Daytona Beach, FL - Students from both of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s residential campuses, in Daytona Beach and Prescott, Arizona, are fabricating high-quality masks and face shields to help protect healthcare workers amid the novel 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
About 50 students from the Daytona Beach campus are working to create 5,000 face shields using mylar, adhesive foam and elastic ribbon for distribution to local hospitals Halifax Health and AdventHealth. Some of those students have lost their employment due to the current pandemic.
“This is an opportunity for them to earn some needed cash, as a number of students are struggling financially after the loss of jobs,” said Embry-Riddle’s Student Engagement & Student Union Executive Director Karin Gollin. “It’s also an opportunity for them to make a contribution to the local community, which is also a powerful motivator for them.”
Some students whose resources have not been affected are volunteering and the materials for the shields are being provided by Embry-Riddle. The effort is mainly being run by students, according to Golin. “I have enormous confidence in our students to problem-solve and adapt as things get going.” The students are practicing social-distancing with a mass-production plan that keeps both the students and the products safe.
Embry-Riddle Print Shop Manager Bob Doxie sourced all of the materials, not an easy task with some of the components in short supply, and figured out the process for assembling the masks.
Matthew Glass, a fourth-year Aeronautical Science major, said making the masks gives him "a mission and a sense of purpose" amid the pandemic. "With a project like this, you don't get to necessarily see the effects of your actions, but you know that you are saving lives."
