COVID-19 and Indoor Air Quality: New Best Practices Webinar Series

Published 09/24/2020
Luke Leung, PE, LEED Fellow, Member ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force

By Christian Weeks

As K-12 schools and universities have reopened with every possible combination of remote and in-person learning, it’s clearer than ever that research on SARS-CoV-2 is moving faster than most of us can follow, and recommendations are being updated almost daily. From offices to restaurants, retail, municipal buildings and even in our homes, indoor air quality has become a fast-moving and closely-watched field, and suddenly experts are very much in demand to protect us from transmitting or contracting COVID-19.

That’s why we are so fortunate and proud to be able to share a series of webinar presentations by the leading experts in indoor air quality as it relates to viral spread. The leaders who are driving ASHRAE’s recommendations for minimizing COVID-19 spread in commercial settings, schools, and beyond will share with us their latest findings and offer insight into their latest recommendations for protecting the public from virus-carrying aerosols.

Luke Leung, PE, LEED Fellow, Member ASHRAE Epidemic Task ForceThe line-up begins on Thursday, October 8 with Luke Leung, Chair of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force Commercial Buildings Subcommittee, member of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering COVID-19 Task Force, and Director of Sustainable Engineering at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Mr. Leung will share strategies for maximizing air changes, how to optimize outdoor air ventilation and high-efficiency filtration to achieve the highest level of protection at the lowest cost in commercial buildings, and more. His presentation, “The Latest Research on Airborne Transmission & Mitigation Strategies” will begin at 2:00 PM EDT and he will take questions from attendees after his presentation. Register here.

William Bahnfleth, PhD, Chair, ASHRAE Epidemic Task ForceThe next presentation in the series will feature an expert quoted in nearly every article about SARS-CoV-2 and its spread through HVAC systems, the Chair of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force, Dr. Bill Bahnfleth. In his role at ASHRAE, Dr. Bahnfleth is leading the entire effort to develop and disseminate practical solutions for mitigating the spread of the virus in buildings. Dr. Bahnfleth is a professor of Architectural Engineering at Penn State and as such is deeply involved in research to understand how the virus spreads in indoor spaces, from homes to schools to commercial buildings. He will speak on Thursday, October 22 at 2:00 PM EDT and will also take questions after his presentation. Register here.

Marwa Zaatari, PhD Chief Science Officer, Blue Box Air, enVerid AdvisorOur third webinar features Dr. Marwa Zaatari, an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer and member of the ASRHAE Epidemic Task Force, and Chief Science Officer at BlueBox Air, LLC. Dr. Zaatari will share available tools for calculating the risk, cost, and carbon impact of approaches to mitigating SARS-CoV-2 in buildings. These tools are intended to make it easier for engineers to design systems that optimize safety while protecting the planet and the bottom line. Dr. Zaatari will speak on Tuesday, November 10 at 2:00 PM EST and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions after her presentation. Register here.

We hope that many of our partners, customers, and some new friends will take the opportunity to join us to hear directly from these high-profile leaders guiding the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Christian Weeks CEO, enVerid SystemsChristian Weeks is CEO of enVerid Systems.

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