NDSU alumnus Todd Pringle is a highly sought-after expert as the nation combats COVID-19. 除此之外, his company is helping health care providers seeking to decontaminate and re-use their N95 personal protective equipment.
Pringle is the president of Lumacept Inc., which produces the only available coating designed to reflect germ-killing ultraviolet light, 叫UV-C. That’s important because the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center recently released a protocol showing that N95 respirators can be decontaminated with UV-C.
“The COVID-19 pandemic spiked global demand for N95 masks, causing severe shortages and forcing some healthcare providers to choose between reusing yesterday's contaminated mask or wearing no mask at all. 新的净化方案, coming from the home of the National Quarantine Center, 是受欢迎的消息,品客解释道, BS ’94, electrical and electronics engineering; MS ’04, polymers and coatings science; PhD ’19, 材料与纳米技术.
The protocol calls for N95 respirators to be decontaminated with UV-C in a room painted with Lumacept. Previous research showed Lumacept was effective in reflecting UV-C into shadowed areas, while standard paint or wall coverings absorb ultraviolet light.
Lumacept被剥离了出来 《乐虎电子》的实验室, a small North Dakota technology venture co-owned by Pringle and Brian Tande, dean of engineering at the University of North Dakota. 多年来, Pringle and Tande have collaborated with research universities, hospitals and private companies around the world on a variety of subjects, 包括视觉神经科学, 园艺, 材料科学, 产品设计, 食品安全, surface disinfection and biocontainment.
大流行期间, Pringle has volunteered to help hospitals and other groups across the country that are working on the urgent implementation of UV-C systems for surface disinfection and decontamination. His expertise in germicidal ultraviolet applications and biocontainment also has been sought by Sanford Health and the North Dakota Department of Health, where he’s helping design mobile decontamination systems.
Pringle also is supporting the efforts of a newly formed group of academics from such institutions as the University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University; Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 研究人员创造了 n95decon.org, an organization intended to be a resource during the crisis.
除了, engineers and scientists from Apple and Ford have contacted Pringle looking for ways their teams might contribute. “It’s been amazing to see how quickly experts can find each other and form effective groups in this crisis,品格尔说. “I’m grateful to be useful in this fight.”
Pringle and Tande are now in discussions with Michael Kessler, NDSU dean of engineering; Dr. 保罗•卡森, NDSU professor of practice and director of antimicrobial practice at Sanford Health; and other area experts, looking for additional ways to assist in the COVID-19 fight.
《乐虎电子》的实验室 is a side venture for Pringle and Tande. Pringle also is a manager at John Deere Electronic Solutions, where he is responsible for test laboratories and leading advanced technology teams in algorithms and human-machine interface technology.
He recently enrolled in NDSU psychology graduate courses, seeking his second doctorate and fourth degree from the university.
“NDSU education is a continual part of my life. NDSU has prepared me for the challenges of being an engineer, 科学家和企业家,品格尔说. “And my network of contacts among NDSU researchers and leaders continues to open doors.”
品客和他的妻子, 斯泰西阿克曼, 是NDSU的长期支持者吗, with Ackerman serving as a trustee on the NDSU Foundation’s Executive Governing Board.
