History of Science ON CALL: Sabina Leonelli

In this "History of Science ON CALL" video, historian and philosopher Sabina Leonelli discusses the global political responses to the coronavirus pandemic. How can we read and interpret the existing data on COVID-19 correctly? How can data models help us to better understand and predict the epidemic's impact on society?

Knowledge is one of the most important resources for people dealing with crises and the humanities are mobilizing to address the COVID-19 pandemic. History of Science ON CALL is a project of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. It aggregates and amplifies two streams of information—Research and Education—relevant to crises, including chronic disasters from the perspective of humanities and social sciences. The Research stream consists of short-format video interviews by MPIWG scholars, alumni, and collaborators highlighting how historical perspectives are crucial to the understanding of contemporary crises.

Sabina Leonelli is a historian and philosopher of science based at the University of Exeter. Her research is grounded on the empirical study of scientific practices. It is informed by historical research, ethnographic methods used in the humanities and social sciences, and collaboration with practicing scientists. She is an alumna of MPIWG Department II.