InterAmerican University students, professors making protective face shield frames
A group comprising students and professors from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico’s School of Engineering in Bayamón is working with a team of doctors and health professionals to manufacture face shield frames, the university announced.
The group, called Facing Up Covid-19, provides the equipment to personnel who are working on the front line against the COVID-19 virus, through an online platform, they said.
Facing Up Covid 19’s approach to the group at the Inter Bayamón coincided with the interest from students and professors from the School of Engineering to develop a project to manufacture face shields.
“As part of the joint project, the students and faculty of the School of Engineering will be using 3D printers on the school premises to print the plastic frames for the shields,” said Javier A. Quintana-Méndez, dean of the School of Engineering.
“A first design provided by the group of doctors was printed, and then the students developed a second design. The working group is made up of three students and two faculty members,” he said.
“This project represents an excellent opportunity for our institution to contribute to the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico,” Quintana-Méndez added.
So far, the group has produced some 450 frames that have been delivered to Facing Up Covid 19.
“The transparent film is placed in these plastic frames. At the beginning of the project, the frames were produced with material from the School of Engineering. The medical group subsequently got materials thanks to different donations,” said Quintana-Méndez.
The students participating in the project are Gabriel González-Padín, Krystal Santiago-Olavarría, and Noah R. Almeda-Sánchez, with professors Wilson Lozano and Eduardo Pérez.
“Given the risk that the coronavirus represents for Puerto Rico, coupled with the shortage of protective equipment for all of us who battle from the front line, I needed to contribute my grain of sand to my island,” said Sharon M. González, member of the Facing Up Covid 19 organization.
“So, we decided to start producing face shields to protect our true heroes,” she said.
