Dr. Chris Brown
Centre for Immersive Technologies - Senior Project Manager
The Covid-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc upon the education of a whole generation of school children. It is estimated that school children have lost at least a half of an academic year due to the pandemic. Education analysts report that all year groups have struggled, but it is most pronounced for Year 1 pupils aged five and six. There is a high risk that if no action is taken to mitigate airborne transmission, the risk of infection is likely to increase again in the autumn and winter seasons with the result being further school closures.
ACT is a multi-centred randomised control trial of two air disinfection technologies which have the potential to mitigate the airborne transmission of the Covid-19 virus within schools:
- Portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters
- Upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (ur-UVGI)
30 primary schools from across Bradford are trialling these technologies to assess both the feasibility and efficacy of using these in schools.
It is anticipated that the study will yield valuable information that will shape future UK Government policy regarding the deployment of air disinfection technologies in schools. It will inform on not just the effectiveness but also the practicalities of using these technologies in schools and is expected to influence whether or not there is a future nation-wide rollout of these solutions.
Fundamental Research
Core ScienceCollect data and evidence
Fundamental Research
Discovery and DesignImplement in schools
Translate
Trials and AssessmentCo-design and test in ~ 10 schools
Implement
Large Randomised Controlled TrialRefine and test across ~ 100 schools
Scale-up
Regional RolloutTest in contexts and delivery conditions ~ 500 schools
National
Evidence-based PolicyDevelop national policy with Whitehall partners
Our team members
Prof. Mark Mon-Williams
University of Leeds - Chair in Cognitive Psychology
Prof. Catherine Noakes
University of Leeds - Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings
Dr. Jonathan Darling
University of Leeds - Clinical Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Child Health and Medical Education
Dr. Eldad Avital
Queen Mary University of London - Reader in Computational (& Experimental) Fluids and Acoustics
