Five student journalists and a professor walk into a chemistry lab. There is no punchline here, just a Wednesday 12:20 p.m. graduate-level Science Writing course at CU Boulder. On October 7th, we went on a field trip.

The purpose of the trip was simple. We would tour the lab, hear about the work CU scientists were conducting, and report 1,000 words on the experience — no follow-ups or research necessary.

Our required reading leading up to the trip gave away the topic. We would inevitably be learning about the impact and use of germicidal ultra-violet (GUV) radiation as a method to reduce exposure to COVID-19 or other dangerous airborne viruses.

This is a story about PhD student Rebecca Mesburis and her research in Dr. Jose Jimenez’s lab. Mesburis is an air quality researcher in CU Boulder’s chemistry program. Her current research surrounds the implementation of a catalyst used to reduce the damaging impact of GUV lights.

This is a story about chemistry, but it is also a story about us — aspiring journalists with our own interests and perceptions trying to find and report a unique and compelling edge.

When the tour began, I was embarrassingly unprepared. My notebook was in my bag. I was overthinking whether recording was allowed without explicit consent. Looking around, it made sense that the two second-year journalism students appeared to be experiencing the opposite. One, Javan Bair, had his phone out in front of him, recording initiated, fully engaged in the conversation. The other appeared equally engrossed and undisturbed. A sort of uncertainty in one of the other first-year’s eyes mirrored my own.

The lab was loud. Machines were buzzing in every corner. By the time I fully tuned in, I had missed the discussion about a “sausage reactor,” a metal contraption aptly, albeit jokingly, named for its long cylindrical shape. I later learned that this was the point in the tour when Bair found his edge. 

I followed the others into a room inside the lab. We filed in along the room’s edge, looking inward at another room made of Teflon plastic, held together with what looked like green painter’s tape. The air inside the plastic room, Dr. Jimenez explained, is controlled. This allows Mesburis and other researchers to measure pollution outputs of GUV lamps without the interference of other particles. These lamps, Dr. Jimenez told us, are the ones you could use if you want to be “the color of Trump.”

As far as quotable content goes, Dr. Jimenez was a journalist’s dream. He was witty and explained everything in simple terms, teaching complex chemistry reactions in a way we could all easily understand.

The next stop on the tour was an office. Instead of being used for administrative work, the purpose of this room was also to analyze air quality. Unlike the Teflon room, the office was only sealed as a typical office would be, providing a more realistic assessment.

As we crowded into the small space, Mesburis explained how the plastic injection and sampling tubes through which chemicals can be added to the room and air can be extracted for analysis. For her research, she examines how GUV lamps used for air disinfection alter the chemistry of the room.

The reminder that we were all breathing the same air sparked some concern. “I hope none of you have COVID,” Professor Hillary Rosner joked. Dr. Jimenez explained that if the GUV lights were on, the risk of transmitting COVID would not be a concern. The risk of ozone exposure from these lights, however, could have long-term effects. This is where the catalyst comes in.

Mesburis donned black rubber gloves to retrieve and display her catalyst. She described it as an aluminum honeycomb with manganese dioxide, possibly including other precious metals not reported by the company of origin. Cassie Sherwood, a first-year journalism student, was particularly interested in how pollution levels would change in the sampling rooms with the introduction of this catalyst.

According to Mesburis, her catalyst reduces ozone to less than five parts per billion and is successful in removing other pollutants as well. Her next steps are to continue to assess whether there are any harmful byproducts formed by its implementation.

Second-year journalism student, Abby O'Brien, asked about the possible negative impacts of GUV lamps reducing beneficial bacteria. This question posed another intriguing angle to this research. If we live in an environment where we are only exposed to clean air, are we more susceptible to other viruses outside of our bubble?

In another side conversation, Bair asked follow-up questions about the sausage reactor. Dr. Jimenez explained how the goal of the project, funded by the government, is to detect fentanyl as a safety precaution. Bair, whose reporting interests include the fentanyl epidemic, appeared naturally drawn to this specific aspect of the tour.

As for me — I could see mouths moving around me, but the metallic whirring bogarted my attention. I let myself get distracted by a textbook stacked atop a few others on a table next to the sausage reactor. Its title read, “Particulate Matter Science for Policy Makers: A NARSTO Assessment.” The policy implications of Mesburis’ research was evident. Implementation of the catalyst along with GUV lamps to reduce airborne toxins in public spaces. It is another potential take on the field trip and one I might not have considered in other circumstances.

With all these ideas swirling in my mind, I began to wonder, “Is this the story?” Different interpretations of the day’s event pose an important question: Is there a proper approach to this assignment?

Mesburis’ research represents one small piece of a larger puzzle, much like the individual perspectives from the field trip. I could argue that my approach, if unconventional, is valuable in the same way a story about fentanyl detection or the potential destruction of beneficial bacteria would be. Each viewpoint is significant, reflecting the complexity of holistic information processing. To understand the field trip in its entirety, every angle would have to be written and read. Journalistic stories aren’t any different — diverse perspectives are crucial.