Abstract View
An Openly Available Database for Public Education and to Combat Misinformation about Respiratory Aerosols
J. ALEX HUFFMAN, University of Denver
Abstract Number: 539
Working Group: Translating Aerosol Research for Societal Impact: Science Communication and Public Outreach
Abstract
The global COVID-19 pandemic forced life-saving health decisions into the public arena like no time in recent history. Broad confusion about the nature of the respiratory disease, combined with historical misunderstandings of aerosol physics within many public health-related fields, led to further chaos in the roll-out of education about COVID transmission and associated prevention. Rather than relying on public health agencies, many scientists with direct aerosol experience strategized to inform and educate the public more directly using traditional media, social media, and other publicly accessible platforms. As a result of these efforts, a deluge of information became available from scientists, engineers, and science journalists.
As one vehicle to provide reliable information about the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, I built a Google spreadsheet to share as a central and openly available repository for a broad range of online resources. The sheet was released in July 2020 and has been curated near-daily to provide constant, up-to-date sources for scientists, journalists, and other individuals looking for reliable information and guidance.
The page consists of nine individual tabs and a total of >1,500 individual links (as of Apr 30), with information ranging from entry-level videos on aerosol education to interactive aerosol modeling tools and a repository of peer-reviewed science. The tabs include: (1) reports, guides, and tools; (2) media articles; (3) infographics; (4) videos; (5) threads, blog posts, and podcasts; (6) science articles and preprints; (7) webinar recordings and associated slide decks; (9) related media articles and a list of Twitter-active scientists to follow for trustworthy information.
The spreadsheet is shared as an example strategy to directly inform the public and scientists, along with a brief discussion of challenges and lessons learned. Direct spreadsheet link: https://bit.ly/3fzmB16.