The NYCVH initiative is the first safe community science program worldwide that screens wild birds in an urban area for infectious diseases such as avian influenza that can be harmful for other birds, wildlife, and even humans. The NYCVH pilot was funded primarily by Flu Lab and launched in 2020. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant and a matching Flu Lab grant will support the NYCVH for five more years.
In the program’s first four years, 19 Junior Scientists (high school interns) gained the scientific knowledge, identities, and experiences to kickstart careers in STEM. Hundreds more students participated in community sampling events and learned about the importance of vaccines and pandemic preparedness through dedicated outreach. The Virus Hunters team, including some of the Junior Scientists interns, published research articles in Microbiology Spectrum, the Journal of Virology, and Nature Microbiology.
New York City Virus Hunters At A Glance
2020 – 2024
19 Junior Scientist high school interns
10 NYC Public High Schools in Harlem and the Bronx
5 Scientist Mentors from 3 Institutions
BioBus, Inc.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Wild Bird Fund
3 Publication with Student Authors
Microbiology Spectrum (2022): Full Article, Press Release
Journal of Virology (2024): Full Article, Press Release
Journal of Virology (2024): Commentary
Research Symposia, Outreach, Conferences, and Press
NYCVH Student Research Symposium, New York Academy of Medicine (2022, 2023, 2024)
American Society for Virology Conference (2021, 2022, 2023)
Global Community BioSummit (2021, 2022, 2023)
Citizen Science Association’s Citizen Science Conference (2021, 2022, 2023)
NIH SciEd24 (2024)
European Citizen Science Conference (2024)
Options XII for the Control of Influenza (2024)
NPR Short Wave: Here are the high schoolers tracking the bird flu virus in New York City (2024)
CBS News: “Virus hunters” are searching for bird flu in NYC (2024)
CUNY TV: Simply Science (2022)
USA Today: High school scientists-in-training take on the Big Apple as urban virus hunters (2022)
Spectrum News NY1 (Nationwide): Can wildlife predict the next pandemic? (2021)
Spectrum News NY1 (Manhattan): High schoolers take to city parks to hunt for viruses (2021)
This Week in Virology (TWiV) Podcast: The magic virus bus (2021)
The Kids Should See This: Feathers Gone Viral (2021)
Live YouTube Town Hall event: Saving Ecosystems, Stopping Disease with the One Health Initiative (2021)
The New York Times: Amid One Pandemic, Students Train for the Next (2021)
American Society for Microbiology ASM Microbe Conference (2021)
Live YouTube Town Hall event: The Flu Around You (2020)
