their designated locations.
The third component of the government’s plan discusses an easy-to-use web-based site, where they can monitor the orders being made by each state as well as the status of the vaccinations given in each state.
Harvard Business Conference for Women Inspires
Isa Lee ‘23
EE Staff Writer
The fourth annual Business Oriented Leadership Development Conference (B.O.L.D.), an event for high school women interested in business, was held this year in a virtual format on January 30th and 31st. The conference brings together speakers and panels made up of Harvard undergraduates and women leaders in the business world across a variety of industries ranging from finance and tech to fashion and entertainment.
The conference exemplifies women’s empowerment and inspires young women on how they can lead. The panels were also important for the college application process, as they gave great advice and ideas on college admissions and insights into the business world. The women featured in the conference showed how they create an impact on our society and shared their incredible success stories and advancements. Sunday’s event consisted of seven inspiring panels. Each student was only able to attend a certain number because they overlapped. Listed below are 4 of the panels, 2 keynotes and a master class.
Panel #1, Applying to College Panel: The 4 panelists, consisting of Harvard undergraduates, each explained who they were and what they were studying. Most spoke about how they applied and chose early-decision to Harvard. They all advised students to be prepared to have a list of colleges for regular decision applications as well, just in case. Lastly, college visits helped these undergraduates to decide where they wanted to go and determined a lot of their decisions.
Panel #2, Technology: The panelists were four technology co-founders of companies focused on developing, powering technology, and marketing. Mada Seghete grew up in Romania and followed a computer engineering path. Then, she started product managing and joined a startup. Seghete didn’t initially see an issue with the lack of women working in tech because she didn’t feel any different, even though her co-founders were all men. But, she found a group of female founder friends and saw that what they went through as women was incredible. She realized that it was harder to raise money as a woman and they did not have check-writing power like men. The second panelist,Vanessa Liu, was a social commerce CEO in entrepreneurship. Having a personal board of advisors was also important to Vanessa. They helped her succeed and created opportunities for her. Lastly, she explained that working with women and people of color changed her views and motivated her to make a social impact in a technology company. When she first started working in business, she was oblivious to how the world worked. Women and diverse entrepreneurs were coming to her because she is a Chinese-American, and a plethora of these women could relate to her. Another panelist faced similar challenges in her journey through the industry: Neeti Mehta Shukla. She is from India and started product marketing and consumer behavior. She founded “Automatic Anywhere”. The fact that she was a woman in technology did not bother her or hold her back because she knew she had a place. In the end, technology has the responsibility to change jobs and create new improvements. Artificial intelligence may be causing mass job loss, but if the end goal stays in perspective, then society as a whole is changing for the better. An important question to keep in mind is “Will jobs become obsolete due to these special advancements”? These educated women show that creating jobs for the future, and local users, create more products and services that were once impossible. “I almost envy all of you young kids because the sky’s the limit” Shukla said.
Single-Player Video Games to Play Right Now
Aidan Brunt ’24
Thomas Ou ’24
EE Staff Writers
Eagle’s Eye gamers, Thomas and Aidan, share their current “Best of” list for your playing pleasure:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Kicking off this list, we have Rockstar’s award-winning action-adventure game, Red Dead Redemption 2. In this game, you will experience the misadventures of an outlaw named Author Morgan in a fictionalized western world. You will find yourself dumping hours in this game without even realizing it as you explore its immersive and interactive open-world map with little to no restraint on your exploration. This game offers a wide variety of weapons and explosives to keep your foes at bay as you go from stealing horses to hijacking trains. Unless you want to be chased by bounty hunters, rival gangs, and law enforcement, you must maintain an honor rating throughout the game, with a bounty system much like the ones in Grand Theft Auto. According to Metacritic, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the highest-rated game for the PS4 and Xbox One along with GTA V and also holds the title of the fifth-highest rated game overall.
Doom Eternal
The newest release in the infamous Doom series, we have a game that was able to combine both classic shooter elements while adding an intense and dark attitude spin. Doom Eternal takes place on an Earth that has been consumed by Hell, following the quest of Doom Slayer as he frees the Earth from the demonic hordes. You must manage your resources and fight with a nonstop pace of shoot & run, all the while praying that it somehow works out. This creates an adrenaline-filled game that is both fun and interesting to play. While the story is not revolutionary compared to other games on this list, it does have a decent one that fits this type of game. Eternal has plenty to explore and adds many features to the classic game we all know and love, being challenging but having rewarding outcomes. This game is definitely one of the darker and gory games on this list but actually fits the setting well. This nonstop nightmare will have you on your toes and your fingers on the trigger for the whole experience.
Crusader Kings 3
One of the more underrated games on our list is Crusader Kings 3. The sequel to Crusader Kings 2 is from the renowned grand strategy game studio Paradox Interactive and is the newest grand strategy since Hearts of Iron 4. The name is fitting as it takes place in an era of the crusades, ancient kingdoms, and monarchies. Compared to many other fighting and war strategy games this one is truly special. Similar to Civilization 6, this game has an option-based story system, with each feature being extremely complex. You could spend hours managing your own domestic affairs within your kingdom without realizing that there are neighboring nations plotting against you. Sometimes characters play an even bigger role than the nations themselves and throughout the game, you will make choices for your heirs and how you interact with others. With the immersive and interactive masterpiece of a game, you can become the supreme ruler of the greatest nation Europe has ever seen.