Student Project Could Reduce Airborne Disease Transmission in Air Travel

ACEP, in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, is sponsoring an undergraduate mechanical engineering senior design team to develop a cleaner and safer heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the commercial aircraft industry.

The team, composed of students Evan Denty, Bong Chon, Ross Boling and Ryan Goldfuss and advised by UAF engineering Professor Rorik Peterson, is addressing this global problem by using advanced 3-D computational fluid dynamics software provided by NASA, along with holographic computing.

Air travel is the leading catalyst for global disease transmission, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “I view the threat of deadly pandemics right up there with nuclear war and climate change,” Microsoft founder Bill Gates told the Munich Security Council in February 2017. “Getting ready for a global pandemic is every bit as important as nuclear deterrence and avoiding a climate catastrophe. Innovation, cooperation and careful planning can dramatically mitigate the risks presented by each of these threats.”

The UAF Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization is working with these engineering students to protect their idea and help with commercializing their final design.

Photo: Senior design team students Evan Denty, Bong Chon, Ross Boling and Ryan Goldfuss. Photo by Amanda Byrd/ACEP.