Ciara Higham

We have a great new course out today, ideal for A level and uni students, or anyone interested in learning about the principles of Fluid Dynamics. We cover core concepts in the first module and two case study applications, airborne infection and extreme weather in the second. 1/

Academics from poorer socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to
- not publish
- have outstanding publication records
- introduce more novel scientific concepts
- less likely to receive recognition, as measured by citations, Nobel Prize nominations, and awards.
www.nber.org/papers/w33289

Thank you for sharing Cath! I'm trying to get to grips with Bluesky...

The work provides a framework that could be used with other flush, ventilation and pathogen data to model likely ranges of risk.
Great work Ciara! 5/5

The study also showed how little data we have to develop models like this. There’s a need for more data on infectious viral load in faecal material, behaviours and occupancy times in toilets, as well as more data to inform dose response models 4/5

We apply the model to norovirus and SARS-CoV-2, and show that risks are small but not negligible. Allowing time for the cubicle to ventilate before the next person enters can significantly reduce risks 3/5

The paper combines particle measurements from a toilet flush in a controlled chamber with a quantitative microbial risk assessment model to produce a framework for assessing risks 2/5

A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) framework for exposure from toilet flushing using experimental aerosol concentration measurements Flushing a toilet generates aerosols potentially containing microorganisms, serving as a transmission route for pathogens, notably gastrointestinal an…

Fantastic to see this new paper on modelling risk of aerosol infection from a toilet flush from our fabulous PhD student @ciarahigham.bsky.social 1/5

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The pre-proof of my recent paper for Indoor Environments "A QMRA framework for exposure from toilet flushing using experimental aerosol concentration measurements" is now available online: doi.org/10.1016/j.indenv.2024.100069

As my first paper as lead-author, I'm feeling really proud of this work!

First post on Bluesky and final conference presentation of the PhD at UK Fluids 2024, Swansea - wish me luck for surfing lessons this evening! 🏄‍♀️