Peugeot Center of Engineering Service at Lipscomb University Provides Coveted Face Shields for Free
May 20, 2020
Caleb Meeks
When Caleb Meeks, (Director of Program Development) and Steve Sherman (Executive Director) of the Peugeot Center for Engineering Service at Lipscomb University, learned their mission trips around the world were canceled for Spring Break and this Summer, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, they got to work researching ways their Engineering Center could contribute to their community. With the knowledge of the shortage of protective gear for health workers, they began to brainstorm. It took less than a week for them to find an open sourced design for a face shield from Georgia Tech they could easily produce in their lab. Like everyone else, Steve and Caleb had been asked to work from home, but when their dean, David Elrod heard their request and production plan, he elected to grant special access for the men to work in their lab. After creating the first prototype, Steve and Caleb have produced and shipped over 7000 (150 per day) of these reusable face shields to Greater Nashville hospitals - for free.
But of course, they didn’t stop with Nashville. Not surprisingly, the Peugeot Center’s partners around the world were in desperate need of protective gear as well. Caleb began experimenting with common products like plastic transparency film, a hole punch and 12 gauge wire to create a face shield that could be recreated with minimal tools in just 10 minutes. They created a how-to video, posted it on their website and shared with a hospital in Guatemala. Now this simple shield is being used by the center’s partners worldwide to protect healthcare workers in volatile environments. “The trips were cancelled. The partnerships aren’t.” Caleb said.
The engineering students are continuing their partnerships as well. They had numerous engineering projects, like a medical waste incinerator in Honduras, on which they are still managing to work through zoom consults and idea sessions with the engineers on the ground in order to move the project forward.
When asked what other non-engineering students may do in lieu of their canceled Mission trips, Steve said, “The most valuable thing any of us can do is pray.” Caleb added, “With WhatsApp, it’s so easy to communicate across the globe. Reach out to your partners and let them know you are praying for them, and ask them to pray for you too. Keep those relationships alive. Relationships will help us all.”
|| Emily Bruff, Assistant Director of Missions and Community Connection
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