URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Fall_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

breathing. States around the country were running out of ventilators and Rhode Island needed to be prepared. Having worked with the University on a number of projects Rumsey reached out to Vice President Snyder knowing that URI would be a great resource. And in the meantime, Hornstein discovered through his connections that Mount Sinai Hospital in New York was using CPAP and BiPAP machines as backup ventilators. “The lightbulb went off,” Rumsey said. “I called George, who quickly gathered Erik, Alex, and Peter on a call and we asked, ‘Can we do this?’ They all jumped on board immediately. Dr. Snyder promised that URI could make this great plan happen, and he delivered.” The team talked about collections points. Nickolopolous, as a volunteer firefighter in West Greenwich, suggested fire stations and called his chief, Raymond Kelley of the Hianloland Fire Department, who connected Nickolopolous to the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs and through Executive Director Rick Susi, and soon established 30 fire station collection points.

Alex Hornstein, director, VentilatorProject.org.

the genius who came up with the concept; and Tao Wei, URI associate professor of electrical, computer and biomedical engineering, the critically important quality control expert. This team was supported by Patricia Correia, from URI’s research division, and with process design advice from Christian Cowan, the then director for the Polaris Manufacturing Extension Program at URI and the chief operating officer for the URI Research Foundation. “We had a common goal – first to find a way to help the state if the spread of the disease outpaced its supply of ventilators and then help other states and countries with great need. This was a home run.” Rumsey said, “It couldn’t have been more successful.” Rumsey was tapped by the state’s leaders to come up with ideas, and chased down every lead to keep infected Rhode Islanders

Tao Wei Associate Professor

Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering

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