WOU Community Health + Polk County COVID-19 Project: Contact Tracing Efforts

The Western Oregon University (WOU) Community Health + Polk County COVID-19 Project is a partnership between WOU and Polk County Public Health Services that provides contact tracing and outreach efforts to Polk County, OR. Contact tracing is the process of notifying individuals of their exposure to COVID-19, encouraging them to get tested, self-quarantine, and monitor for signs and symptoms during their 14-day quarantine period. Contact tracing has been used in public health since the 1920s; it is an important strategy to limit the spread of communicable disease and connect affected populations with resources that promote well-being. Since September 1, 2020, our team of WOU Community Health majors has monitored 4,084 individuals. Our current team consists of 11 contact tracers, of which 7 are bilingual in Spanish. In total, 23 students have been part of the team since the inception of the program. This poster will review the process and importance of contact tracing in Polk County, while also reflecting on students\u27 professional development

Holey fibre mode-selective couplers

Mode-selective coupling in an asymmetric holey fibre coupler is demonstrated both numerically and experimentally for the first time. The coupler's performance is shown to be ultrabroadband, with significant potential existing for the use of such couplers in high bandwidth few-mode fibre networks

Modal analysis of holey fiber mode-selective couplers

Mode Division Multiplexing is currently investigated as a possible way to increase fiber system capacity. With this approach, different modes of the same fiber carry distinct information. One of the problems to be solved in these systems concerns coupling/decoupling of the various modes to/from the same fiber. In this presentation, the mode features of a mode mux/demux based on holey fibers are investigated, with particular emphasis on optimal device design. Some preliminary experimental results will also be presented