Central New York is home to world-class academic institutions that are conducting advanced research. Part of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, SyracuseCoE doesn’t just work with Syracuse University faculty – the center also collaborates with SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY ESF and SUNY Oswego, along with industry partners. Here, we highlight two of our ongoing research initiatives with SUNY Upstate: one focused on infection control in healthcare settings, and the other on cognitive performance in office environments.
Air Flow Analysis in Hospital Room Settings
One of SyracuseCoE’s startup partners, tomPhyzx, develops UV-C sanitization technology to eliminate airborne viruses. The startup’s founder, Tom Dunbar, received assistance from SyracuseCoE to test an air sanitization system designed to kill mold spores. Dunbar also partnered with Professor Tong Lin at SyracuseCoE’s Analysis and Design Center, creating a “digital twin” model of a hospital room to study how air moves.
Currently, Dunbar and Lin are working with Dr. Hesham Masoud at Upstate Medical University’s Simulation Center to measure airflow in a simulation patient room. The goal is to improve indoor air quality to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infection while ensuring energy efficiency.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a renewed push for improving indoor air quality (IAQ), and new regulations are being introduced to mandate better IAQ standards in healthcare settings. This project aims to reduce pathogen transmission in human-occupied spaces without significant energy consumption.
Environmental Quality and Office Worker Performance
In another active research initiative, SyracuseCoE is partnering with Honeywell International Inc. to explore how indoor environmental conditions affect human cognition in office settings. This study focuses on the effects of temperature, indoor air quality (IAQ) and personalized environmental control systems (PECS) on workers’ comfort, perception and mental performance.
Led by Dr. Usha Satish, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Upstate Medical University Institute for Human Performance, the study uses the Strategic Management System testing protocol to evaluate cognitive responses in varied environmental scenarios. Research is being conducted in SyracuseCoE’s Total Indoor Environmental Quality (TIEQ) Lab, which includes 12 workstations where participants are exposed to different thermal environments ranging from 66–70°F and 74–78°F.
Key findings have already demonstrated how PECS and temperature influence not only thermal comfort and psychological perception, but also physiological and cognitive outcomes. The ultimate goal is to create an intelligent system that can predict occupant preferences and personalize indoor conditions to support their cognitive function and well-being. This model has the potential to guide the development of future workplace environments that actively respond to individual needs and enhance overall productivity.
“In leveraging strategic partnerships with emerging startups like tomPhyzx, established global leaders like Honeywell, and powerhouse academic institutions like Upstate Medical University, SyracuseCoE is advancing innovative research to create smarter, healthier indoor environments,” says Professor Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, SyracuseCoE’s Executive Director. “We look forward to continued collaboration in the future.”
For more information on SyracuseCoE’s Partner Program and research capabilities, visit our website.