At the Clean 2020 Virtual Summit, leaders from industry, government and universities will address the urgent need for solutions as America returns to work and school, and the physical and operational challenges this imposes.

The summit will take place online in three stages, Aug. 5, 13, and 25. Registration for the Clean 2020 Virtual Summit is available at hopin.to/events/clean2020-virtual-summit.

Colorado State University associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, Delphine Farmer, organized and will co-moderate a session on decontamination approaches, to provide expert advice on surface and air treatment against SARS-CoV-2 – what works, what doesn’t, and how do we know? The session will take place during Stage 2 of the summit, 1-2 p.m. Aug. 13.

Meghan Suter, director of the Research Acceleration Office for the CSU Vice President for Research, also helped plan and organize the Clean 2020 Summit. Her role has been providing guidance and topical overlap with a multi-university consortium called the Coalition for Epi Response, Engagement and Science, which CSU Vice President for Research Alan Rudolph co-founded last year. Ajay Menon, president and CEO of the CSU Research Foundation, also serves on the steering committee for the summit.

In addition, through CSU’s Center for Science Communication, CSU students will help with session facilitation and create a Twitter platform for post-session discussions. Follow the summit via Twitter at @Clean2020Summit.

The summit will gather information on standards, policies and procedures applied to impact the modes of transmission in built spaces. Research and innovation across environmental microbiology, building science and engineering, transmission science and social sciences that can be brought to bear for increased confidence will be discussed. Another key goal is the integration of technical disciplines and knowledge spheres to inform guidance and best practices.

“Securing the safety of our indoor spaces is the largest challenge to ending lockdowns, reopening the American economy, and returning to normalcy,” said Paula J. Olsiewski, program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and CLEAN 2020 Summit steering committee member. “The Clean 2020 Summit is meeting that challenge head on.”

Three stages

During Stage 1 (Aug. 5), experts will assess current challenges and pain points felt by industries working to reopen their doors to customers and inspire innovative solutions to meet these challenges. William Adams, chief economist for PNC, will deliver the Stage 1 keynote address on the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Stage 2 (Aug. 13) will feature research, knowledge, and standards development activities across environmental microbiology, building science and engineering, transmission and social sciences. Matthew Moe, program director for DHS National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, will give the Stage 2 keynote address with emerging data on the fate and persistence characteristics of SARS-CoV2.

Stage 3 (Aug. 25) discussions will focus on managing risk and deploying effective tools and clear strategies for confident operations. The Stage 3 keynote speaker is Lidia Morawska who will present on minimizing airborne transmission of SARS-CoV2 indoors. Morawska is affiliated with the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Heath, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Air Quality and Health, and the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Queensland University.