Purdue Foundry members, researchers, and National Science Foundation members; thank you

for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here on this beautiful January day. I am President Mitch

Daniels with Purdue University. We gather together today as partners in aiding to treat the Covid-19

pandemic and to stop future viral pandemics (Purdue News Service, 2021). This is a pandemic that has

affected us all in one way or another. During my time at Eli Lilly, I have seen how diseases wreak havoc

and disrupt people of all walks of life (Kenan & Sharpe, 2017).

Together we have gained “national support to pursue a strategy to treat severe COVID-19 cases

and possible future outbreaks involving other viruses” (Purdue News Service, 2021). This project targets

patients with severe illness side effects from the virus such as multiple organ dysfunction. This is

because in these patients, a complex immune response occurs where the body in trying to fight the

virus, it also attacks the patient’s organs by way of collateral damage. With the aid of the NSF and all our

partners gathered here to tackle this endeavor, this common goal we share “is designed to ensure that

the world will not be caught unprepared again if it is hit by a future viral threat” (Purdue News Service,

2021).

I would now like to open the floor to Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National

Science Foundation. Mr. Panchanathan’s scientific contributions have allowed him to share with us his

close to 500 published articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings and receiving numerous

awards for developments to assist individuals with impairments (NSF, 2021). As we all partner to apply

our donations and expertise to better our community and the global crises at hand, I personally

appreciate you all for coming today, thank you.

References:

Kenen, J., & Sharpe, R. (2017, December 6). During Mitch Daniels' decade at Eli Lilly, the drug giant paid

billions in fines and settled thousands of lawsuits. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/during-

mitch-daniels-deca_b_859252

NSF. (2021). Sethuraman Panchanathan | NSF. NSF - National Science Foundation.

https://nsf.gov/staff/staff_bio.jsp?lan=spanchan&org=NSF&from_org=

Purdue News Service. (2021, January 27). NSF grant aiding Purdue-affiliated startup’s work to treat

COVID-19, stop future viral pandemics. Purdue University - Indiana's Land Grant University.

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q1/nsf-grant-aiding-purdue-affiliated-startups-

work-to-treat-covid-19,-stop-future-viral-pandemics.html