The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated research and science in unprecedented and unexpected ways. Learn more about what goes听on behind the scenes at CU 麻豆影院 to help combat the negative impacts of this deadly virus and give the world听a path forward.
3 years in: What we鈥檝e learned about COVID
Three years after the first cases of COVID-19 emerged, scientists have a far better understanding of how it spreads, how to prevent infection and minimize symptoms, and what needs to be done to prevent the next pandemic.
From the archives
How has the pandemic changed you?
鈥听I've become acutely more aware of the disparities that exist in this country, between predominantly white communities and communities of color, frontline workers and white collar workers, etc. I've also realized just how important in-person school is for our children, and not just because they are learning to read and write, but also for their mental health. I've realized how critical public health is (my mom was a public health nurse), and how serious it is when our public health system is under-resourced. And I've realized I have expert knowledge that can help change peoples鈥 lives, and that people are grateful for science and knowledge-sharing that is focused on improving health and wellbeing.鈥澨
鈥Shelly Miller | Department of Mechanical Engineering
How has the pandemic changed your field?
听听The pandemic has upended the typical speed of research and sharing of advances. Rather than waiting on a six-month publication timeline, we now read preprints three听days after the research is complete, and peer review happens rapidly in the open, while the formal review process takes place slowly and anonymously. The pace of discovery with this virus simply could not be supported by the old way of doing things.鈥澨
鈥Daniel Larremore |听Department of Computer Science and the BioFrontiers Institute
What are your predictions for life in 2021 and beyond?
I'm predicting a second Roaring 鈥20s听because there is pent up demand听to celebrate with friends and family and explore the places that have remained on their bucket lists. We also may have the first 鈥榥ow generation鈥欌攖he pandemic may fuel the need to live now because who knows when the next pandemic could halt the speed life. Finally, I believe people will have more 鈥榬eal鈥櫶齠ace time and less screen time.鈥
鈥Dawn Doty | College of Media, Communication and Information
听Isolation is the main feeling and challenge, physically, emotionally and socially. Both effective education and creative work need face-to-face communication and collaboration.鈥澨
听鈥Z. John Zhai听|听Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
听Before the pandemic, my husband and I were always plotting our next adventure abroad. Now we appreciate reading in our backyard hammock and looking up at a bright blue Colorado sky. While 麻豆影院 isn't Bhutan, it is the home base we appreciate now more than ever. I used to joke with my mom about her being a 鈥榟omebody,鈥櫶齛nd thanks to the pandemic, I'm now more like my mom than ever. In contrast, we will never take for granted the opportunity to travel easily to be with our Ohio and Kansas City families.鈥
鈥Dawn Doty | College of Media, Communication and Information
The pandemic has made me eager to learn more about what has gone wrong with the response听but also what has gone right. I firmly believe if we can take the lessons of this pandemic, we can come out of this stronger as a society than we were before.鈥
鈥Lori Peek |听Department of Sociology and听Natural Hazards Center
听I try not to think on that. Not yet at least. I have trained my attention on my small part in the monitoring effort for the past 10 months, and ensuring my team is trained and safe. Although, I have noticed my fashion has changed, tending to be more field tactical oriented. I also have stopped reading and running, both of which break my heart, replaced by haunting hardware stores and manual brute labor. In essence, I switched verbs from think to do. I have had 10 months of doing. And I have found an embarrassment of my limits in that process. I look forward to the upcoming summer months of thinking. And resting. And improving. And visiting my mom, dad听and sister.鈥澨
鈥Cresten Mansfeldt听| Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
听Disaster researchers have taken the knowledge and expertise they have attained from decades of studying earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural hazards, and have applied that lens to this global catastrophe. So many lessons from other disasters鈥攕uch as the insight that the most marginalized populations suffer disproportionately during times of crisis鈥攈ave been borne out in this pandemic. There are also new lessons learned, including regarding how to do research when we are distant from one another, that we will undoubtedly carry forward.
鈥Lori Peek |听Department of Sociology and听Natural Hazards Center
听Researchers of health inequalities have been heavily focused on chronic diseases, and lifestyle behaviors that contribute to them, as the major drivers of health. But now infectious disease is back on our radar. As a health lifestyle researcher, it鈥檚 clear to me lifestyle behaviors matter a lot for COVID risk, and social dynamics such as the emergence of new norms around mask-wearing are fundamentally important for understanding lifestyles and risk. I have started conducting research on health lifestyles in the COVID-19 pandemic, following families who have been in my team鈥檚 study since 2015鈥16 to see how the pandemic has changed them.鈥澨
鈥 | Institute of Behavioral Science and Department of Sociology
听Environmental engineering went home to public health, reuniting with a profession that it separated with a bit in the 1970s.鈥澨
鈥Cresten Mansfeldt |听Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
听Finally people are beginning to realize that healthy indoor environments are critical for human health, not just to keep you out of the cold and rain. People are learning what filtration and ventilation is, and why it is important. Unfortunately also snake oil sales people are coming out of the wood work, selling products that are not backed by science.鈥
鈥Shelly Miller | Department of Mechanical Engineering
听What has changed most for public relations is primarily about space and place, particularly for firms. Work from home was a trend that employees cherished in the 鈥榖efore times.鈥櫶齆ow that industry professionals have demonstrated they can work effectively and efficiently in a home office, especially when kids are back to school full time, I question whether a five-day week of commuting to and from an official听office will be possible again.鈥
鈥Dawn Doty | College of Media, Communication and Information
What are your predictions for life in 2021 and beyond?
听I think the pandemic has had important implications for the lives of young people in particular. They have lost more than a year of crucial educational and social development. Thank goodness for screens and the mobile internet era, which have allowed social relationships to continue in some form despite physical isolation. But those relationships are different when conducted online. I am anxious to see what the future will hold for children and youth.鈥澨
鈥 | Institute of Behavioral Science and Department of Sociology
听Back to norm will be slower than anticipated, while dramatic boom of tourism will be guaranteed. Remote education can only be supplementary to formal school education. Research and creative work cannot be done remotely.鈥澨
鈥Z. John Zhai | Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
听I hope we'll stop thinking of infectious disease as inevitable. COVID-19 precautions have led to dramatic declines in flu and other respiratory diseases, which means that things like testing, social distancing, ventilation听and occasional mask use听could mean we no longer think of getting sick every year as inevitable.鈥澨
鈥Daniel Larremore |听Department of Computer Science and the BioFrontiers Institute
听I hope that within a year, things will feel almost back to normal.听That by the fall, if we do not have a surge in cases due to opening up too quickly, we will be able to feel safer around each other indoors and most will be vaccinated.听I worry about when the kids will get vaccinated, though.鈥澨
鈥Shelly Miller | Department of Mechanical Engineering
听That children who have missed the most school due to a lack of technology and a lack of social support will continue to lag behind their peers in educational attainment. This will have lifelong and likely generational consequences unless we intervene as a society. We should focus on the most vulnerable children to ensure we have a future we all want to live into.鈥
鈥Lori Peek |听Department of Sociology and听Natural Hazards Center
CU 麻豆影院 research
The Conversation
CU faculty members share expert commentary on hot topics related to COVID-19.
- Should you wear a mask on a plane, bus or train when there鈥檚 no mandate? 4 essential reads
- How does the immune system mobilize in response to COVID-19? 5 essential reads
- When will the pandemic end? 4 essential reads on past pandemics, what the future could bring
- Alpha then delta and now omicron鈥6 questions answered as COVID cases surge again
- Here鈥檚 where (and how) you are most likely to catch COVID鈥攏ew study
- Is COVID-19 here to stay? Team of biologists explains what it means for a virus to become endemic
- Type of ultraviolet light most effective at killing coronavirus is also the safest to use around people
- COVID has spurred investments in air filtration for K-12 schools鈥攂ut it鈥檚 not an instant fix
- Keeping indoor air clean can reduce chance of spreading coronavirus
- COVID-19 shines a light on the millennia-old balance between public, private worship
- Ultraviolet light can make indoor spaces safer during the pandemic鈥攊f it鈥檚 used the right way
- How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors
- COVID-19 is a dress rehearsal for entrepreneurial approaches to climate change
- Coronavirus drifts through the air in microscopic droplets鈥攈ere鈥檚 the science of infectious aerosols
- Breaking contracts over coronavirus: Can you argue it鈥檚 an 鈥榓ct of God鈥?
- Coronavirus control measures aren鈥檛 pointless鈥攋ust slowing down the pandemic could save millions of lives
Research webinars
of COVID-19 resesarch听webinars, or click through to some our favorites below.听
For the media: CU experts
As the CU 麻豆影院 community responds to the global COVID-19 pandemic, our researchers are available to discuss various aspects of this disease and its impact on people in Colorado and beyond. To schedule interviews, contact CU 麻豆影院 media relations at cunews@colorado.edu.
Engineering & Health
Disinfection of the built environment
Mark Hernandez is the S. J. Archuleta Professor of Civil Engineering, and his听expertise is in the characterization and control of bioaerosols and fomites in the built environment. He can speak about the detection, distribution and abundance of indoor microbes and their persistence in response to different cleaning practices.听He can also discuss the role of saliva and relative humidity on viral infectivity, and what Coloradans and people who live in dry climates can do to reduce their risk of getting sick from indoor spaces.听
Tend to get sick when the air is dry? New research helps explain why
Environmental engineering researchers study airborne coronavirus disinfection
Disease networks and evolutionary strategies
Daniel Larremore, assistant professor in the BioFrontiers Institute and Department of Computer Science, is available to discuss the theory behind how diseases spread in networks. He uses mathematical tools to understand how pathogens evolve to evade the human immune system, with a focus on malaria. His work also probes the theory behind the spread of information, disease or neural excitations, all of which grow as cascades in complex networks.听
CU 麻豆影院 mathematician earns nation鈥檚 highest early-career award for COVID research
Mathematician using Facebook data in the fight against COVID-19
Indoor air quality and infectious disease transmission
Shelly Miller, professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, can speak about how people can minimize their exposure to indoor air pollutants and COVID-19.听听
Simple safety measures reduce musical COVID-19 transmission;听Aerosol research instrumental in getting musicians back to playing safely
Ask an expert: Staying COVID-safe this coming holiday, winter season
Singing unmasked, indoors spreads COVID-19 through aerosols, new study confirms
Air quality, filtration and ventilation
Jose-Luis Jimenez, distinguished professor of chemistry and institute fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES), is a top 10 cited scientist on the subject of aerosols: the dominant route of transmission for the virus that causes COVID-19. He can speak about how this virus spreads in the air like smoke, the easy measures we can still take to reduce the risk of contracting the disease ourselves or giving it to others, and how carbon dioxide measurements indoors can serve as an indicator of how well ventilated or not a space is.听
COVID still a 鈥榙angerous global health threat.鈥 New international study spells out how we can end it
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Society & Culture
Making social and policy decisions
Research by听Leaf Van Boven, professor of psychology and neuroscience, found that when people simply take a moment to reflect on the consequences of their behavior, they tend to choose options that impose fewer risks on other people. He can speak to the role of personal responsibility in mitigating the spread of sickness, as COVID-19 restrictions lift. He can also discuss the impact of political polarization of COVID-19 management policies on public support for policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Got the sniffles? Here鈥檚 how to make the right decision about holiday gatherings听
Anti-Asian discrimination and racial profiling
Jennifer Ho is a professor in the department of Ethnic Studies and the director of the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) at CU 麻豆影院, and the president of the Association for Asian American Studies effective April 8, 2020. She can discuss the history of Asian discrimination in the U.S. and the causes and effects of racial profiling and anti-Asian racism related to COVID-19, as well as general history, culture听and literature associated with Asian Americans in the U.S.
Anti-Asian discrimination amid pandemic spurs Jennifer Ho to action
(Communication Matters: The NCA Podcast)
Anti-Asian discrimination, impacts on vulnerable populations
Sociology Professor , director of the Natural Hazards Center, can discuss ongoing anti-Asian discrimination and the social impact the epidemic could have longer-term on vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and low-income families. Peek is the author of two books: Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 911; and Children of Katrina, which documents the long-term impacts of Hurricane Katrina on children.
K-12 schools ill-prepared for natural disasters, warns CU professor
On coronavirus and the radical right
Benjamin Teitelbaum is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology and international affairs and a scholar of the radical right. He can discuss the role extremist groups are playing in protesting stay-at-home orders and exploiting the pandemic to recruit new members. He can also discuss how the coronavirus pandemic fits into the spiritual worldview of one ultraconservative ideology known as Traditionalism. Teitelbaum is the author of a new book about Traditionalism, War for Eternity: Inside Bannon鈥檚 Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers.听
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Business Impacts
Impacts on Colorado鈥檚 economy
Brian Lewandowski works in the Leeds Business Research Division (BRD). BRD collects some of the most comprehensive information on the Colorado economy through various regular reports and forecasts, including the Colorado Business Economic Outlook, the Leeds Business Confidence Index and Colorado Secretary of State鈥檚 Quarterly Indicators report.
Colorado economy adding new businesses more slowly, new report shows
Impacts on global supply chains
Gregg Macaluso is an instructor of supply chain management and faculty director of the Leeds School of Business Masters in supply chain management. He focuses on creating supply chains for Fortune 1000 companies across several industries. He can speak to the coronavirus鈥 impacts on global supply chains.
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Entrepreneurship, COVID and climate change
Jeffrey York is an associate professor of entrepreneurship and sustainability at the Leeds School of Business. He can explain how entrepreneurship can help solve some of the crises stemming from COVID-19. He can also talk about the similarities between solving COVID-19鈥檚 challenges and beating climate change.
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Legal Questions
On happiness during a pandemic
, professor of law, specializes in law, happiness and subjective well-being. He also teaches business law. Huang can speak to the emotional impact of the pandemic, as well as the impact of transparent leadership communications.
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COVID criminalization
, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Law School, can talk about legal responses to the pandemic, including the criminalization of COVID, the importance of nondiscrimination, and the law鈥檚 role in promoting public health. Skinner-Thompson draws on his expertise regarding HIV and the law. He has served as editor for 鈥.鈥
Mental Health Impacts
Supporting your mental health
Sona Dimidjian, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, can discuss strategies for supporting mental health. Dimidjian is director of the new Ren茅e听Crown Wellness Institute, with a research focus on wellness for women, children and families. Her work examines the clinical application of contemplative practices, including mindfulness meditation, and behavioral approaches in healthcare settings, as well as social emotional learning in schools.听
Crown gift to establish a unique wellness research institute at CU 麻豆影院
On mental health for working parents, college students
June Gruber, an assistant professor of psychology, can discuss the mental health challenges facing working parents and college students amid the pandemic. Gruber specializes in the study of emotion, happiness and mood disorders and is currently conducting research on emotional wellness among undergraduate college students in Colorado.听
Mental health in a time of disaster
, can speak about mental health challenges鈥攑articularly for vulnerable groups including children, adults with pre-existing mental health issues and recent immigrants鈥攊n the time of disaster. She can also discuss how different groups interpret and comply with public health messaging. She is a research associate at the听听on the CU 麻豆影院 campus听and an assistant professor in the Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response Certificate Program at the Colorado School of Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Education & Remote Learning
Experts on K-12 school year amid pandemic
As K-12 schools across the country face tough decisions on how to reopen, continue remotely or offer hybrid models, education experts from CU 麻豆影院听are available for media interviews on a variety of pandemic-era topics.
Historical Perspective
On the flu epidemic of 1918
Susan Kent, a professor in the Department of History, can discuss the origins, spread, impacts and global consequences of the influenza epidemic of 1918. Kent is an expert in British, European and global history and author of the book, 听(2012).