I grew up in Massapequa Park, NY and graduated from Massapequa High School in 2017.

For undergrad, I went to the University of Maryland, College Park, where I graduated in Spring 2021 with a B.S. in Bioengineering.

At UMD, my Senior Capstone Project was focused on using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling to determine the efficacy of face shields at preventing COVID-19 transmission. First, we performed a literature review to find parameters to quantify the flow behavior of airborne droplets. Second, we developed a 3D human bust and face shield assembly in SolidWorks, and isolated 2D slices in different planes. Third, we developed a CFD model in ANSYS Fluent, and the flow of droplets and air around the 2D slices from different expulsion methods (breathing, sneezing) was observed. Finally, we built a Python program to parse through the motion profiles of the droplets, and found that face shields were capable of shunting airborne droplet travel distance by more than 40%. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances of COVID-19, we were unable to perform in-lab model verification; however, we are still confident in the results our model showed and believe it is an accurate model for airborne droplet spread in low ventilation, static scenarios

Droplet flow distribution in system where two people stand 6 feet apart, both without wearing face shields, and the person on the left is sneezing. Particle residence time can be observed by the color of the particles and the axis on the left. Velocity magnitude of the flow can be observed by the color of the contour and the axis on the right.

Droplet flow distribution in system where two people stand 6 feet apart and the person on the left is sneezing, except the person on the left is now wearing a face shield. Particle residence time can be observed by the color of the particles and the axis on the left. Velocity magnitude of the flow can be observed by the color of the contour and the axis on the right.

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