UNSW's U-Breathe collab in finals for Eureka Prize

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U-Breathe: Prof. Raina MacIntyre, Prof. Con Doolan, Dr Charitha de Silva, Prateek Bahl, Dr Abrar Chughtai, Shovon Bhattacharjee (left to right). Image: UNSW

Flow Noise Group's collaboration with UNSW's Kirby Institute on how aerosols from speaking, coughing and sneezing are blocked by face masks has been nominated as a finalist for the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research. Finalists are nominated for their outstanding achievements in the fields of leadership, research and innovation and science engagement.

This cross-faculty collaboration, named U-Breathe, visualised human respiratory aerosol dynamics and thereby significantly expanded the understanding of the effect of face masks on the dynamics of droplets and aerosols generated by various respiratory exhalations. These results layed the foundation for the development of modern high-performance cloth masks.

We congratulate the entire U-Breathe team for their nomination and their groundbreaking research and excellent collaboration.

U-Breathe collaborators:  Prof. Raina MacIntyre, Prof. Con DoolanDr Charitha de SilvaPrateek Bahl, Dr Abrar Chughtai, Shovon Bhattacharjee