Research | Chemical Engineering

Airborne Viruses Can Spread on Dust, Nonrespiratory Particles

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles, according to new research from the University of California, Davis, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The findings, with obvious implications for coronavirus transmission as well as influenza, are published Aug. 18 in Nature Communications.

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Going viral

Though viruses are known for causing diseases like COVID-19, UC Davis chemical engineers Karen McDonald and Priya Shah think they can be as beneficial as they are destructive. From producing and purifying drugs for humans in space to inspiring new tools for biotechnology, viruses are being re-engineered to help humans who are suffering from injuries or diseases.

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Jiandi Wan pioneers droplet-based 3D printing method using microfluidics

Chemical engineering assistant professor Jiandi Wan has developed a new approach to 3D printing using microfluidics, which was outlined in a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS).

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Making proteins for COVID-19 antibody tests

Three chemical engineering research groups are teaming up to find new ways to produce COVID-19 proteins for serological tests for antibodies.

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How Important Is Speech in Transmitting Coronavirus?

Normal speech by individuals who are asymptomatic but infected with coronavirus may produce enough aerosolized particles to transmit the infection, according to aerosol scientists at the University of California, Davis. Although it’s not yet known how important this is to the spread of COVID-19, it underscores the need for strict social distancing measures.

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Karen McDonald receives TRISH grant to study just-in-time medications for space exploration

Chemical engineering professor Karen McDonald and her team have received funding to develop plant-based methods for producing FDA-approved drugs in under 24 hours for use in deep space. The proposal, “A Plant-Based Platform for ‘Just in Time’ Medications” is one of six to receive of a two year, $800,000 Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) grant from the Baylor College of Medicine.

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Talking loudly may be a factor in airborne disease transmission

A new study from UC Davis found that the louder people talk, the more airborne particles they emit, making loudness a potential factor in spreading airborne diseases. The study, led by chemical engineering Ph.D. student Sima Asadi in professor William Ristenpart’s group, looked at particle emission during speech as a function of loudness, among other factors.

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Greg Miller and the Science of Whisky

For chemical engineering professor Greg Miller, whisky is serious business. A licensed distiller and whisky enthusiast, his new book Whisky Science: A Condensed Distillation is the culmination of a five-year search for the science behind the spirit, bringing together 300+ years of history, chemistry and distillation methods.

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UC Davis Receives $1 Million From Keck Foundation Following Virus Discovery

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Alberta, Canada, have made preliminary discoveries about how Zika and hepatitis C viruses reproduce at the cellular level, providing new insight into a family of viruses that also includes West Nile and dengue. Now their cutting-edge research will be supported by a $1 million grant from the prestigious W.M. Keck Foundation.

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Winter Distinguished Lecture by Katherine T. Faber: Crafting Porous Ceramics for Applications in Biology, Sustainability and More

The College of Engineering’s Winter Distinguished Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Katherine T. Faber, the Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology.

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