Course Details

We breathe without thinking, even as we navigate tides and rivers of air without notice. So what are the particles we inhale? This course will examine this question from several vantage points. To start, participants review a science fiction story in order to prompt questions; once these are answered, participants will survey the atmosphere’s role as a conveyance and as a habitat for microbial life. Next, participants will identify what air particles arrive in a breath from global, regional, local, and indoor sources. Together, the atmosphere and its particle load serve as a foundation for discussing pandemics and contagion spread, air quality, national security, allergy season, and indoor health. We end with best practices for how to live better in a humid temperate climate and its seasonal change. This course is taught from the perspective of the atmosphere and its airborne particles, rather than healthcare.