Goodwin University's School of Business, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing Produces PPE and a Sense of Community

by Phil Moore

East Hartford, CT (04/27/2020) — In mid-March, as the COVID-19 pandemic was tightening its grip on Greater Hartford, Dr. Cliff Thermer, Dean of Goodwin University's School of Business, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing, received a call from Dr. Maria Ellis, president of the Board of Trustees, updating him on the local depletion of available protective masks and asking if Goodwin could help. The University had recently donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to local healthcare facilities, and faculty and staff were anxious to do more.

School leadership discussed how Goodwin could help with the shortage, passing along relevant information for consideration. Administrative assistants researched project materials and 3D printer prototype codes. Provost and Dean of Faculty Dr. Danielle Wilken connected Goodwin to Dr. Chris Wiles, a Connecticut physician designing 3D masks from his dining room table.

Goodwin Quality Lab technician Taylor Perry added her talents by sewing cloth masks, stationed directly across the hall from Pratt and Whitney's Composite Center. Pratt and Whitney offered the use of their 6' X 10' Gerber fabric cutting system and suggested using their 2' fabric welding heat sealer for fusing polyester fibers to filters for an airtight alternative to sewing. Ellie Pelletier, previously a professional seamstress and now a senior administrative assistant at Goodwin, left the confines of her home to help Perry work on creating more masks.

An influx of information on producing PPE arrived from Goodwin employees eager to help hand. From the abundance of ideas that came in, the Quality Lab team, led by lead technician Les Sinnock, selected plans that could be authentically produced and put into action.

"We're not a manufacturer, we're a school," Thermer stated. "We teach students how to make things. But when called upon, we're taking what we have, with the knowledge we have, driven by the technology available to us, and saying, 'Hey, we can do this.' Out of great need come great ideas, and to see that happening here at Goodwin with our partners and our people is really cool."

In Advanced Manufacturing's first round of supplies to fight the shortage on the frontlines, they've produced various designs of masks including 3D models, a cloth design, and an additional face shield.

Eighty "Montana masks," using the designs of neurosurgeon Dr. Dusty Richardson, were fabricated in Goodwin's state-of-the-art Manufacturing Annex using 3D printers. The filter inserts are of MERV-13 grade, blocking impurities like dust, dander, bacteria, and most importantly, respiratory viruses like COVID-19. The tourniquet elastics that act as fastening straps were provided by Dr. Paula Dowd, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions.

Twenty-five face shields were also generated. Once the framing design was established, the Quality Lab tech team, including Tom Curry and Allan Nelson, had to find materials to make the shield. Ultimately, acetate sheets, typically used for overhead projections, were chosen. Elastic tourniquets were used for the shield's headband, and weather stripping, already on-hand at the University, was inserted for comfort.

The final masks and shields were inspected, bagged, UV light treated, disinfected, and sanitized before being transferred to Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital, or UCONN Health Center, according to need.

Faculty and staff making the masks and shields must still attend to their daily duties, adjusting to online instruction, making equipment training videos, and calling every student for routine wellness checks during social distancing. On a mission to make a difference in our community, the Quality Lab tech team work in shifts to contest the catastrophic effects of the Coronavirus. "While the world was shutting down, everybody and all the pieces had to come together here to make this happen," Thermer marveled. "And I'm proud to say that Goodwin is doing all we can to help."

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