Professor William Gelbart was one of three UCLA Physical Sciences faculty members who spoke about their research pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical Sciences Dean Miguel García-Garibay moderated the panel at the May 29th event and viewers were given the opportunity to submit questions for the experts to address. A recording of the one-hour webinar can be viewed here or using the embedded link below. When Gelbart joined the UCLA faculty in 1975, and for the following 25 years, his research focused on theoretical physical chemistry and statistical physics. In 2000, after a sabbatical abroad, Gelbart became deeply intrigued by viruses and, with his colleague Professor Charles M. Knobler, established a laboratory to investigate simple viruses outside their hosts and isolated in test tubes. Their work, along with that of several other groups in the United States and Europe, helped launch the burgeoning field of “physical virology”. Most recently, Gelbart’s research has moved towards cellular and in vivo studies of viruses and their applications in translational medicine, including the development of new vaccine delivery platforms. To learn more, visit the Gelbart/Knobler group’s website – The Virus Group at UCLA.
Panelists included:
William Gelbart, Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Discussing a combination of therapeutic and preventative COVID-19 vaccines that his group is hard at work on.
Rick Schoenberg, Professor, Statistics
Discussing developments in the statistical modeling of infectious diseases, especially models helping to forecast the spread of COVID-19.
Suzanne Paulson, Professor, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Discussing air pollution and air quality in L.A. during the pandemic, in particular how aerosol particles and droplets move in the environment, and how masks and filters work.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
