CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — “The Nose Knows About COVID-19,” a virtual scientific event, will help the public get to know their senses of smell and taste better, and how these senses are often affected when people contract the coronavirus.
Appropriate for ages 5 and above, the event will be offered in English, French, Italian and Spanish at noon EDT on Aug. 3, and in Japanese only at 8 p.m. EDT on Aug. 7.
Offered in multiple languages, “The Nose Knows About COVID-19” online event is suitable for people ages 5 and above.
Along with an internet connection, participants will need a fruit candy, mint gum and toothpaste, paper and a pencil to take part in sensory activities.
M. Yanina Pepino, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Temple University psychology professor Valentina Parma will lead the activities. Pepino’s and Parma’s research focuses on human taste and olfaction, respectively.
Parma co-chairs the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research, a diverse group of scientists, clinicians, patient advocates and community partners that is conducting worldwide scientific studies on the chemosensory symptoms associated with the coronavirus. Pepino is also a member of that team, which includes experts from 38 countries.
The event is a collaborative initiative of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, the European Chemoreception Research Organization and the Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell.
“The Nose Knows About COVID-19” is part of the annual International Symposium on Taste and Smell, which is being offered as a virtual conference this year due to the pandemic and is free and open to the public, as well.
Editor’s Note: “The Nose Knows About COVID-19” infographic can be downloaded at https://go.illinois.edu/NoseKnowsaboutCOVID19
