Learn more about SUNY Poly's COVID-19-related collaborative research
Learn more about SUNY Poly's COVID-19-related PPE manufacturing efforts

View videos of the PPE efforts by staff, faculty, and students at the Utica campus' CGAM 3D printing lab
and at the Albany campus.

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SUNY News Release:

SUNY’s 3D PPE Production at 2,100 a Day at 18 College and University Campuses with More Ramping Up Capabilities

Six CUNY Campuses are Manufacturing Hundreds More Face Shields Per Day

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Contact: Holly Liapis; Holly.Liapis@suny.edu; 518-320-1311

Albany – The State University of New York and The City University of New York are helping to produce more than 2,400 face shields a day to provide needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for New York State’s frontline health workers through the use of 3D printing, an emerging technology that is providing an invaluable means for SUNY and CUNY campuses to assist in the battle against the coronavirus.

SUNY campuses are producing 2,100 face shields a day amongst 18 SUNY college and university campuses, including University at Albany, Alfred State, Binghamton University, Broome Community College, University at Buffalo, Canton, Cobleskill, SUNY’s Cornell colleges, Delhi, Hudson Valley Community College, Jefferson Community College, New Paltz, Oswego, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Stony Brook University, and Sullivan Community College. Face shield manufacturing is expected to rise as more campuses receive materials for 3D production.

Teams at six CUNY colleges—The City College of New York, Bronx Community College, Queensborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, New York City College of Technology, and The Graduate Center—have adapted their 3D printers and associated materials to make elements that are used in protective face shields for local hospitals.

The face shields are being donated to medical teams across the state, as resources are needed by hospitals, nursing homes, and testing sites.

Face shields have become important in clinical settings as the number of coronavirus cases has surged and health professionals require an extra level of protection over face masks. The 3D printing process generates complex three-dimensional objects from computer-aided designs.

“Across the SUNY system, our talented faculty and students are using their time, energy, and ingenuity to make a significant contribution to our battle against COVID-19—and the production of protective gear for health care professionals, including those at SUNY’s three hospitals, is one measure,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “We continue to answer Governor Andrew Cuomo’s call to action by converting facilities on Long Island into medical treatment centers, providing drive-through testing sites, sending medical volunteers to the locations hardest hit, and conducting research on antivirals and clinical trials. By working together, we will emerge from this challenge even stronger than ever.”

“In times of crisis, integral New York City institutions like CUNY have a moral imperative and a social responsibility to mobilize their full resources in the service of those who need it most,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “CUNY is harnessing its powers of innovation to supplement the city’s PPE supply chain and aid the brave health care workers who are putting their lives on the line. There is no greater cause at the moment, and we are proud to stand with New York City and do what we can to help those on the front lines of the war against COVID-19.”

About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. As of Fall 2019, more than 415,500 students were enrolled in a degree-granting program at a SUNY campus. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide exceeded $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2019, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu, and for more information about additional COVID-19 fundraising efforts, visit #SUNYTogether.

About The City University of New York
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving 500,000 students of all ages and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “Genius” Grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.

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