Developing a next-generation coronavirus test for home use
04/27/20

Source: UF Florida News

Piyush Jain was headed home from another late night in his University of Florida lab when he got the word from his grad student — the rapid test they had been trying to develop for the novel coronavirus worked.

While not yet approved for commercial use, the test uses a strip comparable to a pregnancy test to give a quick visual indicator of the presence of the coronavirus in the body.

“The idea is to have a paper-based system where people can just look at it and say, yes, you have it, or not,” he said.

Jain, a chemical engineering professor in UF's Herbert...

Margarita Vargas-Betancourt Selected for Rare Book School Fellows
04/27/20

Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia has selected an inaugural
cohort of 15 fellows to join the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage (RBSMellon CH Fellowship). Fellows will participate in a three-year program which includes an orientation, Rare
Book School coursework, community symposia, and other activities relating to multicultural collections and
trainings.

Among the selected fellows is Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, from the University of Florida. Dr. Margarita Vargas-Betancourt is the Latin American and Caribbean Special Collections Librarian at the George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of...

Puerto Rico Re-Start 3 E
04/20/20

On March 22th thru 28th the Center for Hydro-generated Urbanism (CHU) at the School of Architecture together with the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico held the Puerto Rico Re_Start 3 E: Under Emergency as a virtual platform that gathered the participation of over 80 students, stakeholders, agencies, professionals, consultants, architects, researchers and the UNESCO chair in Sustainable Urban Quality and Urban Culture, notably in Africa to discuss ideas and proposals for the western part of the Island.

The Workshop had originally been formulated following the pattern established with PUPR for Puerto Rico Re Start 1 and 2 held in Puerto Rico. Given the continuing earthquakes,...

Gender, Local Communities, and Natural Ecosystems in Tambopata, Peru

The UF Center for Latin American Studies and the Tropical Conservation and Development Program is pleased to announce the release of the sixth MERGE case study, Gender, Local Communities, and Natural Ecosystems in Tambopata, Peru, written by Dr. Avecita Chicchón and Ms. Rosario Lanao.

The Managing Ecosystems and Resources with Gender Emphasis (MERGE) Case Studies Series on Gender, Community Participation, and Natural Resource Management was supported by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and WIDTECH. The series was designed to show how a gender focus has been relevant and useful in natural resource management projects. The cases focus on concrete...

UF-led ventilator design clears first FDA review
04/20/20

Source: Gainesville Sun

A ventilator envisioned by a University of Florida engineer and built with do-it-yourself parts gained first-step FDA authorization this week, offering hope that it could be in use within weeks at hospitals around the world where COVID-19 patients have overwhelmed supplies of traditional medical equipment.

The ventilator, composed of parts readily available for less than $250, can be assembled in less than an hour. UF has made plans and software available free over the internet.

“The testing is obviously important right now...

The Big Picture: EPI's Director Speaks about the COVID-19 Pandemic
04/20/20

Source: https://www.epi.ufl.edu/

The Emerging Pathogens Institute was formed in 2006 to bring researchers across disciplines together with the goal of better understanding and anticipating new disease-causing microorganisms that affect people, plants and animals. Much of its research is focused globally, with an eye toward what might affect the State of Florida. But for the first time, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a widespread outbreak right up to the institute's doors.

As COVID-19 spread from country to country, then crossed continents and arrived to the U.S., the EPI prepared by readying a test one of its...

Center for Latin American Studies Awarded a Tinker Field Research Collaborative Grant
04/13/20

The UF Center for Latin American Studies was awarded a $100,000 5-year grant from the Tinker Foundation’s Board of Directors as part of the Tinker Field Research Collaborative. Since 1979, the Tinker Foundation has provided support to graduate students attending U.S. universities to conduct pre-dissertation, exploratory research in Latin America through its Field Research Grant (FRG) program. The Tinker Field Research Collaborative is a new program offered to select Centers that not only funds student field research, but also promotes opportunities for joint experimentation, tool-building, and knowledge exchange on the institutional level.

“Following a rigorous selection process,...

UF Harn Helping with COVID-19 Efforts
04/13/20

The Harn assisted in building an acrylic box prototype that will help our healthcare system to facilitate solutions to limit aerosol exposure during intubation procedures. This project, spearheaded by Dr. Ali Ataya from UF Health Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, with support from UF's Design Contruction and Planning and its Infinity Fab Lab, is ongoing as prototypes are tested and re-developed.

Interdisciplinary Convergence Initiative: Italy and COVID-19
04/06/20

The One Health Center of Excellence is developing a multicentric task force of scientists to analyze data generated during the Italian COVID-19 epidemic. We intend to engage multidisciplinary teams of scientists to primarily address issues related to COVID-19.

Learn more about this project and how to support us by clicking here.

The Bat, the Pangolin and the City: A Tale of COVID-19
04/06/20

Source: IFAS Blogs

It is highly probable that most human coronaviruses that have caused epidemics, and now even pandemics, have originally come from bats. It is safe to say that they should have stayed in bats. This informative sheet will go over the current COVID-19 pandemic from a wildlife biology and conservation prospective, offering insights on the possible underlying dynamics of this pandemic. As of now, scientists are offering a potential cross-species pathway for SARS-CoV-2: from bats, via pangolins, to humans.

To read the full article,...

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