About this program:

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In this keynote presentation, Dr. Richard Shaughnessy will discuss how recent research projects demonstrate a better understanding of the link between specific cleaning practices and various ventilation system types with indoor air quality improvements in schools, commercial buildings, airports, hotels, and other spaces.  The presentation focuses on how ventilation and cleaning in buildings improves student/worker performance, and prevents respiratory problems, gastro-intestinal illness, and transmission of other diseases.

 

The session will further highlight the latest research on a new methodology to sample for mold in buildings to better understand the "indoor ecology" and how that can inform clean-up and repair plans.

 

What you will learn:

• Understand the science linking ventilation and cleaning practices to measurable improvements in health, attendance, and performance in schools, workplaces, and other public buildings.

• Identify key strategies for integrating cleaning and ventilation approaches that work together to reduce disease transmission and improve indoor air quality.

• Explore real-world research findings demonstrating how building design and operation influence respiratory and gastrointestinal health outcomes.

• Discover innovative mold assessment methods that help define a building’s “indoor ecology” and guide effective clean-up and remediation plans.

• Gain actionable insights for applying new research to optimize cleaning protocols, ventilation systems, and maintenance programs for healthier, higher-performing indoor environments.

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About the Presenter:

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Richard Shaughnessy, Ph.D., has served as Director of the University of Tulsa’s Indoor Air Quality Research Program (TUIAP) in the Chemical Engineering Department since 1987. His studies have focused on particulate research, air cleaner evaluation, indoor chemistry, school studies, asthma/housing research, and the resolution and remediation of bioaerosol-related problems. He is experienced in field research in homes and schools, and associated measurements/tools related to the characterization of IAQ and moisture. He is currently furthering research studying associations between IAQ parameters in classrooms and student health/performance and is actively working toward defining a basis for “clean” in schools which applies to both performance and health of students. In addition, he currently is overseeing a HUD grant to define what constitutes “normal” background fungal ecology in homes. He was a primary member of the ACGIH Bioaerosols Committee and contributing author to the 1999 ACGIH book on Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control and contributing author and section editor to the AIHA document on Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold. He has also served as President of The International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and continues to work with the Society to translate science into practice.​

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