Faculty, staff and students at South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology are working on a range of efforts to help the state and nation deal
with COVID-19.
Members of the South Dakota Mines community
are teaming with officials at Monument Health and other healthcare providers,
local industry and military and government officials to identify areas where the
university’s science and engineering expertise can help.
The work underway at Mines is parallel to many
efforts by academic, government and private sector organizations across the United
States where scientists and engineers are providing solutions to help reduce
the spread of COVID19. The COVID-19 Supply Chain Response is one example. It is curated by the National
Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Veterans
Healthcare Administration and the organization America Makes.
The university does not have the capacity to distribute any personal protective equipment (PPE) or medical supplies. Mines is partnering with healthcare providers on distribution of any items developed or made on campus.
Work under way on campus includes:
- Research
and development into design and manufacture of PPE.
- Efforts to
sterilize and reuse PPE.
- Exploring and
researching ways to help design and manufacture medical equipment and supplies such
as hand sanitizer.
- The development
and testing of a computer model to help predict the number of COVID-19 cases that
might occur in any given community.
Science and engineering involve trial and
error. While every effort is being made to find the most expedient solutions,
anything designed or produced by the university must undergo needed testing. This
is a process that takes time.
“We do not want to over promise that we will
find immediate solutions,” says Mines President Jim Rankin. “Many of the
challenges posed by COVID-19 are immense. Some of the hurdles our community and
nation are facing seem insurmountable. I commend our staff and faculty for the
long hours of work they are putting in, alongside so many members of the local
community, in the attempt to tackle these challenges. Though the solutions we
need may take time, I’ve never been prouder to be a Hardrocker.”