The Science Survey

Sick of Staying Home? Tips for Safely Venturing Out Into the World

Maryam Alwan, a high school senior in Virginia, attends a Black Lives Matter protest. “To be honest, there weren’t many safety measures besides masks. I have to quarantine myself now,” she said.

June 22, 2020

After staying home for several months due to quarantine to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus pandemic, many of us are itching to go outside. In the suburbs, it is easy to go for a nice, mask-free walk or do a birthday drive-by for a friend. However, social distancing in New York City is a very diff...

Jeff Bezos Projected to Become the World’s First Trillionaire by 2026

Nayu Shimo ’20 believes that Jeff Bezos could only earn a trillion dollars through the use of labor systems that value profits over worker safety.

Darya Lollos, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

Jeff Bezos makes about $78.5 billion a year. For reference, that is about 1.72 million times more than the average annual income in the United States at about $45,552 (Business Insider), and 59,470 times more than the average annual income of the top one percent in the United States, at about $1.32 million (CNBC).&n...

The Bigger the Crisis, the Greater the Profits

An Amazon prime package. Amazon prime membership has skyrocketed since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the increased demand has put a pressure on workers who have to deal with health risks. Each package delivered requires the labour of multiple workers who are not being paid properly during this dangerous time.

Carolyn Chui, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

In nine weeks, from the start of the pandemic to May 22, 2020, over 38.6 million Americans lost their jobs. Many are struggling to pay their bills even with the assistance of a government stimulus check. Meanwhile, fourteen new people became billionaires thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Jeff Bezo...

A Home That Never Was: America’s COVID-19 Nursing Home Calamity

Howard Wang ’20 believes that Americans embrace “throwaway culture” in the way thatvwe treat our elderly, often by using nursing homes as scapegoats for dismissing complications that come with old age.

Pamela Li, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

America’s nursing homes, residential facilities whose founding missions were to assist and care for the nation’s elderly, are crumbling under the weight of the novel Coronavirus outbreak. With one of the first United States cases of COVID-19 found in a nursing home in Washington State, containing...

New York Beaches Reopening: A Self-Contradictory Decision

New York State beaches reopened as of Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020, which is good news for surfers and baffling for the rest of us.

Jiada Valenza, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

This Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020, New York’s usual beach-goers, barbecues, and get-togethers were nowhere to be found. Beaches throughout the state were sparsely populated on this day, an eerie sight and a reminder of the current ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The debate on opening New York ...

Democracy Under Attack During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Tenzin Dadak ’21 is troubled by the recent rise in authoritarianism globally. “The liberal world order is crucial for multilateral cooperation, especially in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic,” Dadak said.

Benjamin Oestericher, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

In Hungary, democracy did not die with a bang but with a slow, gradual whimper. There, Prime Minister Viktor Orban rose to power in 2010 and slowly waged war with Hungary’s democratic institutions, constitution, judiciary, and independent media. Orban’s success is evident — one decade later, l...

Quarantine Entertainment: Are Movie Theaters Gone For Good?

According to Arianne Browne '22, “Hasan Minhaj is one of the only watchable late night hosts anymore. His videos are funny and relevant to today’s events.”

Saamiya Ahmed, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

As we enter our third month of quarantine due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it has become obvious that the way we consume media and entertainment has changed forever. While Netflix subscribers have already been rapidly growing in recent years, the quarantine specifically led to millions of new subscrip...

The New Normal of Living Through the Coronavirus Pandemic

Although times are difficult, Skye Lam ’22 understands that we must learn from our mistakes. “COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of how we are able to respond to disease prevention,” Lam said.

Estee Yi, Staff Reporter

June 22, 2020

It was Friday, March 13, 2020. Two days prior, the coronavirus outbreak had been declared a pandemic. If people were panicking worldwide, those in New York City didn't show it. It won’t come to us, we thought, as we packed into subway cars and waited in crowded supermarket lines. It won’t come to us, we...

Tips for Social Distancing Safely

Remember to shop safely in stores by refraining from directly touching items with which other people may have had contact.

Xavier Marriott, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

Social distancing is something that has become very important due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and it is important to make sure that you stay safe for both yourself and the people around you. Here are some tips and tricks to help you navigate through this confusing time in the best and safest way poss...

COVID-19: A Mishandling of a Crisis

A local bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the Coronavirus pandemic, shows that many people are not following social distancing precautions or wearing masks.

Maury Ahram, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

As of June 22, 2020, over 122,000 people have been confirmed dead due to COVID-19 in the United States. I say ‘confirmed,’ because mix-ups and misdiagnoses have deflated the number. The true number of those who have passed due to this disease will never be known, both globally and nationally.&nbs...

President Trump, Astroturfing, and the Anti-Quarantine Protests

Audrey Hill, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

President Donald Trump moves through the world as if he is not affected by political gravity. Things that would devastate other politicians barely touch him. Lies that would ruin the careers of his peers are the bricks that he uses to construct his own world. He has been so successful because he reject...

What Does Community In Quarantine Look Like?

Youth musician Maya Delmont goes live with XR Youth NYC for their weekly Climate Concert series in order to provide a virtual space to foster connection during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Edie Fine, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

Sometimes, my cure to 'Zoom fatigue' is another Zoom call with my community. It may seem antithetical, but these Zoom calls are free of agendas, mandates, and note-taking. They are for connection. A few nights ago, I was on a video call meeting with some activists with whom I work, and after two hours...

How COVID-19 Has Highlighted Both Systemic Privilege and Oppression

On a vacant street in Ormond Beach, Florida stands Josephine Kinlan '22. Kinlan is a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey.' During quarantine, she frequently exercised safely outdoors, dabbled in arts and cooking, and has recently been training for volleyball as summer approaches. The media sparked her interest in how COVID-19 has been disproportionately affecting underprivileged communities, and she felt strongly that the issues at play were worth writing about; in the wake of the massive Black Lives Matter movement agenda, she also feels that these realities are of the greatest importance to be discussing at this moment, so that as a nation we can move forward with more equality for all and a greater sense of unity.

Josephine Kinlan, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

Back in March 2020, most of America went under lockdown in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from reaching the extreme magnitude that many scientists and experts warned that it was capable of. As of June 23, 2020, some states and cities are still shut down to varying degrees, and even in most place...

A Critique of the Experience of Taking A.P. Exams Online Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Pictured is Hannah Goo’s AP Exam test taking set up. AP Exams were taken from home this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Shaira Jafar, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

This year, the College Board decided to remotely administer the 2020 Advanced Placement exams, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. New York City canceled the New York State Regents exams, and Bronx Science canceled all “traditional” testing, given that all classes moved to remote instructions after Ma...

Depressing Injustices in Mental Health Care in America

While the mental health care system isn't fully capable of giving the best care to their patients, we can still reach out to the people we love. Whether we call, text, or zoom, it's important to check in with those we know who are struggling.

Jing Mae Wang, Staff Reporter

June 21, 2020

Mental illness can be debilitating. It can end lives and relationships, put otherwise capable people out of work and school, and even lead to serious physical health issues. It does not just hurt individuals, it hurts whole communities. Study after study has shown that better mental health treatment ...

The Problem With President Trump’s Promulgation of Conspiracy Theories

Here is President Donald Trump's infamous twitter homepage, the origin of his recent baseless conspiracy theories.

Michael Toscano, Staff Reporter

June 20, 2020

Recently, I decided to tune into the madness that is President Trump's official twitter feed and expected nothing less than the usual controversial statement. However, I was surprised to see that President Donald Trump has made a very notable change in his usual rhetoric, by deciding to promote hurtful ...

Trying and Failing to Understand the Passage of Time During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Doris Turkel ’20 longs for a time where a Saturday can be distinct from a Tuesday.

Ula Pranevicius, Staff Reporter

June 20, 2020

The amount of time that constitutes summer vacation has passed since we have started self-isolating indoors after March 16, 2020. We are nearing weeks 12 and 13, a fact that I, and many of my peers, struggle to wrap my head around. This substantial number depresses me of course, but more so, it conf...

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, What Happens Now With the MTA?

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the MTA especially hard, resulting in sharp declines in ridership, inevitable budget cuts, and its first ever systemwide suspension of night-time service.

Caleb Yam, Staff Reporter

June 20, 2020

Starting May 6, 2020, the MTA has, for the first time in its 115 year history, suspended operations during the night-time hours from 1 a.m. through 5 a.m. in light of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Although a necessary development, the shutdown has been one of the many ways where the pandemic has ser...

Zoom: the Pros and Cons of the Video Communications Application

Ever since quarantine began, Emily Chen '21 has been frequently using Zoom as a platform for remote learning and for online class sessions. Chen initially did not realize how untrustworthy the site was, but the backlash that Zoom has received for its security and privacy flaws has raised her concerns. “At first, I really liked that Zoom was convenient, easy to use, and inexpensive. However, its security risks are definitely an eye-opener for me. It shows that while Zoom has some good aspects, it also has some alarming qualities that should not be overlooked,” said Chen.

Kaitlyn Chan, Staff Reporter

June 19, 2020

Ghost town. Those are the two words that pop in my mind when I imagine how a city like ours must look during the Coronavirus pandemic quarantine. With most areas in the nation taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of their citizens, we can expect to see nothing but empty streets and closed bu...

With Nearly Six Million Cases of Covid-19 Worldwide, Is A Vaccine Our Only Hope?

For seniors, March 13, 2020, marked the last official day that they walked the halls of the Bronx Science as seniors. Although they are quite understanding of the much larger problem at hand, there are people across America who still put themselves and others at risk.

Kieran Aug, Staff Reporter

June 18, 2020

As of June 18, 2020, there have been over 5.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 360,000 deaths. As the death toll continues to rise, and life returning to normal seems as far-fetched as ever, few have yet to question if the world can ever rid itself of this virus. The United St...