School of Nursing and School of Medicine: December 2021
UConn’s first boxathon was sponsored by the Petit Family Foundation’s Haley’s Hope and Michaela’s Miracle $10,000 grant. UConn Graduate and Undergraduate students from the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, and CT Area Health Education Center (CTAHEC) created 100 portable air purifiers. These units were deployed to the West Hartford Elementary Cafeterias, where many schools have no HVAC and limited ventilation. It was inspired by Dr. Kimberly Prather’s student-build of 200 purifiers at UC San Diego.
- Two students creating a Do It Your air filter
- A young lady carrying a Do It Yourself air filter
- A young gentleman carrying a Do It Yourself air filter
- Deployed Do It Yourself air filters in a school
School of Engineering: February 2022
This initiative was led by Dr. Faye Assanah, this course is being done as a second semester “Introduction to Engineering” freshman level students incorporated DIY air purifiers into their curriculum as the class project, spanning all four University of Connecticut regional Campuses. In addition, the university is pleased to have these 8 purifiers donated to the Hartford Public Library, and 94 were donated to the local Coventry Public Schools in this national time of need as a result of COVID-19.
- Engineering students and their class project, Corsi-Rosenthal boxes
- Engineering students carrying their creations to the box truck
- Engineering students loading up the truck for distribution to local schools
- Engineering students decorate the shrouds with encouraging messages, highlighting the Arts as STEM becomes STEAM
- Engineering Student created Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes arriving at the pilot school district, ready for distribution!
- Student created Corsi Rosenthal box in West Hartford Elementary School cafeteria
- Hosting massive box-a-thons requires SPACE! Cases of MERV13 air filters ready for action
School of Nursing: March 2022
UConn’s School of Nursing students created many portable air purifiers. These units were deployed, where many schools have no HVAC and limited ventilation.