Clarkstown South Junior Roland Yan Contributes Scientific Research for Global Use
Clarkstown High School South’s mission is to prepare today's students to conquer tomorrow's challenges. Roland Yan (junior) continues to do just that from home, with the help of his science education.
Over the last month, Roland has been consulting with research professors from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to address the N95 facial mask shortage. Through experimentation, he was able to identify a method for disinfecting masks using a household kitchen oven.
“I began to develop this idea when we first caught wind of an N95 shortage and the number of healthcare workers that were in critical need,” said Roland. “The urgency of this issue, infectiousness of the virus and the potential damage to these individuals fighting on the front lines made this project very important to me.”
The results of Roland’s hard work were recently published in the International Society of Respiratory Protection (ISRP) and Columbia University’s Earth Institute Blog.
“I am very impressed by Roland’s dedication and work ethic towards Science Research,” said CHSS Science Research Teacher Jonathan Wedvik. “He was able to use the resources at his disposal to put together a project that will hopefully be used to help all of humanity to get through this pandemic.”
Locally, Roland started NYFightingCovid, where members collaborate to create personal protective equipment, like face shields, using 3D printing technology. He has also teamed up with a group of students called NovaCrypt to work on a project with MediAir to provide test kits and supplies to homes across the country.