We’d like to give a huge congratulations to Drs. Ken Cornell, Sin Ming, and Jim Browning for receiving the NIHR21 Trailblazer Award. The NIHR21 Trailblazer award is to pursue research programs of high interest to the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. The team of Prof. Jim Browning (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Prof. Ken Cornell (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Prof. Loo (Electrical and Computer Engineering) have been awarded a Trailblazer grant to study “An Engineered Robotic Plasma Array for Large Area Surface Decontamination.”
Pathogens, bacteria and viruses, are a source of contamination and illness that can reside on surfaces (wall, countertops, handles) and transfer to people. In this project, a proposed method for disinfecting surfaces is the use of plasma (ionized gas). The species in the plasma have been shown to not only kill bacteria and viruses but also physically remove the contaminants from the surfaces. By developing plasma devices that are large and can be operated on a robotic system, the multidisciplinary team of researchers hope to demonstrate that such a system, using only air and power, could be used to decontaminate surfaces in medical facilities, thus, reducing the need for chemical disinfectants. Such a system could operate nearly continuously moving along hallways and inside rooms to treat surfaces. This three year program will train undergraduate and graduate students in many disciplines for careers that support human healthcare.