BU Donates Masks

On March 19, BU’s Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation donated 1,000 masks to the Pine Street Inn. The masks will be distributed to area housing sites and shelters, says Matt Ferrer (left), Pine Street Inn volunteer coordinator. Manufactured by a machine developed at the Fraunhofer center, the masks are made of the same material as medical-grade surgical masks. The 10-foot-long machine can fabricate 2,000 three-ply polypropylene masks an hour, and center director Andre Sharon (right) says they are considering starting a donation program to supply masks to area hospitals, health workers, and first responders. Photo by Cydney Scott