29 October 2020
The COVID pandemic hit us hard and especially during March-May 2020 forced us to stay home while in Italy we had the first national lockdown. In the meanwhile, thanks to the social networks (they also have some pros) I met virtually a researcher from the Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù (OPBG), the pediatric hospital of the Vatican State. I was trying to simulate with CFD the spreading of the virus in indoor scenarios representative of the hospital environment.
In collaboration with Società Italiana Medicina Ambientale (SIMA) we started together this activity (with a bit naivety about the actual effort required, I have to admit) that allowed us to land great and unexpected outcomes:
– a scientific publication on Elsevier’s Environmental Research;
– several contacts with researchers and companies for further collaboration;
– the publication of the outcomes in some of the most relevant national newspapers, several TVs and a few websites/magazines dedicated to the topics of health, HVAC system design and CFD simulations;
– the increase in awareness in the public due to an effective communication (mainly thanks to OPBG!)
Lorenzo Mazzei PhD 