Notre Dame faculty, staff and students have the opportunity to participate in a federally funded project about the social transmission and evasion of COVID-19. Aaron Striegel, professor of computer science and engineering, and Corey Angst, professor of IT, analytics and operations, will lead the study.
For the pilot program, which runs through mid-June, participants will be asked to carry a small wireless device called a proximity beacon with them when they are on campus. The beacon can be attached to your keychain. (Note: The beacons are NOT tracking devices nor do they register any information about the identity of the carrier. They simply calculate distance between other people carrying beacons and stationary beacons in specific locations on campus.)
If you’d like to take part in this study, email Striegel at striegel@nd.edu or Angst at cangst@nd.edu and they will send you a beacon via campus mail. Anyone who works at or attends Notre Dame is eligible. Participants will receive a $10 gift card that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted. You must have a smartphone to download an app in order to consent to the study and receive the gift card.
There is no requirement regarding the frequency with which you come to campus; however, for the pilot study, the researchers will get better data the more you are on campus. If the pilot is successful and they are able to monitor proximities, they will launch a much larger study in the fall. If you will be back on campus in the fall, please hold on to your beacon after the pilot ends and the researchers will contact you again and offer another incentive for participation.
Originally published by NDWorks at ndworks.nd.edu on May 12, 2021.