Sep 28, 2020 2 min read

The role of air filters in the fight against COVID-19 is the focal point of a new pop-up display at the Carnegie Science Center.

The museum’s exhibit design and fabrication team worked with Melissa Bilec, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, to create “Heads Up!”, a display on signs about how the museum’s heating, venting and air conditioning (HVAC) system acts as a face mask for the building’s air circulation.

“As an advocate for science literacy, we saw the pandemic as an opportunity to combine a message about real research, current events, and museum collections in one place — in this case, literally above our heads in the HVAC system,” said Dennis Bateman, director of exhibits at the Carnegie Science Center. “We didn’t want to just dwell on the pandemic when our visitors are coming to enjoy themselves as an escape from the stress in our lives now, but we did want to reassure them about our precautions while they are here, and connect research to real-world examples, like how a system originally designed to protect our valuable collections is now also protecting our valued guests and staff.”

The project came about when the science center was referred to the University of Pittsburgh by Dr. Harold Rickenbacker, an air quality engineer and 2019 Carnegie Science Award winner, to create an informational exhibit.

“With so much misinformation about COVID-19, I hope our exhibit will teach people about the way our buildings can do some of that important work for us,” said Bilec.