The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is estimated to be highly active. Projections suggest 24 named storms, with 11 anticipated to become hurricanes, according to The Weather Channel and Atmospheric G2. Six hurricanes are forecasted to become Category 3 or higher, presenting substantial threats to coastal and inland regions.

University and Personal Planning

At 麻豆原创, teams plan and train for hurricane season year-round. 麻豆原创鈥檚 Emergency Management team works hard to prevent, prepare for, manage and recover from a variety of threats to 麻豆原创, including severe weather.

麻豆原创 is a designated StormReady university through the National Weather Service.

In addition to the work being done at the central level, led by the Department of Emergency Management, we encourage all departments to evaluate their own hurricane procedures and staffing plans at this time, in advance of an imminent storm.

When tropical weather systems are threatening, Emergency Management is in communication with our local National Weather Service office in Melbourne, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center. If a serious storm or hurricane threatens our region, Governor Ron DeSantis and 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses. 麻豆原创 often does so in consultation with other area colleges, school districts and government officials.

We encourage students and 麻豆原创 employees to put together their own hurricane safety kits and to create a plan with their families and loved ones should a storm impact Central Florida.

Prepping a Hurricane Kit

Knights should assemble a hurricane kit, which should provide enough essentials to survive at least three days. Kits should include:

• Water
• Nonperishable food
• Weather radio
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Can opener
• Cash
• Cell phone charge
• Identification cards
• Any necessary prescription medications

This year鈥檚 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday extends June 1-14. This two-week tax holiday allows Floridians to prepare for hurricane season while saving money on essential disaster preparedness items.

How to Stay Informed

The 麻豆原创 Alert text and email message system will be used to keep the university community notified of severe weather threats. All students and employees automatically are signed up to receive these messages, and settings can be updated via . A parent, spouse or other secondary contact鈥檚 email address also can be added, allowing them to receive the updates.

In addition to 麻豆原创 Alert messages, details about any class cancelations, impact to services or campus closures will be shared on the 麻豆原创 homepage, and @麻豆原创 and @麻豆原创Police on social media. Faculty members also are encouraged to post any changes to class assignments due to campus closures on Webcourses.

麻豆原创 has been impacted by hurricanes before, and we have been able to weather those storms while maintaining our strong commitment to academic excellence and student success.

While we hope for a hurricane-free season, it is always best to prepare and educate yourself in advance of a storm, especially in time such as now that requires extra considerations and flexibility.

Let鈥檚 each do our part by staying aware and prepared, and together, we鈥檒l make 麻豆原创 a safer place for all of us.

The company, led by 麻豆原创 materials science and engineering alumna Christina Drake 鈥�07笔丑顿, is working with a multidisciplinary team of 麻豆原创 researchers, including Chair Sudipta Seal, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences Director Griff Parks and College of Medicine Professor Melanie Coathup, to further research the residual antimicrobial technology. 聽Kismet Technologies is one of 10 recipients of the STTR award this year.

College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Michael Georgiopoulos says this award demonstrates the power of collaboration at 麻豆原创.

鈥淥ne of the key goals of CECS is to be the nation鈥檚 technology partner leader,鈥� Georgiopoulos says. 鈥淭his collaboration of 麻豆原创 faculty with Kismet Technologies is a testament to the creativity, innovation, and building-together culture of our faculty and alumni.鈥�

During phase I testing, the team proved the antimicrobial technology could kill COVID-19 and other serious viruses such as parainfluenza and Zika.

鈥淲e made remarkable progress in phase I,鈥� Parks says. 鈥淲e had a multidisciplinary team that brought their expertise in materials science, biology, microbiology and project development. It was such a great learning experience for the whole group.鈥�

But the group still has more to learn about the antimicrobial technology, which was submitted for patent filing last year. 聽How long can it last under hospital conditions on surfaces? Does it work as effectively on biologically soiled surfaces? These are some of the questions the team hopes to answer during Phase II testing.

鈥淭he next steps are to thoroughly test the antibacterial properties of the coating under varying, and as such,聽more realistic human and environmental conditions; conditions that may challenge the potency of the formulation,鈥� Coathup says. 鈥淲e aim to confirm its efficacy despite these circumstances.鈥�

Those real-world conditions include testing the antimicrobial technology on surfaces coated in dust, dirt or other biological fluids. The goal is to understand the product’s limits and opportunities in demanding healthcare settings.

Aside from the final product, the best thing to come from the project is the partnership between 麻豆原创 researchers. Parks says there are many more opportunities for the College of Medicine and the College of Engineering and Computer Science to work together and share their expertise.

鈥淭he partnership between COM and CECS is only the tip of the iceberg of what we could be doing,鈥� Parks says. 鈥淚f you get the right people talking, interacting, thinking about the problem and each bringing to the table what they鈥檙e good at, it works.鈥�

About the Researchers

Seal joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the聽, which is part of 麻豆原创鈥檚聽College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 1997. He has an appointment at the聽College of Medicine聽and is a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚听叠颈颈辞苍颈虫 faculty cluster initiative. He is the former director of 麻豆原创鈥檚聽聽and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.

Coathup is a professor of medicine at the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine, the director of the Biionix faculty cluster, and a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. Coathup鈥檚 research is focused on orthopaedic innovation with the view of applying scientific discovery to improve the treatment and care of patients. Her research focuses on novel biomaterials and small molecule therapeutics that boost bone repair when under challenging and complex physiological conditions, such as during aging, infection, radiotherapy and bone health when in the extreme environment of space.

Parks is the聽College of Medicine鈥檚聽associate dean for聽Research. He came to 麻豆原创 in 2014 as director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences after 20 years at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, where he was professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin and was an American Cancer Society Fellow at Northwestern University.

The Pegasus Professor and chair of the says this patent was awarded much faster than most, which demonstrates the importance of the disinfectant.

鈥淲e are very excited to get this patent accepted so quickly, and we鈥檙e glad that the work is of great value for combatting viruses and pathogen-born infections,鈥� Seal says. 鈥淭hanks to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for recognizing this work and to the 麻豆原创 Office of Technology Transfer for its support.鈥�

Co-recipients of the patent include Seal鈥檚 postdoctoral researcher, Craig Neal 鈥�14 鈥�16MS 鈥�21PhD, and his former research assistant, Udit Kumar 鈥�22PhD.

How the Disinfectant Works

The COVID-killing coating is made with a nanomaterial that activates under white light, such as sunlight or LED light. As long as the nanomaterial is exposed to a continuous light source, it can regenerate its antiviral properties, creating a self-cleaning effect.

The efficacy of the disinfectant was tested and proven through a study that was published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces this past year. The study found that the coating can not only destroy the COVID-19 virus, but it can also combat the spread of Zika virus, SARS, parainfluenza, rhinovirus and vesicular stomatitis.

The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation鈥檚 RAPID program and conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including Griff Parks, a professor in the 麻豆原创 and the co-principal investigator of the grant.

Next Steps

Now that the disinfectant has been patented, the research team will continue testing the product and 麻豆原创 will seek a commercial partner to manufacture and sell it to a wide range of customers within the next few years.

鈥淲e plan to carry on the work in larger samples and also to test in vivo models and other means of infection control,鈥� Seal says. 鈥淭he process is well defined, and we plan to work with an industry partner to bring it to the mass market.鈥�

Seal joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the , which is part of 麻豆原创鈥檚聽College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 1997. He has an appointment at the聽College of Medicine聽and is a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 prosthetics cluster听叠颈颈辞苍颈虫. He is the former director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.

鈥淚t is always a delight to have our research work featured in a reputed journal,鈥� said Udit Kumar, a doctoral student in the (MSE) and the lead author of the journal article. 鈥淕iven the theme and possible impact of antiviral research in current times, our article will definitely aid our fight against global pandemics.鈥�

The paper outlines the most recent study from a multidisciplinary team of researchers that includes Sudipta Seal, the chair of the MSE department, and Griff Parks, a College of Medicine virologist and director of the . They experimented with the nanomaterial yttrium silicate, which has antiviral properties that are activated by white light, such as sunlight or LED lights. As long as there is a continuous source of light, the antiviral properties regenerate, creating a self-cleaning surface disinfectant.

鈥淵ttrium silicate acts as a silent killer, with antiviral properties constantly recharged by the light,鈥� Kumar says. 鈥淚t is most effective in minimizing surface to the surface spread of many viruses.鈥�

Kumar says their test of yttrium silicate in white light disinfected surfaces with high viral loads in approximately 30 minutes. Additionally, the nanomaterial was able to combat the spread of other viruses including parainfluenza, vesicular stomatitis, rhinovirus, Zika and SARS.

鈥淭his disinfectant technology is an important achievement for both engineering and health because we all were affected during the pandemic,鈥� Seal says. 鈥淐OVID is still ongoing and who knows what other illnesses are on the horizon.鈥�

Other 麻豆原创 researchers, including , nanotechnology student Balaashwin Babu 鈥�20 and materials science and engineering student Erik Marcelo, are co-authors on the paper.

鈥淭his publication is the culmination of timely insight by the investigators as to the importance of rapid development of broad-spectrum anti-microbials, as well as hard work in the lab to show the potency of our new materials,鈥� Parks says. 鈥淭his is an outstanding example of the power of cross-discipline research 鈥� in this case, materials science and microbiology researchers from CECS and COM.鈥�

The research is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation鈥檚 RAPID program.

Seal joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center, which is part of 麻豆原创鈥檚聽College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 1997. He has an appointment at the聽College of Medicine聽and is a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 prosthetics cluster听叠颈颈辞苍颈虫. He is the former director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center and Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center. He received his doctorate in materials engineering with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.

Parks is the聽College of Medicine鈥檚聽associate dean for聽Research. He came to 麻豆原创 in 2014 as director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences after 20 years at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, where he was professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin and was an American Cancer Society Fellow at Northwestern University.

Study title: Potent Inactivation of Human Respiratory Viruses Including SARS-CoV-2 by a Photoactivated Self-Cleaning Regenerative Antiviral Coating

麻豆原创 is continuing to closely monitor COVID-19, and we encourage you to follow the latest CDC guidance to protect yourself and our campus community. As we have demonstrated at 麻豆原创 since the pandemic began, each one of us can help reduce the spread of the virus by practicing the small precautions that have helped keep positive cases at 麻豆原创 low.

Campus Communications from the Week of Jan. 3

• Jan. 4: Happy New Year, Knights!
• Jan. 4: Welcome Back Faculty and Staff
• Jan. 4: Spring 2022 Classes at 麻豆原创 Resume Jan. 10
• Jan. 5: Spring Semester COVID-19 Updates
• Jan. 5: Updated Faculty Guidance for Spring Courses
• Jan. 6:聽Managing With Compassion During COVID-19

麻豆原创 will continue increased cleaning and classroom disinfections, access to hand-sanitizing stations and the distribution of masks.

With the rise of the Omicron variant, we urge all students, faculty and staff to get fully vaccinated and boosted. While Omicron is highly transmissible and infectious, in preventing hospitalization and severe illness. Vaccines and boosters remain available, free of charge, at the Student Health Center via walk-up or appointment or .

The nature of Omicron means that it also is important to wear a well-fitting mask when in close proximity to others, stay home and avoid contact with others if you are ill. Consider getting tested if you may have COVID-19 symptoms. Testing is especially important if you have increased risk factors or severe symptoms.

Testing continues to be available free of charge for students, faculty and staff in Garage A at 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus. The drive-through testing is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Currently, the Garage A testing site is experiencing high demand, so please consider making an appointment. Students also can be tested for no charge at Student Health Services.

If you test positive, you must call the 麻豆原创 COVID Line, 407-823-2509, and follow the nurses鈥� instructions. Additionally, follow the latest CDC guidance, which now recommends that fully vaccinated and boosted individuals who test positive or show symptoms should isolate for five days and follow with five days of strict mask wearing.

If you feel sick, stay home and away from others until you are asymptomatic. You should not go to class, work or other activities if you feel sick. Consider getting tested if you may have COVID-19 symptoms and especially if you have increased risk factors or severe symptoms, and call the 麻豆原创 COVID Line if you test positive.

鈥淲e understand that you may have questions as we work through the effects the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may have on our campuses,鈥� 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright wrote to faculty and staff this week. 鈥淔irst and foremost, we ask for patience, kindness and empathy for your fellow faculty and staff and for our students. I know everyone is doing the best they can under the circumstances, and we should continue to give each other grace whenever possible.

鈥淎s we are learning to live聽with the virus,聽university leadership continues to be in constant communication with health officials,聽medical experts, the State University System and the聽Florida Board of Governors. Despite聽the continued challenges imposed by聽COVID-19,聽I have tremendous optimism for what we will accomplish together this year.鈥�

The latest information on 麻豆原创鈥檚 response to the pandemic can be found on the university鈥檚 coronavirus website.

The optical sensor uses nanotechnology to accurately identify viruses in seconds from blood samples. Researchers say the device can tell with 95% accuracy if someone has a virus, a significant improvement over current rapid tests that experts warn could have low accuracy. Testing for viruses is important for early treatment and to help stop their spread.

The results are detailed in a new聽study in the journal Nano Letters.

The researchers tested the device using samples of Dengue virus, a mosquito transmitted pathogen that causes Dengue fever and is a threat to people in the tropics. However, the technology can easily be adapted to detect other viruses, like COVID-19, says study co-author Debashis Chanda, a professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚

鈥淭he sensitive optical sensor, along with the rapid fabrication approach used in this work, promises the translation of this promising technology to any virus detection including COVID-19 and its mutations with high degree of specificity and accuracy,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淗ere, we demonstrated a credible technique which combines PCR-like genetic coding and optics on a chip for accurate virus detection directly from blood.鈥�

The device closely matches the accuracy of the gold-standard PCR-based tests but with nearly instantaneous results instead of results that take several days to receive. Its accuracy is also a significant improvement over current rapid antigen tests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control have cautioned could produce inaccurate results if viral loads are low or test instructions are not properly followed.

The device works by using nano-scale patterns of gold that reflect back the signature of the virus it is set to detect in a sample of blood. Different viruses can be detected by using different DNA sequences that selectively target specific viruses.

Key to the device鈥檚 performance is that it can detect viruses directly from blood samples without the need for sample preparation or purification, thus speeding up the test and improving its accuracy.

鈥淎 vast majority of biosensors demonstrations in the literature utilize buffer solutions as the test matrix to contain the target analyte,鈥� Chanda says. 鈥淗owever, these approaches are not practical in real-life applications because complex biological fluids, such as blood, containing the target biomarkers are the main source for sensing and at the same time the main source of protein fouling leading to sensor failure.鈥�

The researchers confirmed the device鈥檚 effectiveness with multiple tests that used different virus concentration levels and solution environments, including those with the presence of nontarget virus biomarkers.

Abraham Vazquez-Guardado, the study鈥檚 lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University who worked on the research as a doctoral student in Chanda鈥檚 lab, says he鈥檚 excited about the potential.

鈥淎lthough there have been previous optical biosensing demonstration in human serum, they still require off-line complex and dedicated sample preparation performed by skilled personnel 鈥� a commodity not available in typical point of care applications,鈥� Vazquez-Guardado says. 鈥淭his work demonstrated for the first time an integrated device which separated plasma from the blood and detects the target virus without any pre-processing with potential for near future practical usages.鈥�

Chanda says next steps for the research include adapting the device to detect more viruses.

Study co-authors are Freya Mehta, Beatriz Jimenez, Keval Ray, Aliyah Baksh 鈥� undergraduate students at NanoScience Technology Center; Aritra Biswas 鈥�21MS 鈥� a doctoral student with 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics and Photonics; Sang Lee 鈥�16聽 鈥� a master鈥檚 student at the NanoScience Technology Center; Nileshi Saraf 鈥� a graduate of 麻豆原创鈥檚 doctoral program; and Professor Sudipta Seal 鈥攃hair of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Material Science and Engineering.

Chanda has a joint appointment in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of NanoScience Technology Center, the and the College of Optics and Photonics. He received his doctorate in photonics from the University of Toronto and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining 麻豆原创 in 2012.

The research was partially supported by National Science Foundation and 麻豆原创鈥檚 COVID-19 Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Initiative program.

The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 3.5 million jobs lost in 2020, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.

On top of this, many of those workers aren鈥檛 planning to return, says Robertico Croes, a professor in the 麻豆原创鈥檚 .

鈥淟ifting the international travel ban will increase tourist demand to Orlando, and the international tourist market is important for the industry鈥檚 quick recovery,鈥� Croes says. 鈥淗owever, the increase in international tourist demand could be a double-edged sword.鈥�

The labor shortage is not going to be resolved any time soon, which means the quality of the tourist experience is going to be impacted, Croes says.

“So, while the lifting of the travel ban is good news to increase tourist demand, if those tourists leave unsatisfied with their experience, the chance of them returning or recommending Orlando is negatively impacted, which could exacerbate the labor shortage in the long run,鈥� he says.

Croes recently co-authored that surveyed hospitality workers from across the nation. The researchers found that 59% of unemployed hospitality workers were not coming back, while 30% of the employed hospitality workers are considering quitting their job.

Reasons workers aren鈥檛 returning include safety concerns about COVID-19 exposure and perceived lack of career benefits in the U.S. hospitality industry, according to the study.

Respondents were from every state and U.S. territory Puerto Rico with approximately 30% of the respondents working in Florida, Texas, California and New York.

鈥淲hen there is a shortage of employees in a hospitality business you may have unsatisfied and frustrated customers due to lower than expected service delivery due to workers being overworked and spread too thin,鈥� Croes says. 鈥淎 consequence of a hospitality labor shortage is customers not returning and higher employee turnover, both of which have a negative financial impact for hospitality businesses.鈥�

In September, 863,000 hospitality employees quit, which is twice as high as the national quit level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

鈥淭his means that the hospitality quit pattern continues unabated,鈥� Croes says. 鈥淔or a destination, such as Orlando, which has a large hospitality industry, this reality is dire and could affect businesses, families, livelihoods, the local economy, and the overall wellbeing of the community at large 鈥� for example, through reduced convention development tax collection.鈥�

To help remedy the problem, the researchers recommend raising wages and enhancing career benefits for lowest paying jobs.

Study co-authors were Kelly Semrad, an associate professor, and Manuel A. Rivera, assistant dean and an associate professor, both in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Croes received his doctorate in applied economics from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. He joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management in 2002.

Like the rest of the 1,700 participating graduates expected to attend this special commencement celebration, Park completed the requirements for her degree in 2020, but the Florida Board of Governors required all of Florida鈥檚 state universities last year to hold virtual commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淗onestly, I thought the university talked about a make-up ceremony last year because they didn鈥檛 have the heart to say 鈥榗anceled,鈥� 鈥� says Park, who earned a master鈥檚 degree in materials science and engineering.

Many graduates from the spring, summer and fall classes of 2020 shared her skepticism and went on with their lives and careers. Park moved to Baltimore to begin her doctoral research at Johns Hopkins. A year passed. Then an unexpected email hit her inbox announcing the opportunity for 麻豆原创鈥檚 2020 graduates to reserve a spot in the arena for an in-person ceremony. Appropriately, it would be held on the Friday of Homecoming weekend.

鈥淎t first I had to think about leaving my research team at Johns Hopkins,鈥� says Park, 鈥渂ut then I thought about my parents.鈥�

Making the Most of an Opportunity

Every returning graduate has a personal reason for coming back to 麻豆原创 for that brief moment on stage.

Park and her younger sister, Yuri, grew up in Apopka. Park remembers her mother not being at the breakfast table on most mornings. After school she and Yuri would go directly to their father鈥檚 dojang, where he taught taekwondo. Park would complete her homework in the dojang, train with her dad and ride home with him. It became her daily routine.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 completely understand why my mom was gone for so many hours every day,鈥� says Park.

She also wondered why her mother stressed academics so much.

鈥淢om helped with my schoolwork as much as she could after dinner. I could tell our education meant a lot to her.鈥�

Park鈥檚 prowess in math and science grew so rapidly that eventually her mother could only offer encouragement, while her dad instilled the focus and discipline of taekwondo. Park used every bit of it to excel. She was accepted into 麻豆原创鈥檚 mechanical engineering program and earned a spot in the McNair Scholars Program, which provided a path toward post-graduate work.

In addition to learning about formulas and equations, Park developed an ability to think critically during her undergraduate education, and she began to finally realize something about her parents. She鈥檇 known the basic facts: that her mom and dad immigrated from South Korea in the early 1990s, as Park says, 鈥渇or the reason any immigrant does, because they saw the U.S. as the land of opportunity.鈥� With a changed perspective at 麻豆原创, she also appreciated what they鈥檇 left.

鈥淭hey sacrificed everything they鈥檇 known in Korea: their jobs. Their relationships. Their language,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey literally had to start over when they came to the U.S.鈥�

In the past 20 years, South Korea has rapidly developed both socially and economically. But when Hyun and Mi Young Park lived there, they faced limitations. They grew up in impoverished communities and had limited access to higher education. At that time, just one in three high school graduates in Korea went to college.聽As recently as 2009, 50% of the women in the country were employed, and 6% had either enrolled in, or completed, graduate school.

This explained why Mi Young pulled such long hours at a beauty-supply store and why Park and her sister spent so much time in the dojang. The land of opportunity wasn鈥檛 just for mom and dad.

鈥淭hey wanted to make sure my sister and I could have what they never had growing up 鈥� the best education possible,鈥� Park says. 鈥淣ow I realize that鈥檚 all they thought about.鈥�

Worth the Wait

Park received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering at a 麻豆原创 graduation ceremony in 2019. She knew it would be emotional for Hyun and Mi Young to see their daughter walk across the stage 鈥� representing the concept of opportunity being transformed into reality.

鈥淚 wanted that moment so badly for them,鈥� Park says.

In the days leading up to commencement, though, her grandmother became severely ill. Hyun, Mi Young, and Yuri had to fly to South Korea. Park walked alone at graduation before joining the family for her grandmother鈥檚 final weeks.

鈥淭hat was a very emotional time for reasons we didn鈥檛 anticipate,鈥� she says.

For the next 18 months, she poured her focus and discipline into master鈥檚 studies in materials science and engineering. She became the first in her family鈥檚 lineage to earn a postgraduate degree, while also earning 麻豆原创鈥檚 Order of Pegasus 鈥� the most prestigious and significant award a student can attain at the university 鈥� which would reserve her a seat in the first row at the August 2020 graduation ceremony.

鈥淭hat part of graduation was going to be a surprise for my parents.鈥�

The surprise turned to another disappointment when COVID-19 forced the ceremony to be postponed with no guarantee of when a make-up ceremony would be scheduled. A few weeks later, Park left to begin her research on materials used to build aircraft and spacecraft at Johns Hopkins.

鈥淚t鈥檚 better than I thought it would be,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 working in a lab with scientists who are motivating me to be a better researcher and a better person.鈥�

In fact, when she briefly contemplated whether to return to 麻豆原创 for graduation, her research team insisted that she go. They don鈥檛 even know Park鈥檚 whole family story.

鈥淭he ceremony is for mom and dad. I want them to know in my moment on stage that I鈥檓 saying, 鈥業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it.鈥� 鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to 麻豆原创 for following through on a promise,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 looking forward to my mom鈥檚 galbi-jjim [braised beef]. But the ceremony itself 鈥︹�� she pauses for a few seconds. 鈥淭he ceremony is for mom and dad.

鈥淚 want them to know in my moment on stage that I鈥檓 saying, 鈥業 realize everything you did for Yuri and me. Now look. Your sacrifices were all worth it.鈥� 鈥�

Spring, Summer and Fall 2020 grads representing each of 麻豆原创鈥檚 13 colleges have registered for the ceremony, which will take place Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. at Addition Financial Arena and be livestreamed on .

Darin Edwards 鈥�97 鈥�10MS 鈥�11PhD 鈥� who led the charge to create Moderna鈥檚 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine 鈥� will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2020 Graduation Celebration.

In 2020, the Florida Board of Governors required all of Florida鈥檚 state universities to hold virtual commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 麻豆原创 conferred more than 18,000 degrees during its 2020 virtual commencement ceremonies.

During the ceremony, graduates will cross the stage during the traditional Pomp and Circumstance processional as their names are called. Each graduate is allowed up to four guests in attendance. .

The deadline to participate in the Nov. 5 ceremony has passed. Participation in the ceremony is specifically for those graduates who missed in-person commencements experiences in 2020.

About Keynote Speaker Darin Edwards 鈥�97 鈥�10MS 鈥�11PhD

Edwards is the director of immunology in the infectious disease group at Moderna, where he led the research and development on their mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, he directs the immunology team in support of vaccine development programs and foundational research efforts, and leads work with external academic and industry collaborators including Moderna鈥檚 collaborative research efforts with the National Institute of Health, WHO, and Harvard鈥檚 pathogenesis working group.

Prior to joining Moderna in June 2019, Edwards served eight years for Sanofi Pasteur in Orlando, where he worked to develop vaccines against infectious diseases, including RSV, influenza, dengue, and yellow fever.

Edwards is a much-published researcher and academic speaker.聽Through his educational background at 麻豆原创, combined with his years聽of experience working on the development of next-generation vaccine聽technology, he has had the unique opportunity to make a聽direct and positive impact on global health.

He earned a bachelor鈥檚 in聽biology, a master鈥檚 in molecular聽biology and microbiology and a doctorate in聽biomolecular sciences from 麻豆原创, where he was also a .

The health and well-being of all 麻豆原创 graduates and their guests are the top priority of the university. Face coverings are expected while indoors for all attendees 鈥� whether vaccinated or not, in accordance with聽the latest CDC guidelines.

The concept is based on new work from the researchers showing that food product ingredients can be used to thicken and reduce a person鈥檚 saliva, thus decreasing the transmission potential of airborne pathogens. The results were published recently in the journal .

鈥淭his is a new concept in the context of source control,鈥� says study co-author Kinzel, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 . 鈥淭here are obviously masks, but this is the first research focusing on what comes out of one鈥檚 buccal cavity or mouth.鈥�

The work builds on the Kinzel and Ahmed鈥檚 previous studies examining the effectiveness of masks in the classroom, features that could make someone a super spreader, and initial studies of food ingredients to control airborne disease transmission. Ahmed is an associate professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

鈥淭he group has researched droplet formation for years,鈥� Kinzel says. 鈥淲hen we heard sneezes transported aerosols over 27 feet early in the pandemic, we realized that this has to be small aerosols, similar to what you see in a misting nozzle. Our thinking has been let鈥檚 focus on altering those droplets such that they fall to the ground and not travel so far.鈥�

For the study, the researchers examined characteristics of saliva, such as thickness and amount, and their influence on how far droplets and aerosols from a human鈥檚 sneeze travel, which are factors related to airborne pathogen transmission.

High-speed cameras were used to capture the sneezes frame-by-frame in mid-air, and image processing software was used to quantify droplets and aerosols. Subsequent numerical methods using computational fluid dynamics provided detailed quantification to better understand the sneeze events.

Saliva was altered using a range of food-grade compounds, including cornstarch, agar agar, xanthan gum and ginger.

The researchers found that ginger reduced the amount of saliva expelled from a sneeze by more than 80% and was as effective as a mask in reducing the distance of droplets and aerosols from a sneeze.

Cornstarch and xanthan gum were found to increase the thickness of saliva by 5 and 2,000%, respectively. They also reduced the distance of aerosols from a sneeze more than not wearing a mask. However, a mask was still more effective in reducing aerosol distance than cornstarch and xanthan gum.

A neck gaiter combined with a surgical mask was the type of mask used in the study.

The findings suggest that certain food products can be tailored to both thicken and reduce saliva emitted to reduce airborne disease transmission. This can also be used in combination with a mask, or without as the impact of the pandemic changes, and could perhaps allow for increased capacity, Kinzel says.

One such product could be a chocolate to deliver the saliva changing compound, the researcher says.

鈥淢uch like vitamin gummies, this would not be a candy, but rather a form to deliver the solution,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t could perhaps be referred to as a 鈥榗hocaceutical.鈥欌��

The research was funded in part by the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems, Fluid Dynamics at the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Study co-authors were Jonathan Reyes, a postdoctoral researcher in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering who works in Ahmed鈥檚 lab; Douglas Fontes, a postdoctoral researcher with the ; Alexander Bazzi, a graduate student in 麻豆原创鈥檚 master鈥檚 program in mechanical and aerospace聽 engineering; and Michelle Otero, a graduate of 麻豆原创鈥檚 doctoral program in mechanical engineering.

Kinzel received his doctorate in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University and joined 麻豆原创 in 2018. In addition to being a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a part of 麻豆原创鈥檚聽College of Engineering and Computer Science, he also works with 麻豆原创鈥檚聽.

Ahmed鈥檚 doctoral degree is in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a faculty member of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research and part of the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion. He served more than three years as a senior aero/thermo engineer at Pratt & Whitney military engines working on advanced engine programs and technologies. He also served as a faculty member at Old Dominion University and Florida State University. At 麻豆原创, he is leading research in propulsion and energy with applications for power generation and gas-turbine engines, propulsion-jet engines, hypersonics and fire safety, as well as research related to supernova science and COVID-19 transmission control. He is an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics associate fellow and a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Office of Naval Research faculty fellow.