BINGHAMTON, NY--The State University of New York has awarded grants of up to $10,000 to three teams at Binghamton University to pursue research projects related to COVID-19.
"It is a great privilege for our students and faculty to have the opportunity to pursue these projects, which could help protect the people of New York state and beyond," said Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger. "That three of our projects were selected shows how innovative and big-thinking our students and faculty are, and we are excited to see what our teams can accomplish."
While COVID-19 vaccines are now being given to medical personnel fighting at the frontlines of the pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other healthcare protocols will continue to be necessary to contain the virus in the coming months and other infectious diseases in the future. As a way to develop state-of-the-art PPE and improve effective safety interventions, State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced awards from the SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program . A total of 12 teams of SUNY students and faculty across seven campuses received up to $10,000 each in seed funding to conduct further research on their proposals. The program is designed to provide real-life, hands-on applied learning experiences for students, and actively involve them in the creation of pandemic-related solutions.
The winning proposals range from developing new antiviral surface sanitizers for college campuses and other facilities to creating a low-cost surgical mask that has the filtration efficiency of an N95 respirator while maintaining airflow for individuals with respiratory issues.
"From day one, SUNY has been leading the effort to combat COVID-19 with providing frontline healthcare workers PPE, like face shields using innovative 3D printing technology, developing world-leading testing and conducting vaccine trials -- in other words, SUNY has helped save lives," said Malatras. "We want to continue to harness the intellectual firepower of SUNY faculty, researchers, and students to develop the latest breakthroughs in the fight against COVID-19 or the next infectious disease. I applaud today's 12 award winners for their innovations because they will help slow the spread and make a difference. This is just another example of how the largest system of public higher education is making an important impact."
The three winnings projects at Binghamton University are:
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