The Development of Remote Laboratory Sessions at the Stability Wind Tunnel of Virginia Tech During the Coronavirus Pandemic

This paper discusses the remote delivery of wind tunnel experiments performed at the Stability Wind Tunnel of Virginia Tech, in April 2020, during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The originally in-person laboratories were transformed to entirely remote sessions, on a time-frame of a few weeks, to ensure the delivery of the laboratory sessions and the safety of all participants via social distancing and the use of widely-available video conferencing software. The paper outlines the structure of the laboratory sessions, comprising the tour of the facility, data acquisition, and data visualization alongside with all information technology components used to ensure the successful remote delivery of the laboratory sessions. After the two-week-long experimental campaign, participating students provided feedback on the efficacy of the laboratories via a detailed questionnaire. It was found that the students were highly satisfied with the remote delivery of the laboratory sessions but showed a preference for in-person laboratories.