The COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge our community, state and the world, and the Vandal Family continues to rise to that challenge. We can all be proud of how faculty, staff and students are adapting to the current situation. All of our more than 4,000 full-term spring class sections are being taught at a distance, and as many as 170 faculty and staff meetings are taking place at once via video conferencing. There are many more specific examples, though, of the practical problem-solving Vandals are delivering. Faculty and staff in U of I’s College of Engineering are providing crucial design updates and production guidelines to launch a communitywide effort to 3D-print N95-type masks – the devices worn by medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients. With a design expected to be finalized this week, work will begin with 3D printing partners across Idaho and Washington to mass-produce these masks for delivery to hospitals in need. 3D printers from four U of I colleges have been enlisted in the effort, and prototypes have already been validated by healthcare providers in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. Faculty in Apparel, Textiles and Design are working with regional medical professionals on a design and online instructions for those willing to sew cloth masks. And Theatre Arts students have switched from making costumes to sewing cloth masks that can both cover and extend the life of N95 masks. On Sunday, Idaho INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research) administrators donated about 33 boxes of personal protective equipment from a long-finished university project to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow. Retired laboratory technician Claudia Deobald alerted the lab that it had leftover gowns, cuffs and other equipment that could be used by doctors and nurses treating coronavirus, then worked with Gritman to put it to use. As I mentioned last week, Idaho’s medical providers are receiving regular telehealth updates about the virus, its transmission and how to respond to an outbreak through our Project ECHO program. The first session was such a success – more than 700 attended – that the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program decided to hold twice-weekly sessions to support our state’s medical professionals. Even while staying home, Vandals are finding ways to help. A funding page to support students with emergencies they can’t pay for, such as transportation home or a stable internet connection, has raised about $18,000 at last count. The Vandal Community Relief fund drive, which will continue for the next several weeks, is also raising money for the Vandal Food Pantry and Project ECHO. It has been a tough year for University of Idaho students, faculty and staff between budget challenges and preparing for the eventual arrival of COVID-19. It will get tougher, as we are now seeing and responding to signs of COVID-19 in our local community. In many ways, though, this has been our finest hour. Not only are we successfully responding to our own challenges, the Vandal Family is also finding ways to help others respond to their challenges as well. Proof positive that by supporting one another, Vandals emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. |