UNC-Chapel Hill’s makerspaces and a bevy of volunteers move their PPE initiative into production, building 2,000 face shields in the first two days
If you routinely walk between UNC-Chapel Hill’s Murray Hall makerspace and Kenan Science Library, you’re not easily surprised by what you see there. Carolina students and others often stroll through this area with any type of object you can imagine in tow – parts, projects or prototypes that they’ve crafted with the help of 3D printers, laser cutters or woodworking tools.
But this past Friday and Saturday, even those who visit this part of campus regularly would have stopped in their tracks for a double take at what was unfolding: volunteers set up at tables working hours at a time assembling face shields to help doctors and nurses who are treating COVID-19 patients.
The scene was made possible by an initiative led by the UNC Be A Maker (BeAM) team, which is ramping up production of tens of thousands of face shields for hospital workers by the end of April. Time is of the essence, as hospitals sprint to prepare for potential shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to patient surges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
| UNC-CH