Engineers and artists at the University of North Texas are teaming up to create face shields for faculty and students to use once campus laboratories begin to reopen.
“Our students and faculty follow strict safety protocols in our laboratories, which means they must use safety equipment such as masks, gloves, face shields, etc.,” said Mark McLellan, vice president for research and innovation via release. “But, as everyone knows, there is a shortage of certain equipment due to COVID-19. Fortunately, we have the tools and the talent to make our own.”
The College of Visual Arts and Design and the College of Engineering are 3D printing, cutting, and assembling about 30 transparent face shields each day. Engineering doctoral student Cesar Chavez made improvements on the online design and included the UNT logo.
“We are a Tier One research university because we have the expertise, equipment and capability of tackling world-sized problems,” said McLellan via release. “I believe these and other efforts across campus to address problems resulting from COVID-19 show our researchers’ talents.”