March 23, 2020
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our society, the UP College of Engineering (UPCoE) is spurred to action, with the aim of providing engineering solutions to the critical needs of the country. A CoViD-19 response team was formed by Dean Ferdinand G. Manegdeg, together with Dr. Gerald Jo G. Denoga (Associate Dean for Research), Dr. Carl Michael F. Odulio (Associate Dean for Administration), Dr. Florencio C. Ballesteros, Jr. (Associate Dean for Instruction), Dr. Juvy A. Balbarona (Associate Dean for Student Affairs), Dr. Manolo G. Mena (NGSE Director), Dr. Eligia D. Clemente (College Secretary) and Dr. Eden May B. dela Peña (Associate Dean for Public Service). Under the guidance of the team, ideas from the different members of UPCoE were collated and assessed. The following lists those proposals that were deemed promising and considered useful in our fight against the COVID-19 threat. Each item contains a short description of the proposed concept, the project proponents, and the needed cash infusion to initiate work. Project implementation will be conducted in coordination with the UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPERDFI) and UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE).
- 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS FOR OUR FRONTLINERS
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), particularly face shield frames, used by our medical frontliners are currently in scarce supply. UPCoE is pooling 3D printers that will be used for the production of these much-needed items and currently requesting all Departments, including associated government-funded projects, to lend their 3D printers. These will be installed in the EEEI building and an able production crew will manage the PPE fabrication.
Project lead: Dr. Gerald Jo G. Denoga (UPDME)
Project team members: Dr. Michael Pedrasa (UPEEEI), Asst. Prof. Mario Carreon (UPDCS) and Mr. Erik Lacson (Meta-Tech)
Project estimated amount: Php 200,000.00
- PROTOTYPE ADULT VENTILATOR
Since COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, patients often require the use of ventilators to aid in breathing. Hospitals are now running short of this equipment, and most are not capable of investing resources to acquire such apparatus. Ventilators are expensive and sophisticated machines and are difficult to procure locally as these are sourced from abroad. A team of engineers from UPCoE will look into creating prototype adult ventilators that are quick to produce and are cost-effective alternatives to commercially-available ones.
Project lead: Asst. Prof. Paul Rogers (DME)
Project team members: Dr. Manuel V. Hernandez, Jr. (UPDME), Prof. Edwin N. Quiros (UPDME), Dr. Carl Michael F. Odulio (UPEEEI), Engr. Robert Dizon (MIRDC-DOST) and Dr. Joel M. Santiaguel (UP PGH)
Project estimated amount: Php 500,000.00
- TRACKING HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS
Monitoring the location and movement of persons under investigation (PUIs) is critical in preventing the rapid spread of the disease. Accurate information on PUI movement will also help assess the risks of contamination of an area. This project, in coordination with the different government agencies and telecommunication companies, proposes to create an effective movement tracker for registered PUIs in the community.
Project lead: Dr. Ariel Blanco (UPDGE)
Project team members: Dr. Rosalie B. Reyes (UPDGE), Dr. Czar Jakiri Sarmiento (UPDGE), Asst. Prof. Roseanne V. Ramos (UPDGE), Asst. Prof. Ransie Joy Apura (UPDGE) and Asst. Prof. Edgardo G. Macatulad (UPDGE)
Project estimated amount: Php 300,000.00
- DISINFECTION AND DECONTAMINATION THROUGH PLASMA CLEANING
The disinfection and decontamination of frequently touched surfaces is one of the effective ways to curb the spread of the virus. This project, in coordination with the UP Manila College of Medicine, the UP Philippine General Hospital and the faculty of UPCOE, aims to fabricate a mobile plasma treatment apparatus that can be employed for the disinfection of building surfaces (e.g. hospital walls, emergency rooms, walkways), PPEs and health utilities (e.g. air filters), and office equipment.
Project lead: Dr. Magdaleno Vasquez, Jr. (UPDMMME)
Project team members: Asst. Prof. Katrina Lois Taaca (UPDMMME) and Assoc. Prof. Eduardo Magdaluyo (UPDMMME)
Project estimated amount: Php 70,000.00
- DISINFECTION OF PPE VIA UV LIGHT
The current stockpile of PPE, particularly N95 medical masks and respirators, is already insufficient, and the capacity to expand production of these is limited. This team of UPCoE faculty hopes to fabricate a prototype cleaning chamber, based on ultraviolet (UV-C) light exposure, that will be used for disinfecting used PPEs. The clean PPE’s can then be safely re-issued and re-used by medical personnel for protection.
Project lead: Dr. Florencio C. Ballesteros, Jr. (DChE) and Dr. Eligia D. Clemente (UPDMMME)
Project team members: Prof. Ferdinand G. Manegdeg (UPDME), Dr. Annaliza Rollon (UPEnE) and Dr. Louernie de Sales-Papa (UPEnE)
Project estimated amount: Php 600,000.00
Let us work together as one for the success of these projects. UPCoE is currently raising funds and resources for these projects and humbly asks for your generous support to fund the above works.
For cash donations, please course through any of the UP Engineering and Research Development Foundation (UPERDFI) or UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE) accounts below:
Account Name: UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc.
Bank & Account No.: BPI,
C/A 3081-0292-44
Account Name: UPAEA, Inc.
Bank & Account No.: BDO Peso Savings (Katipunan Branch),
003570035829
Account Name: University of the Philippines Alumni Engineers Association, Inc. (UPAEA, Inc.)
Bank & Account No.: BDO Dollar Savings (Katipunan Branch)
103570152663
SWIFT CODE: BNORPHMM
Kindly send a copy of the deposit slip, or a screenshot of the electronic transaction, to Dr. Eden May B. dela Peña (ebdelapena@up.edu.ph), Associate Dean for Public Service College of Engineering UP Diliman, for accounting purposes. Donations will be acknowledged accordingly, and an audited report will be emailed to our donors.
Furthermore, for suggestions and enquiries on the different projects, send an email to Dr. Eden May B. dela Peña at ebdelapena@up.edu.ph.
Together, we will get through this challenging time. We continue to wish for everyone’s safety, health and well-being.
UPDCoE20200324 – 2A