SDSU faculty tackle COVID-19 research

Assistant mechanical engineering professor Saikat Basu was the first SDSU researcher to have a proposal for COVID-19 research receive NSF funding . He is working with researchers at Cornell University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to design a reusable mask with a respirator that will capture and kill the novel coronavirus.

The internal structure of the respirator is modeled after the nasal cavities of animals, such as pigs and dogs, that have a keen sense of smell, Basu explained. That unique structure will help trap the aerosol virus droplets, which then adhere to and are deactivated through a combination of copper-based filters and temperature changes in the respirator walls.

“The idea is to have better technologies to reduce virus transmission in hospital settings and to protect uninfected populations,” Basu said. The project will be supported by a one-year, $200,000 grant obtained through the NSF Rapid Response Research funding mechanism.

Read the full story from South Dakota State University here.