Human Subject Research
We continue to encourage researchers to conduct all human subject research remotely. Some face-to-face human subject research may be considered on campus if the guidelines we issued here can be followed. Specifically, social distancing must be maintained at all times. This may eliminate some research that requires close contact with subjects. Pre-screening for COVID-19 exposure, sanitation and hygiene processes must be followed at all times. In addition, research areas must be thoroughly disinfected between visits. Individuals in high risk groups or minors should not be brought on campus for human subject research at this time.
Contact Tracing
We ask every individual who comes on campus to maintain and regularly update a list of substantive and known face-to-face contacts that they have had during the preceding two weeks (i.e., lab members they interact with on a daily basis, human subjects they came in contact with during study procedures, family members, friends, etc.). In the case of a coronavirus infection, this list should be made available to the Houston Health Department to facilitate contact tracing. The list can be as simple as two columns, one for the names and the other for the dates when the person was encountered.
Work Schedule
Many of the lab groups that returned to campus are quite large. Because of the density restriction of at most one individual per 200 sqft, larger lab groups will need to implement a staggered work schedule to minimize the number of people who are in the lab or other shared research areas at the same time. Work shifts, including work during non-regular business hours, should be considered. The work schedule must be posted inside the shared research space in an easily accessible place so that everyone knows who will be in the space at what day and time. Allow for at least 15-minute buffers between shifts to avoid contact of individuals during transition. Minimize rotating individuals among shifts to reduce the number of unique contacts.
Disinfecting Labs and Equipment
While Facilities Services clean common areas, they do not enter laboratory space. Cleaning and disinfecting laboratory space is the responsibility of the lab. As PI, you should designate one or more individuals responsible for cleaning and disinfecting. The responsible individuals should initial on the daily work schedule that they completed the cleaning at the end of each shift prior to the next shift arriving at the workplace so that the next shift can be assured that the space was cleaned. Remind them of the importance of disinfecting shared research areas and frequently touched surfaces (lab benches, doorknobs, sink handles, freezer doors, fume hood sashes, keyboards, microscopes, etc.). Minimize the sharing of equipment and devices. If they need to be shared, thoroughly disinfect the device between uses by different individuals.
Faculty Café
We are offering bi-monthly 50-in-5 Faculty Café sessions on University Research Explained that focus on available funding opportunities in response to the coronavirus crisis. The second online session on this topic is scheduled for today from 1 p.m.–2 p.m. Be sure to register for the event to get the link to the meeting.
Best regards,
Amr Elnashai, FREng
Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer
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