“We can tell that something’s up on these cruise ships during the pandemic, and questions are also arising about the safety of airplanes and buildings,” said Brian Fleck, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Alberta and a co-applicant on a study aimed at determining whether and how viruses use a building’s ventilation system to seek out hosts.
“We’d like it to be something other than the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), like the kitchen or a doorknob, but that’s what the study is for.”
The project, led by HVAC systems researcher Lexuan Zhong, was one of seven U of A projects to receive funding through the second round of the federal government’s Rapid Research Funding Opportunity created to aid in the battle against COVID-19. Through two rounds of funding, 11 U of A research projects received $5.8 million in grants.