Tested

What American in their right mind would travel to China at the height of a global pandemic?
Geology professor Matt Kohn, that’s who.

Join Dr. Kohn, a University Distinguished Professor from Boise, Idaho, on his (mostly) laughable adventures contending with superpower bureaucracy, navigating Chinese culture, and, naturally, being tested repeatedly for Covid-19!

After obtaining the first visiting scholar’s visa for an American scientist in over a year, then staving off attempts from the US Congress to ban any future research funding, Dr. Kohn found himself lecturing in China during the second half of 2021.

In this entertaining but educational travelogue, Dr. Kohn documents his seven-month escapades getting to China, traveling around the country, and returning to the US, and guides us through the streets and markets of Shanghai, the parks and museums of Beijing, and the countryside of northern and central China, where he explores different foods, daily life, and scientific perspectives. Discover with him the “joys” of Beijing hospitals, the taste of donkey meat and barbecue silkworm, the value of ginkgo trees, and the Chinese passion for science. An engaging read for anyone who likes travel, adventurous dining, or science.

Matt Kohn is an internationally-recognized Distinguished Professor in Geosciences at Boise State University. His research uses geochemistry to investigate how mountain belts form and how climates and ecosystems have changed over millions of years. He and his wife, Heather Steele, live in Boise, Idaho, and have two sons, Tavi and Asa. When he's not teaching or hammering rocks out of outcrops, Matt enjoys contra dancing and backpacking.