In this special edition of DFSME In Action, we recognize and celebrate our supporters and how
they are helping in the fight against the pandemic during this unprecedented time.

DFSME is extremely grateful for our sponsors, partners, and friends who support
STEM sustainability and equity for Delaware students, teachers and citizens. They value
education, Delaware students and educators. They also value community.

In this issue, we also announce the new dates for our upcoming
Equity 2020 Conferences and the 6th Annual STEM Educator Awards along with application links and deadlines for award materials.

In our next issue, DFSME will share profiles of STEM career professionals. We invite Delaware teachers to share these meaningful COVID-19 success stories with students, inspiring them to further explore STEM careers. The STEM Career Profiles will be available for downloading on DFSME website.

To share STEM successes within your organization, contact us at dfsmestem@gmail.com .
LabWare is Rolling Out COVID-19 Test Kits
LabWare, the leading global provider of enterprise software for testing laboratories, has created a COVID-19 test kit that helps states, health care centers, and laboratories eliminate the paperwork at collection sites, reduce the turnaround for test results, eliminate accessioning errors and streamline distribution of the results.

In collaboration with Tangen Biosciences, LabWare's Field Disease Surveillance kit will be available with the Tangen GeneSpark, a molecular field POC test for Covid-19 creating a portable laboratory that reduces the wait time for results to under 30 minutes, aiding efforts to stem the spread of the virus.
 
Vance Kershner, company founder, has self-funded the first 200 kits in production and they are hoping to scale up to 1,000 kits in the coming weeks. He believes LabWare can quickly ramp up to produce 2,500 to 4,000 kits per month once their supply chain is intact.
 
LabWare is starting to assemble the kits in a Wilmington Riverfront facility, launched with 15 people, all college students who will have difficulty finding jobs in the current economic climate. They staff shipping and receiving, inventory, configuration and assembly positions. The Florida Department of Health has submitted a purchase order for 150 kits with a verbal commitment for another 100 in the next month and 3 others when the GeneSpark becomes available. Delaware has also committed to purchase 3 kits. Fulfillment will begin this week on those orders.
 
With the new kits, the testing process will decrease most COVID-19 test results from 2-4 days from commercial labs to under 30 minutes – and can be communicated to the patient while they wait. Infected patients can immediately self-quarantine to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

For more info on how LabWare is helping in the fight against COVID-19, click here .
DuPont’s COVID-19 Assistance in Delaware

Headquartered in Wilmington for over two centuries, DuPont is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life.  At a time of great human need, the company’s scientists, engineers, and countless employees are working together to deliver solutions around the globe to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Right here in Delaware, DuPont has provided COVID-19 assistance to our community in the following ways:

PPE donations for frontline healthcare workers:
  • 2,500 Tyvek® coveralls were donated to the State of Delaware.
  • 220 gallons of DuPont-produced hand sanitizer was donated to the Christiana Care Hospital System, to help protect frontline healthcare workers and patients. 
  • 3,540 headband bases and 915 reusable face shields were produced using DuPont-owned filaments and 3D printers, to help protect healthcare workers at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and Christiana Hospital. This was a collaboration between DuPont and Nemours.

Funding donations to community COVID-19 relief funds:
  • COVID-19 Rapid Relief Fund, managed by United Way of DE.
  • COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, managed by DE Community Foundation.

Other assistance:
  • DuPont donated 500+ t-shirts to Donate Delaware. This donation was delivered to a sewing group at
  • A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, to make ties for cloth masks, contributing to the production of
  • 12,500 masks for local community use.
  • DuPont investigated N95 mask sterilization through heating technology, at the request of DEMA, to potentially assist care providers facing N95 mask shortages with reuse options.
                                                                                                                             
To learn more about DuPont’s response to COVID-19, including the #TyvekTogether program, click here .
Corteva Agriscience™ is Enriching Lives by Fighting Food Insecurity

 Corteva is driven by its purpose to enrich the lives of those who
produce and those who consume. Corteva supports global food security organizations that are responding to help those that are food insecure during these challenging times, particularly to those that help feed the approximately 850 million children globally who are out of school and
the millions of senior citizens that face hunger daily.

Corteva continues collaborations with food banks, food pantries, meal rescue, meal packing, and Meals on Wheels organizations that are providing assistance to those in true need. They are working directly with major food banks and have established virtual food drives that employees are able to support.

In Delaware and globally, the organizations Corteva and employees support include:


For more information on how Corteva is helping in the fight against COVID-19, click here .
Ashland’s Preparedness Against COVID-19
Despite all the challenges COVID-19 is presenting, Ashland's manufacturing plants continue to operate – including the production of hand sanitizer for first responders.

Safely operating manufacturing locations is important so the company can keep making the critical specialty products customers and the world needs right now.

Over the last two weeks, Ashland has been working on a safe and phased approach to bringing researchers and technical teams back into laboratories. Ashland continues to provide the appropriate respirator masks, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers and thermometers globally as needed or as required by local governments to help keep employees healthy while allowing operations to continue.

Ashland is committed to the safety, health, and security of employees, their families, and the communities where they operate, working to keep manufacturing sites open and to continue to supply customers with the vital products they need to keep society healthy and safe.

To learn more , click here .
Delmarva Power - Supports Customers During Coronavirus
We extend recognition and appreciation for what
Delmarva Power is doing for their customers in time
of hardship and distress in our community.

As part of Delmarva’s response to the crisis, they are:

  • Suspending service disconnections and waiving new late payment charges at least until July 1.
  • Working with customers to establish payment arrangements and identify energy assistance options.
  • Responding to requests to start, stop or more service, which in many cases, can be done remotely.   
  • Ensuring employees interact with customers wearing protective equipment to perform their jobs safely.

For more info on how Delmarva Power is responding to the Coronavirus, click here . 
Air Liquide is Producing 10,000 Respirators in 50 Days to Save Lives
Faced with the urgent need for ventilators to treat the patients most severely affected by COVID-19, Air Liquide, Groupe PSA, Schneider Electric, and Valeo took up the challenge by the French government of producing 10,000 ventilators Air Liquide Medical Systems (ALMS) between April and mid-May.

The challenge has been immense, involving teams of engineers and technicians from different companies coming together in securing the supply of the 300 components that make up each ventilator, reorganizing the production workshops, and mobilizing a sufficient number of operators, in record time.

To learn more on Air Liquide’s commitment to fighting COVID-19, click here .
Agilent is Racing to Develop Faster Testing, Faster Vaccine Development
and Faster Results
Vaccine and therapies are all needed as fast as possible. Understanding the novel coronavirus is key. The world needs faster testing, faster vaccine development, and faster results. Agilent Technologies, a leader in life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets, is working on these critical components in the fight
against COVID-19.

Agilent stands united with scientific and medical research communities stand in their steadfast efforts to find not just a vaccine, but other effective therapeutics such as antiviral drugs, peptide inhibitors, nucleoside analogues, and monoclonal antibodies.

Agilent’s COVID-19 response efforts include:

  • collaborating with other organizations in the development of a rapid COVID-19 antibody test
  • collaborating with other organizations to increase the speed of test results from days to hours
  • manufacturing 3D-printed face shields for local hospitals, clinics and nursing homes
  • helping labs to “get smart” fast in a remote world through digital solutions
  • producing and distributing hand sanitizer to employees in the Americas
  • assisting researchers the modeling of how the virus spreads and how it may behave
  • exploring virology applications, therapeutic development, cellular host response, and more.

For more info on Agilent’s COVID-19 efforts, click here .
Delaware’s Bloom Energy is Stepping Up to Aid Coronavirus Response Efforts
As the nation grapples with the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Delaware company is fighting the war on two fronts: Bloom Energy is helping COVID-19 patients breathe easier in multiple ways.

Bloom Energy , a next-generation energy solutions provider, optimized its fuel cell manufacturing operations to refurbish out-of-service ventilators in an effort to get these much-needed devices into the hands of health care professionals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the premise that the physics involved in refurbishing a ventilator are not terribly different from those required to build its fuel cells, the company began refurbishing ventilators at its manufacturing facilities in Newark, Delaware and Sunnyvale, California. Literally overnight, Bloom’s engineers taught themselves how to refurbish the machines and since those early days in March, they’ve refurbished more than 1,200 ventilators. Their efforts have expanded to include additional devices – they now repair Bi-PAP machines and respirators as well – and the company is sending ventilators back to the states of California, Delaware and Pennsylvania, with offers out to other states.

The company also developed a ventilators 2.0 solution that can see a single ventilator serve multiple patients
at one time. The company has already applied for emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Additionally, Bloom is working directly with state health agencies and hospitals to help power both existing buildings and makeshift, pop-up locations for treating coronavirus patients. Since traditional combustion-based power generation sources, such as diesel generators , affect air quality, — a particular concern for COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms — Bloom Energy’s rapid deploy microgrid solution , which generates electricity without combustion and reduces smog-forming pollution and particulate matter by over 99 percent,
is an effective and turnkey way to power temporary treatment facilities. Each microgrid can support approximately 20 tents or 200 beds. In the future, this solution can be used for other rapid deploy scenarios
for emergency management.

To learn more about how Bloom Energy is fighting COVID-19, click here .
Verizon is Working with Customers During Coronavirus
Verizon is focused on the health and safety of its employees and on keeping customers connected through technology and connectivity solutions and supporting those who serve, including first responders, public health agencies, and federal, state and local governments.
 
As always, first responders receive priority access to the Verizon network during times of congestion so they can do the jobs required to keep our communities healthy and safe.
 
Verizon has expanded its best wireless unlimited pricing to nurses and teachers. They join active-duty military, veterans and people who work as first responders who already benefit from this ongoing pricing for their personal accounts and for their families.
 
Verizon has extended its commitment to keep customers connected through June 30 and will neither terminate service nor charge late fees to residential and small business customers that notify Verizon of their inability to pay their bills due to hardships caused by the coronavirus.

For more information on how Verizon is responding to COVID-19, click here .
Spekciton™ is Conducting Remote Ag and Biotech Video Sessions for Students
Spekciton™ has demonstrated the importance of crop plant measurement tools at UD and William Penn High School for students interested in STEM agriculture and biotech careers. Working with science and ag teachers, Spekciton™ illustrates to students how their imaging technologies can early-detect stressors in plant leaves. This can provide growers a tool to “find and fix” unhealthy plants before human eyes can see the stress.

Shown above is a schematic of the portable Spekciton™ RCPA imager that can detect stressed plants (in this case salt-stressed) well before humans or typical cameras can. Through “chemical” imaging, multiple wavelengths LED light the plant leaf with a special camera and filters, enabling exposure of the stress that decreases photosynthesis performance.

Spekciton™ aims to conduct further remote video sessions for students to demonstrate how they can understand plant stress, better detect it, and get involved in the business of supporting agriculture improvements in the age of pandemics and global warming.

For more info on Spekciton™ remote video sessions, contact Dr. Anthony Ragone at ragoneas01@gmail.com .
Cyber Streets Donates 3D Printer for Making Protective Masks
In separate projects, Beebe Healthcare, Nemours, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and DuPont Experimental Station scientists are making personal protective equipment for health care workers with 3D printers. Beebe Healthcare has already started printing N95 masks for its health care workers. Nemours and DuPont are making disposable and reusable face shields.

Beebe's masks are created on a 3D printer donated by Cyber Streets, a nonprofit focused on educating people about the importance of science, technology, art and mathematics. The prototype N95 mask can use a replaceable filter for front-line staff in the event of a shortage during a surge. It was recently tested and approved by Beebe’s Infection Prevention Team. Depending on the size of the mask, the 3D printer that Cyber Streets donated to Beebe can
make six or more a day.

Cyber Streets is also making its own masks for first responders and has donated 700 masks to various hospitals. The shields are given mostly to the Nemours staff. About 150 have been given to Christiana Care. So far, they’ve made about 400 of the disposable shields and 700 of the reusable. The partnership hopes to make at least 1,000 more soon.

For more information from Beebe Healthcare COVID-19 Resource center, click here .

To learn more about Cyber Streets, click here .
Wearing a prototype 3D-printed mask is Rob Bentley, Beebe’s IT security manager, founder of Cyber Streets and member of the Sussex County STEM Alliance.
EDIS is Partnering with Christiana Care in a Collaborative Strategy
EDiS Company has partnered with Christiana Care to get the word out on a new program that will help companies in the construction industry monitor the health and wellness of their staff and their job sites.

The focus of this partnership is to create contact with each individual employee so they are reminded of the symptoms daily and have a personal resource with whom to discuss concerns, before traveling to work. 

While leaning into innovation, Christiana Care has developed a symptom monitoring program that reaches workers through texting and telephone contact every day. This relationship gives the worker a secure and direct line of communication daily, with trained practitioners.

This relationship will help detect problems before anyone heads out to the crowded workplace. The best way to create a healthy and crisis free workplace is to head off the devastating impact before it arrives. 

To read the full blog about this partnership and new program, ­­ click here .
SAVE THE DATES! October 9-10, 2020
STEM and Math Equity Conferences
Please join us for one or both of this fall’s Equity Conferences:
Both events will have virtual availability.
“Rehumanizing the Classroom: Empowering ALL Students as Thinkers and Doers of STEM.”

STEM EQUITY CONFERENCE

Rescheduled for Friday, October 9, 2020

For the STEM Equity flyer
and registration info, click here .

Delaware Technical & Community College
Terry Campus 400 A & B, Dover, DE
8AM to 2PM



Co-hosted by the STEM Council and DFSME
“Rehumanizing the Mathematics Classroom: Empowering ALL Students as Thinkers and Doers of Mathematics.”

MATH EQUITY CONFERENCE

Rescheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2020

For the Math Equity flyer
and registration info, click here .

Delaware Technical & Community College
Terry Campus 400 A & B, Dover, DE
8AM - 3PM



Hosted by the Delaware Mathematics Coalition
Save the Date! November 12, 2020
Sixth Annual Delaware STEM Council Educator Awards

Co-hosted by the STEM Council, the Delaware STEM Educator Awards recognize certified teachers or teams of teachers as well as community educators who demonstrate STEM innovation and excellence through teaching, academic collaboration, and student engagement. Awards are given at the at the elementary (K-5), middle
(6-8), and high school (9-12) levels.
November 12, 2020
Buena Vista Delaware Country Estate
661 S. Dupont Hwy
New Castle, DE 19720

Applications Are Now Available for the 2020 STEM Educator Awards
Application Deadline: October 1, 2020
Applications are available online.
All materials being submitted for consideration for this year’s awards must be received by October 1, 2020.
For more information, click here .

For a recap of the Equity in STEM Symposium & STEM Educator Awards 2019, click here .
Our Sponsors & Friends

Contact Information:

Delaware Foundation for Science and Math Education
100 W. 10th Street, Suite 612 
Wilmington, DE 19801 
Tel: 302.397.0034 | Fax: 302.397.0036 


©2020 Delaware Foundation for Science & Math Education
501(c) Education nonprofit dealing with K-16 STEM education in Delaware schools.