As governments around the world take drastic measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including closing schools , many students are using their free time to help healthcare workers and others on the front lines of the global pandemic. Rowan University are putting their skills to work to help fight COVID-19, said Dr. Shreek Mandayam, professor of electrical and computer at the university. The students are using their 3D printers in their engineering lab to make face masks. Mandayam said some have taken the 3D printers home and found ways to make the face masks more user-friendly. For example, the filter slot is larger, so users can breathe more easily. It’s a team effort, according to Mandayam. The COVID-19 face masks are being made with 3D printers by engineering students and then processed by medical students from the Cooper School of Medicine, which is partnered with Rowan University.
The masks are reusable and can be customized to fit the user’s face. Mandayam noted that depending on how efficient a 3D printer, it can take anywhere from an hour and a half to six hours to make a single mask. So far, the students are making about 300 masks a week for first responders in the area. And they’re not stopping there. But they’re making this design available worldwide so anyone can download, print, and use it. Since early April, the sharing of designs online hashad a global impact. University officials said the designs have been downloaded more than 41,000 times in nearly 145 countries.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, engineering students are learning how their field relates to COVID-19. Dr. Charles Haas, a professor of environmental engineering at Drexel University, has just launched a course called “Coronavirus and Engineering.” The course covers topics such as mask, designing better building ventilation, designing building disinfection systems, and more. About 40 students are already enrolled in the course. Drexel University engineers have also used 3D printers to make face shields for local health care workers. Finally, it’s worth noting that more and more professors in various fields are incorporating the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic into curriculum .
