The novel coronavirus pandemic has nearly exhausted stockpiles of medical gear in the United States. Personal protective equipment, like masks, serve as a first-line defense for medical professionals with a front row seat to COVID-19. Coming to the aid of those doctors and nurses is a team of scientists from West Virginia University and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which has developed two alternative face coverings that are as effective at blocking novel coronavirus than those highly-coveted N95 masks.
Research
This year, WVU’s fourth Annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium will take place online in an innovative virtual format.
Leveraging an artificial intelligence-driven predictive model, wearable ring technology, and a COVID-19 monitoring app, RNI scientists and partners are developing an innovative “digital PPE” approach that potentially can identify infected frontline healthcare professionals before they become symptomatic – a possible breakthrough in monitoring capabilities and limiting the spread.
The Office of Technology Transfer will have Randy Quinn present an introduction to the NSF I-Corps Program at WVU on April 15 from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom Video Meeting.
The 3MT competition originated at the University of Queensland in Australia as a research communication exercise that challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brings with it a lot of misinformation, myths and other unknowns to tackle, including the origin of the disease. WVU Extension Service Wildlife Specialist Sheldon Owen notes that to understand how bats are related to the COVID-19 outbreak, you must first understand a little bit about zoonotic diseases.