OTTAWA -- Students at the University of Ottawa are ramping up production of protective gear for frontline health care workers in Ottawa.
Using 3D printers and laser cutters, students and staff in the Makerspace Lab can create plastic face shields for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Ottawa tells CTV News Ottawa that the lab is now creating 300 face shields a day.
According to the University of Ottawa Gazette, electrical engineering professor and director of the Makerspace Lab Hanan Anis asked students and staff to think of ways to help after the Ontario Government appealed to manufacturers to help produce personal protective equipment.
Anis says requests to the Ricard L’Abbe Makerspace lab haven’t stopped since late March, including a request from the Montfort Hospital.
On Friday, the University of Ottawa thanked Scotiabank for a $25,000 donation to the uOttawa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design to support the work of the students producing the face shields.
Universities and colleges helping local hospitals
Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College and La Cite have delivered supplies and ventilators to hospitals.
Last week, uOttawa delivered 252 large boxes of gloves, facemasks, N95 respirators, boot/shoe covers and other supplies to Ottawa-area hospitals.
Many of the items overlap with what uOttawa labs use everyday in their research. The university has also been collecting donations from businesses.
On Wednesday, Carleton University completed a second run of personal protective equipment to the Ottawa Hospital, CHEO and Queensway Carleton Hospital.
