Community Impact Research & Discovery

April 28, 2020 | Angelina Reyes - UConn Communications

UConn Puts Innovation to Work In Fight Against COVID-19

Joe Luciani of the Proof of Concept Center at the Innovation Partnership Building is putting his skills and technology to work for those on the front lines of the struggle against coronavirus.

Joe Luciani of the Proof of Concept Center at the Innovation Partnership Building is putting his skills and technology to work for those on the front lines of the struggle against coronavirus. ()

Joe Luciani, director of UConn’s Proof of Concept Center, is laser-machining face shields to meet demand at UConn Health for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the struggle against COVID-19. Luciani’s center is located at the Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Storrs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, this state-of-the-art prototyping facility helped Connecticut companies develop new products. Now Luciani is working on producing as many shields as possible for health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic. He is working with industry partners and other UConn departments to send hundreds of face shields each week to UConn Health.

Read more about how UConn is putting innovation to work in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.