How a Group of Wentworth Labs Stayed COVID-Free During the Fall Semester

A semester’s worth of labs in 2020 with no COVID-19 transmissions sounds like a holiday miracle, but data indicates that’s exactly what happened this fall with lab technicians and a team of Wentworth Institute of Technology co-op students at the helm.

Two-hundred and forty-two students enrolled in on-campus Chemistry classes for the Fall 2020 semester. Labs ran in 38 distinct rooms between the Ira Allen and the Center for Engineering, Innovation and Sciences buildings in order to help de-densify spaces.

In-person instruction has officially wrapped up for the semester now and there were zero COVID-19 cases traced to the labs.

“The Chemistry labs already had rules and regulations in place, so adding a mask was not a huge deal for students,” said Chemistry Lab Technician Kate Kerr. “And I’ve already been used to being the PPE (personal protective equipment) enforcer.”

Kerr notes that she would sometimes rap on the glass of other labs, telling people to fix their masks if they were slipping down the face.

“We’re in a pandemic and it’s understood that these are things that need to be done,” she said. “But it was rare that we would find someone not taking safety precautions seriously. Students were so cooperative and wanted to make this work.”

Any persons entering the labs had to first check in with the CoVerified reporting and tracking app. Once they were cleared, they would have to adhere to the typical rules of the lab spaces—including wearing closed-toe shoes, safety glasses and other equipment—in addition to using newer PPE like face masks. Kerr and her co-op students, Jak Knox, Alexi Starks, Eric Offermann and Michael Callahan, made sure that all regulations were strictly followed.

“All four of [the co-op students] have been indispensable,” said Kerr. “Wentworth could not have run labs all semester without them, and they truly rose to the occasion.”

Physically keeping distance was also a serious consideration. Fume hoods are often shared by up to four students but were limited to one person apiece. And the overall average of 16 students in a room was trimmed to between four and eight. Kerr carried around a two-meter measuring stick to make sure students were keeping a proper distance from one another.

“Students were able to actually get more direct interaction with the instructor due to the decreased ratio,” said Kerr, noting that professors Laurie Grove, Greg Sirokman and Mike Tylinski have particularly dedicated themselves to keeping things safe and running smoothly, with Sirokman and Tylinski on campus, and Grove coordinating and instructing remotely. 

Similar dedication and success were found this semester among labs in Biology under Lab Technician Kim Foster, Physics under Ramon Santos and Biological Engineering under Franly Ulerio-Nuñez.

The Biology program educated 76 in-person students, who alternated weeks to limit exposure. A total of eight on-campus lab sections were conducted each week with each section spread out between two rooms. Foster recognizes the steadfast work of co-op students Tiko Kapanadze, Michael Machado, Ryan McBride and Corbin Schichtl. In addition to supporting in-person labs, the co-ops produced videos to support remote labs.

“Their willingness and enthusiasm for ensuring the success of their fellow classmates is inspiring,” said Foster. “They were truly a critical part of the team this semester and their hard work is greatly appreciated.”

Foster also gives thanks to Associate Professor Ryan Rogers, who helped develop new safety protocols for the Biology labs.

“Her support and dedication to lab safety and the safety of the students is highly valued and was crucial to the success of the fall semester,” said Foster.

Eleven students in the Biological Engineering program attended in-person labs, spread across two separate rooms. Ulerio-Nuñez served as the lab technician and Hannah D. Erickson was the co-op student assisting with and supporting lab operations, particularly lab preparation. She also took partial responsibility for monitoring lab inventory for the Genetic and Transgenic Labs, says Ulerio-Nuñez, and helped conduct deep cleans after each weekly lab activity.

“She maintained a positive attitude and was always present in the moment. She motivated students to discuss the purpose of the experiments and techniques in a safe way,” said Ulerio-Nuñez, who also credits the work of David Simpson, assistant professor and provost initiatives coordinator, for modifying the lab format and setup.

The Spring 2020 schedule is being actively revised, but Kerr notes that the academic programs are preparing to run a comparable number of labs, but with every student being able to attend every week.