Coordinating efforts to protect medical professionals
It’s been just over a month since the Sugiuchi household started using their 3D printers to create free face shields for medical workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To date, Chris (B.S.Ed. ’97, M.Ed. ’01) and Deirdre (M.Ed. ’01) Sugiuchi, both alumni of the Mary Frances Early College of Education, have created over 1,800 face shields for dozens of hospitals, clinics, health centers, and organizations in Georgia, including the police department in Watkinsville.
“We had no idea we would still be making face shields at this point,” said Deirdre. “Just the other day, we got an email from a surgery center in Athens. They had ordered face shields commercially, but they didn’t come in. So, that’s the type of thing that healthcare professionals are having to deal with.”
Additionally, William Immonen (M.Ed. ’16), an IT professional specialist the College’s Office of Information Technology, recently joined Athens’ informal “makers” group and has been working closely with faculty and staff in both the College of Education and the College of Engineering to produce headbands for face shields. Since early April, he has produced a total of eight headbands using a plastic-like material called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).