Senior mechanical engineering major, Aiden Gonder and Dr. Joao Dias, associate professor of mechanical engineering, recently took on a project that would provide an important product to Keystone Health’s pediatrics team.
“I originally wanted to have some sort of extracurricular project to demonstrate the knowledge I gained in the classroom,” Gonder said. “I went to my advisor, Dr. Dias, and asked him if he had any projects available. He said that this vaccine project was open since the student who was previously working on it graduated. I jumped on the opportunity and was excited to not only forward my education but also benefit the community.”
With Dias as Gonder’s mentor, he worked with Keystone Health and representatives from the Diller Center to develop a functional design for vaccine trays utilizing 3D printers available in the Diller Center. The process involved multiple meetings and sessions to guarantee the trays were made from safe materials and suitable in a medical setting.
Gonder and Dias faced some challenges along the way, such as some technical difficulties with 3D printers. Despite these obstacles, they were committed to completing the project. Gonder and Dias worked with the Keystone Health team, who were thrilled to receive upgraded vaccine trays. They presented two prototypes to the Keystone staff to test in their day-to-day work. A survey collected feedback on the trays and picked the preferred prototype based on the survey responses.
“Our final design has dividers so that they can separate each of the vaccines and reduce the risk of them rolling around or even off of the tray,” Gonder said.
On February 13, the vaccine trays were delivered by Gonder and Dias to the Keystone Health Pediatric unit in Chambersburg.
What started as a small effort eventually became an impactful contribution to the regional healthcare system. Gonder was honored to be able to build upon his mechanical engineering skills and work under Dias, while also positively impacting the day-to-day work of medical professionals and their patients.
