KSU Engineering Professor Uses Data, Simulations To Combat COVID-19

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

Mar 3, 2021

KSU Engineering Professor Uses Data, Simulations to Combat COVID-19

Lin Li

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Mar 3, 2021) — Universities that encourage their communities to implement social distancing and wear
face masks could prevent 99.9 percent of COVID-19 infections, according to a study
recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Information Discovery and Delivery.

The study, co-authored by Kennesaw State University assistant professor Lin Li with
University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor Yuan Zhou and graduate students,
attempted to measure virus transmissions on a college campus using a simulation model,
allowing them to gauge the effectiveness of mitigation techniques when used separately
and combined with others. Techniques included encouraging social distancing, mask
use and shifting courses to an online environment.

“Essentially, we were able to mimic the whole operation of a university down to an
individual level,” said Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. “We can take into account which kind of face mask a student prefers to use, their
course schedule and how long they are exposed to classmates. As a result, we are provided
a great deal of insights into which strategies are most effective.”

The simulation demonstrated that 99.9 percent of infections can be prevented by encouraging
social distancing and mask use even if the course modalities weren’t changed. While
the results were favorable for the institution in the study, Li cautioned that other
universities nationwide could see a different level of infection rates even if the
same measures were taken due to a difference in campus layout, course modalities and
other variables. Li and Zhou’s study used information from a university composed of
more than 40,000 students.

Zhou said the findings are promising considering many universities are already taking
the appropriate measures to reduce infections. The study also provides useful implications
that could guide universities as they continue to develop operational strategies for
future semesters, she added.

“Based on our current simulation model, our next project is scaling it up to a community
level to help us develop effective and equitable vaccination strategies to enable
in-person schooling provision while minimizing health impact of COVID-19,” Zhou said.

Since joining the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in 2017, Li has taught operations research, a subdiscipline of engineering that uses
mathematical models and techniques to improve the efficiency of large-scale systems.
After earning her Ph.D. in Operations Research at Columbia University, she landed
research jobs at technology giants IBM and Sabre. Her current research focus is using
the combination of data science, social science and decision science to study emerging
issues in strategic- and operational-level systems.

– Travis Highfield

Photos by David Caselli

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.