And now for a little inspiration....
We recently learned of great work being done by our friend Alex Wulff and the non-profit group STEMbassadors. STEMbassadors is a student-managed, non-profit company formed in 2017, comprised of 12 motivated middle and high school students with highly developed STEM “maker” skills.
STEMbassadors has now turned all of their resources toward making personal protective equipment for hospital workers in Ventura County. Using 3D printers, they are currently producing face shields for medical workers on the front line.
In a recent interview, Alex explained how at first he believed they would just be a "stop gap for 4 or 5 days" to fill the need for local hospitals, however, the demand has only grown as local hospitals are requesting 1000's of face shields.
Alex described the amazing outpouring of support from people throughout the community... from the non-stop work of young people cleaning and assembling the shields, to the student who fixes the 3D printers when they break down, to the suppliers who provide parts either free or at cost.
In the last few days, they were able to double production from 100 to around 200 shields per day because STEMbassadors rallied the local 3D printing community to also make the 3D printed head bands for the shields. Without the community of volunteers making and delivering the headbands, they would not have been able to ramp up their production.
They continue to work toward expanding their network and will soon begin work in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles as well.
It's awesome to see this group of young STEM enthusiasts donating their skills, time, equipment, and effort into providing much needed supplies to the first responders and hospitals in our community!
If you would like to support this effort you may donate at the STEMbassadors website: https://www.stembassadors.net/donate