Like many other people, Boston University's scientific community is returning to their worksites under new safety protocols and physical distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. In March, all of BU's nonessential research was put on pause or moved to remote-only work to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Over the last few months, under BU's research recovery plan, researchers have begun phasing back into on-campus lab work with reduced personnel and increased precautions.
So what does that reopening process look like in a cutting-edge research facility like the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering?
It's involved reconfiguring 14 common spaces comprising a total of 6,311 square feet, posting 266 directional and instructional signs throughout the building, taping off microscope eyepieces, prohibiting more than one person at a time from being inside a closed room, and rearranging 108 pieces of furniture to allow for physical distancing. The Brink took a behind-the-scenes look at how building and lab managers are getting BU's scientists back to work, safely.
