Catching COVID-19: Why where you sit in a classroom matters, and how ventilation can help

Experiments in college classrooms show how tiny respiratory droplets known as aerosols can spread, even with good ventilation. The risk isn't the same in every seat.

Suresh Dhaniyala, Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University • conversation
Oct. 5, 2020 • ~7 min

How the coronavirus spreads through the air: 5 essential reads

Scientists explain what you need to know about the COVID-19 risks in the air, from how aerosols form to how to keep kids safe on a school bus.

Stacy Morford, General Assignments Editor • conversation
Sept. 23, 2020 • ~7 min

What a smoky bar can teach us about the '6-foot rule' during the COVID-19 pandemic

The 6-foot rule for social distancing doesn’t account for all risks, particularly indoors. Here's what everyone needs to understand as cooler weather moves more activities inside.

Suresh Dhaniyala, Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University • conversation
Sept. 9, 2020 • ~9 min

Ultraviolet light can make indoor spaces safer during the pandemic – if it's used the right way

UV disinfection is a proven means of killing pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it's not risk-free.

Karl Linden, Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Sept. 9, 2020 • ~9 min

School bus safety during the COVID-19 pandemic: 8 recommendations

A researcher explains what it will take to make sure children are reasonably safe from catching the coronavirus aboard school buses.

Jesse Capecelatro, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 3, 2020 • ~9 min

A potential new weapon in the fight against COVID-19: Food coloring

Aerosols of some FDA-approved food coloring could deactivate airborne viruses.

Yuhyun Ji, Doctoral student in Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University • conversation
Aug. 20, 2020 • ~4 min

Aerosols are a bigger coronavirus threat than WHO guidelines suggest – here's what you need to know

More than 200 scientists wrote to the WHO, warning about aerosol transmission of the coronavirus. The WHO has since acknowledged the evidence but hasn't change its advice yet.

Goodarz Ahmadi, Professor of mechanical engineering, Clarkson University • conversation
July 9, 2020 • ~9 min

People are getting sick from coronavirus spreading through the air – and that's a big challenge for reopening

SARS-CoV-2 can be spread through the air. But just how much of a factor that is has been hard to determine. Recent evidence suggests it is common, posing problems as public places begin to reopen.

Douglas Reed, Associate Professor of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
June 16, 2020 • ~9 min

Masks help stop the spread of coronavirus – the science is simple and I'm one of 100 experts urging governors to require public mask-wearing

Recommendations around mask usage are confusing. The science isn't. Evidence shows that masks are extremely effective to slow the coronavirus and may be the best tool available right now to fight it.

Jeremy Howard, Distinguished Research Scientist, University of San Francisco • conversation
May 14, 2020 • ~10 min

Coronavirus drifts through the air in microscopic droplets – here's the science of infectious aerosols

Aerosols are the tiny particles of liquid and material that float around in our environment. When they come from an infected person, they may be a significant source of coronavirus transmission.

Shelly Miller, Professor of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
April 24, 2020 • ~9 min

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