Research stories: COVID-19
Author: UNB Research
Posted on Jul 16, 2020
Around the world, researchers across all fields and disciplines are working to address the challenges, issues and implications of the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic. Here at UNB, our own research community is part of that global movement.
We recently announced more than $400,000 in grants for 13 projects jointly funded by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
But what’s the story behind each of those short sentences?
We asked each research team three questions, to share some of the expertise, passion and capacities they bring to their work and to helping our communities, our provinces, our countries, and our world respond, recover, and thrive.
We’ll be posting a new interview twice a week, and you’ll be able to find links to each on the list below.
- Dr. Anna Ignaszak (Chemistry, Fredericton), researching the creation of a portable sensor for coronavirus detection;
- Dr. Shawn MacLellan (Biology, Fredericton), Dr. Michael Duffy (Biology, Fredericton) and Dr. Aurora Nedelcu (Biology, Fredericton), developing large scale, low-cost COVID-19 antigen production methods for wide-scale community testing initiatives;
- Dr. Hadi Eslami (Business, Saint John) and Dr. Mercy Oyet (Business, Saint John), researching public health communications strategy during pandemics, using NB’s COVID-19 response as a case study;
- Dr. Erik Scheme (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Fredericton), Dr. Scott Bateman (Computer Science, Fredericton) and PhD candidate Aaron Tabor, researching the use of consumer technology to support breathing exercise games in remote post-respiratory infection recovery;
- Dr. David Busolo (Nursing, Moncton), Dr. Jason Hickey (Nursing, Fredericton), Dr. Petrea Taylor (Nursing, Moncton), Renee Gordon (Nursing, Moncton) and Alisha Keough (Nursing, Fredericton), in partnership with Under One Sky Friendship Centre, researching the innovative use of video conferencing tools for clinical nursing education;
- Dr. Gobinda Saha (Mechanical Engineering & Nanocomposites and Mechanics Laboratory, Fredericton), researching the use of nanocomposite materials to protect against viruses like the 2019 novel coronavirus;
- Dr. Sandra Magalhaes (Sociology and NB Institute for Research, Data and Training, Fredericton), researching COVID-19 risk indicators to support community planning and recovery efforts and better inform possible responses in NB;
- Dr. Matt Rogers (Education, Fredericton) and Dr. Casey Burkholder (Education, Fredericton), researching the response to changes in New Brunswick’s education system during and after the pandemic;
- Dr. Shelley Doucet (Nursing and Health Sciences, Saint John) and Dr. Kerrie Luck (Centre for Research in Integrated Care postdoctoral fellow, Saint John), exploring the experiences of disruption and adaptations to routines, roles, habits, and occupations of Individuals with chronic disease during the pandemic;
- Dr. Felipe Chibante (Chemical Engineering, Fredericton), researching the use of nano-coatings to kill airborne pathogens;
- Dr. Rob Moir (Business, Saint John), researching the use, challenges, and benefits of computers to facilitate remote learning in marginalized communities, building on a device access project by Mr. Dan Doiron (Business, Saint John);
- Dr. Herb Emery (Economics, Fredericton and NB-IRDT), Dr. Philip Leonard (NB-IRDT and Economics, Fredericton), Dr. Ted McDonald (NB-IRDT and Economics, Fredericton) and Dr. Sandra Magalhaes (NB-IRDT and Sociology, Fredericton), researching the economics of post-COVID-19 New Brunswick;
- Dr. Lloyd Waugh (Civil Engineering, Fredericton) with Cody Bradley (Bradley Engineering), researching the use of virtual reality and 3D modelling to minimize the spread of viruses on construction sites.