BUSINESSES PIVOT
Standing up to the challenge Businesses pivot to meet global demands
This prototype mask, printed at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, includes a space for a filter that can be inserted and disposed of after use. This first prototype is leading to new designs that can be mass produced to meet the huge need for masks in the healthcare community. Photo provided
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology School may no longer be in session, but some students, faculty and staff are still hard at work across campus. Members of the South Dakota Mines community have set aside their own projects and are now working to aid the COVID-19 response. This includes research and development into the manufacture, reuse and sterilization of personal protective equipment, such as face masks. Teams of researchers are also working on the manufacture of medical equipment and medical supplies such as hand sanitizer. Others are working on a computer model to help predict the number of COVID-19 cases that might occur in any given community. All of these projects are addressing needs identified by collaborators at Monument Health and other statewide healthcare facilities. “Many of the challenges posed by COVID-19 are immense. Some of the hurdles our community and nation are facing seem insurmountable. I commend our staff and faculty for the long hours of work they are putting in, alongside so many members of the local community, in the attempt to tackle these challenges. Though the solutions we need may take time, I’ve never been prouder to be a Hardrocker,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.
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E L E VAT E R A P I D C IT Y MAY 2020
