Smart Culture and Heritage, the “Rare” Category of SSC Classifications

ISO and ITU propose some classifications regarding the smart sustainable cities services: energy, transport, health, tourism, education, safety, environment, governance, commerce, buildings, community. Culture and heritage is a rare category in these classifications, despite the fact they have to be always been included in an SSC ecosystem. They could play a key role in achieving the 17 SDGs due to some critical reasons: their deep roots in humanity, their wide spread across city life and environment, hence their horizontal connections with all the other SSC categories. There are many options of SSC structures, which have the potential to be dedicated on culture and heritage. QR codes, GIS., VR, apps, IoT, virtual events are some of them, widely implemented by cities. Via these ways, culture and heritage could 1) contribute to the humans' welfare index and 2) interact with the other sectors of the city ecosystem. Their added value to the sustainability process creates the necessity to be a distinctive category in international SSC classifications.

The End of Flying: Coronavirus Confinement, Academic (Im)mobilities and Me

This chapter focuses on how the coronavirus pandemic disrupted ‘normal’ academic life and travel through an analysis of my own travel history over the past decade. After contextualising the ways in which quarantines and confinement radically decreased travel, the chapter has three parts. In the first part, I document my own curriculum vitae of academic travel over the past decade and quantitatively measure my estimated CO2 emissions. Next, I seek to situate the value of such academic travel in both quantitative and qualitative terms, through extrinsic measures such as publications and impact and through intrinsic values such as the experience of different cultures and places. Lastly, I look at the transition to virtual events and my own participation in online events during the past nine months and consider the relation between physical and virtual meetings within academic practices. Insofar as the pandemic demonstrated our ability to transform academic travel and accelerate the use of remote meetings within academic practices, a pressing concern is how to find ways of extending this into the post-pandemic phase. Among the questions I ask in conclusion are: What possibilities are there for more seriously extending remote no-fly meetings to address the climate emergency? And what are the implications of such changes, both positive and negative?

The Changing Nature of the Mice Sector in South Africa Due to Covid-19

The purpose of the study is to explore the changing nature of MICE tourism in South Africa due to COVID-19. Based on a series of interviews conducted with representatives of the MICE industry in various sectors, including incentive, conference, and meeting, venues, and associations, the study found that while the shift to virtual events was adopted by many, there are substantial costs involved and significant learning required for their successful execution. Further, the study found venues to be among the most affected owing to the restrictions placed on visitor numbers and the need to adapt to the virtual environment. Moreover, virtual events were perceived as temporary plasters, with live to return once restrictions on the industry are lifted. The study concludes that virtual and hybrid events are valuable in the continuity of MICE tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research is one of the very few studies examining the impact of COVID-19 on MICE events and reveals the subsequent changes, in theory and practice, to MICE tourism.

ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY THE MICE SECTOR IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

COVID-19 has brought to the fore drastic and transformative changes to MICE tourism. The current study therefore sought to examine the adaptive responses employed by the MICE sector of South Africa to survive and maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting a qualitative research design, 19 representatives of various subsectors of the MICE industry (including organisers, suppliers, and associations) were interviewed. The data reveals that the immediate strategies implemented by many MICE organisations involved the reevaluation of their operational costs. Moreover, the study found that the sector has readjusted its business models to include virtual events in order to ensure recovery and resilience in light of the pandemic. The study argues the importance of understanding adaptive strategies as broadening theory on tourism and crises (specifically to the MICE sector) as well as understanding the process of sector resilience post-COVID-19.

General Surgery Twitter during COVID-19: Tweets, Trends, and Implications for Recruitment Strategies

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional resident recruitment practices, requiring virtual interviews and new forms of outreach. Social media, such as Twitter, is one tool programs can use to connect with applicants. This study sought to assess changes in Twitter use during the COVID-19 pandemic among general surgery programs. Methods Twitter and residency program websites were queried for public Twitter accounts related to general surgery residency programs. Publicly available tweets for available accounts were reviewed for all posts for the period March 15, 2019-November 25, 2020. Thematic analysis of each tweet was performed, and engagement was determined by likes and retweets on each tweet. Results The number of programs with active Twitter accounts increased after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, as did the number of tweets, likes-, and retweets-per-tweet. There was a significant increase in the number of tweets regarding resident promotion, program promotion, and virtual event promotion. Tweets received more likes-per-tweet if the subject was program promotion and resident promotion than tweets regarding virtual events. All results were statistically significant ( P < .05). Discussion Twitter use and engagement with residency programs have increased significantly since pandemic onset. Engagement is highest for tweets regarding program and resident promotion as measured by likes-per-tweet and highest for program promotion and virtual events as measured by retweets-per-tweet. Given the nearly nationwide increase in Twitter engagement after pandemic onset, programs should consider the impact of Twitter as a means of communication with applicants and program branding.

Strategies Older Adults Used During COVID-19 to Stay Connected

An unintended consequence of the physical distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 may be increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify successful strategies used in avoiding social isolation and feelings of loneliness in older adults (50+) during the pandemic. Methods Older adults (n=22) selected from a longitudinal study, Aging In the Time of COVID-19, who did not report loneliness, participated in a semi-structured interview via zoom. Individuals were asked a series of questions about how their lives were impacted by the pandemic and what they did to avoid social isolation and loneliness. Each interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim. transcripts were analyzed and categorized to identify common strategies. Results Participants were primarily female and white (100%) with a mean age of 64.7 years. Preliminary findings (n=5) suggest older adults developed several effective strategies for combating social isolation and feelings of loneliness, including purposely reaching out and “checking in” on others; engaging in exercise, either alone or with others, and engaging in outdoor activities, such as socially distanced in-person encounters. Other effective strategies included virtual events (e.g. community or local events, museums or concerts, etc.), using technology to communicate with friends and family, and practicing gratitude consistently. Conclusions Although older adults have been encouraged to stay at home and physically distanced throughout the pandemic, they have found ways to remain socially connected with friends, family, and community, despite not being physically together.

New Networks, New Connections: Geriatric Student Scholars Embrace Adaptive Learning

The Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AR’s GWEP) embraces, nurtures, and encourages students with a passion for caring for older adults. Each year five geriatric scholars are chosen from across the spectrum of health services schools (MD, RN, PT, PA, Pharm D, dental hygiene, etc.) to enhance their geriatric knowledge and experience. Requirements focus on geriatric academic and community-based opportunities. However, these opportunities drastically changed with the pandemic. Therefore, the students became very innovative as they trudged forward to meet and exceed the scholar objectives. They participated in various virtual events to fulfil their academic and community participation requirements. They worked together to develop and implement an interdisciplinary final project that marketed to and engaged rural isolated older adults in a fun educational event aimed at preventing social isolation in older adults and caregivers. Students learned how to connect to and bridge the digital divide with isolated rural older adults.