Faculty Research
IMS Members Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic Institute of Materials Science
As the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear beginning in March of 2020, IMS was forced to shutter operations until safety standards could be established and implemented. Our staff began telecommuting to keep administrative tasks on target but laboratories remained closed pending those safety policies. In the face of personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages for frontline healthcare workers and ventilators for coronavirus patients during the initial outbreak, IMS faculty members stepped up in creative ways. They worked to design custom-fitting masks, developed a prototype for an emergency-use ventilator, and produced hand sanitizer.
tom-fit mask frames and exoskeletons to give conventional masks the optimal protective qualities of N95 respirators. “We use a combination of facial recognition software and 3D printing to create the exact dimensions and make the perfect size,” says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the Institute’s CEO. “It’s very difficult to make one-size fits all, and one size shouldn’t fit all.” IMS is proud of our faculty, students, and staff. We salute them for rising to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Jeffrey McCutcheon, in collaboration with the Fraunhöfer Center, led a team developing a prototype of an emergency ventilator that could be produced by Connecticut manufacturers to help ease the anticipated shortage of the devices as the novel coronavirus continued to spread across the state. As a first step, the team built a prototype of the ventilator using a number of plastic parts. A second generation model was recently completed that is made out of aluminum. McCutcheon’s hope was that the prototype used parts that would be easy to make by Connecticut manufacturers working in metal or machinery.
The second generation prototype of the emergency ventilator.
“It’s a clever, simple approach to produce a rapidly deployable emergency ventilator. If the health care professionals in the state or region see a shortage coming based on the models of ICU admittance, they could use these and not start from scratch.” Dr. Cato Laurencin was first to point out the racial disparity in deaths from the virus. A review of public health data through the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic found disproportionate infection and mortality rates in Connecticut’s minority populations, particularly among Blacks. “We had the first peer-reviewed, published study that really stated that,” said Dr. Laurencin, CEO of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health and lead author. “Also, we’re very proud that we pushed the state to move forward in terms of getting the data. Once they got the data and saw all the data, they realized that this was important to place on the state website for all to see.” Not long after the release of Dr. Laurencin’s findings, the nation began to wake up to the reality of the disparities.
Amir Seyedsalehi, a graduate research assistant in the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, delivers custom-fit mask frames to the UConn Health intensive care unit, with nurse manager Patricia Hurley (left) and assistant nurse manager Crystall Coe (right). (Photo by Godwin Dzidotor)
Working with the Fraunhöfer USA Center for Energy Innovation, located in the Innovation Partnership Building at UConn’s Tech Park, chemical engineering doctoral student Noah Ferguson led a project that produced Husky Hand Sanitizer for distribution to local facilities and charities. The hand sanitizer was produced to World Health Organization (WHO) specifications. The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering developed a method to fabricate cuswww.ims.uconn.edu
UConn hand sanitizer is being produced by the Fraunhöfer USA Center for Energy Innovation.
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