University of Houston McGovern College of the Arts Installs Integrated Viral Protection Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System™ to Safely Reopen Moores Opera House for Virtuosi of Houston Youth Orchestra Live Concert

The University of Houston Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts has strategically partnered with Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) to re-open the Moores Opera House safely during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Moores Opera House on the University of Houston campus became the first performance venue in the nation to be equipped with the IVP Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System™ and to host a live performance with an audience on Saturday, Dec. 5, featuring the Virtuosi of Houston youth orchestra. The concert was also available via live stream on YouTube.

The IVP filtration system is an affordable, mobile plug-and-purify device designed to instantly eliminate SARS-CoV-2, anthrax spores and other airborne contaminants at 99.999 percent through a heated filter that does not impact the temperature of the ambient indoor air. The system was first designed by IVP founder and inventor Monzer Hourani, who has a background in physics, science, and engineering. Hourani developed the advanced biodefense system in partnership with Dr. Garrett Peel, co-founder and managing principal with IVP; Dr. Zhifeng Ren, director of the Superconductivity Center of Texas at the University of Houston; and other scientists at the UTMB Galveston National Lab and University of Texas A&M Engineering and Experiment Station.

Hourani, a long-time supporter of Virtuosi, served as guest conductor at the Saturday night Virtuosi performance at Moores Opera House. In “normal times,” the Moores Opera House seats over 800 patrons. Approximately 200 people attended the concert, were spaced for social distancing, and were required to wear face coverings in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

“I am thrilled to see the positive results of research completed at the Texas Center for Superconductivity and the Physics Department at the University of Houston in collaboration with our IVP team being applied in a live performance setting in less than six months. I am excited that the Virtuosi concert at the Moores Opera House was the first performance venue in the United States that was outfitted with the new COVID-19-killing technology. Our air protection system protected Virtuosi performers, the conductors, and the audience. This technology is effective in containing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19) and will contribute to helping our society return to normalcy sooner,” commented Dr. Peel.

Materials Physics Today published a peer-reviewed study confirming that the system effectively eliminates actual SARS-CoV-2, anthrax spores and other airborne contaminants. The research has been publicly supported by research faculty at the Argonne National Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“We’ve gone to great lengths this year in the McGovern College of the Arts to keep our faculty, staff, students, and patrons safe while we continue to deliver the highest quality arts instruction. These filtration systems -- which are a product of our own labs at the University of Houston in collaboration with the teams at Medistar and IVP -- are another step in that direction. I could not be happier for this opportunity to pilot them in the Moores Opera House,” commented Andrew Davis, Dean of the McGovern College of the Arts.

The University of Houston music program was recently ranked No. 1 among the best colleges for music in 2021 out of 143 colleges and universities, according to College Factual.

In addition to the U of H Moores Opera House, some of the many entities that have successfully deployed IVP technology include InterContinental Houston - Medical Center Hotel; Galveston Independent School District (ISD); Comal-ISD; Somerset-ISD; Slidell-ISD, Post-Acute Medical (PAM); George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, and the Municipality of Baytown, Texas.

About Integrated Viral Protection (IVP)

Integrated Viral Protection Solutions, LP (IVP) was created by Monzer Hourani in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. IVP Solutions fosters the research, development, and deployment of technologies that offer biodefense solutions to mitigate transmission of biological threats in indoor environments. At the heart of this novel biodefense design is a proprietary heated mesh that works in conjunction with legacy air filtration found in HVAC systems. The resulting suite of products will offer proven in-line mitigation for the airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors.

The Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System is first line prevention technology against environmentally (airborne) mediated transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The heated biodefense filter can be retrofitted into commercial and home HVAC systems and/or deployed as a mobile unit equipped with powerful filtration capability.

IVP Solutions’ research partners include The University of Houston Center for Superconductivity, Texas A&M Department of Experimental Engineering, and The UTMB Galveston National Lab. IVP proprietary products have received independent endorsements from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Argonne National Lab (site of the Manhattan Project) and other leading scientists of global stature, including Dr. Paul C.W. Chu (National Medal of Science by President Reagan for his discovery of Superconductivity/Nobel Prize nominee), and Dr. George Crabtree (University of Illinois Chicago, Argonne Laboratory, and National Academy of Science).

For more information, please visit: www.ivpair.com. For media inquiries, please contact Santiago Mendoza Jr. via mobile 281 865 7096 or email smendoza@ivpair.com