| People |
JUNE-JULY , 2021 | THE HEALTH
31
Malaysian-American ’ s free offer to the world
A
MALAYSIAN-AMERICAN mechanical engineer , Guruthisvaran Ramu , has offered to give a breathing support device free of charge to countries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic .
The device , named EcoFlo , is a low-cost continuous positive airway pressure device intended for Covid-19 patients to cope with breathing difficulty at home , in transit to hospital , and while awaiting treatment in the triage room .
He said EcoFlo will help avoid the need for full ventilation , is non-invasive and would free up ventilators in intensive care units for the critically ill .“ An ICU ventilator usually requires the patient to be intubated , while EcoFlo can be used to keep airways open using air pressure ,” said Guru . “ I would like to hand out the units to hospitals and medical staff at no cost to them ,” Guruthisvaran ( Guru ), 34 , said in an email interview with FMT .
“ Our goal is to make the design and manufacturing details of EcoFlo free and available to the entire world so that manufacturers in developing countries can produce it for their own citizens ,” he said .
Guru intends to build 1,000 units with his team of nine other engineers to donate to hospitals and first responders in hard-hit countries as soon as the regulatory agencies give the go-ahead .
The idea for the device came from Guru ’ s childhood friend , emergency medicine Dr Prabhu Selvam , while Guru used his experience as a contractor with Nasa , the US space agency , to bring about the invention .
Guru works in space exploration technology , developing instruments to measure carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere .
Guru ’ s parents migrated to the US 30 years ago , at about the same time as Prabhu ’ s family . His father , Ramu Arumugam , was a former military man from Alor Setar , and his mother , Vasanthi Ethurajoo , from Teluk Intan .
How did the EcoFlo venture begin ?
He said he and Prabhu had initially teamed up to work on a ventilator about a year before the Covid-19 pandemic began but switched to building a CPAP device when coronavirus cases surged , health systems worldwide collapsed and ventilators were in short supply .
Dr Prabhu Selvam hatched the idea for a low-cost breathing device after his visits to several countries highlighted a need for inexpensive
Trailblazing Malaysian scientist
WHO WERE the finest scientists of all time ? Albert Einstein , Isaac Newton , and other notable figures are likely to come to mind — and with a good cause .
Women , on the other hand , are often left off the list , despite the fact that they have long made substantial contributions to science , even during periods when they were barred from formal education and employment in the field .
According to Varnam Malaysia , Dr Kalai , fondly known as a Malaysian professor and researcher at Florida International University ( FIU ), became the first female scientist from Malaysia to join the American Academy of Microbiology in 2020 . The Academy is the honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology , one of the world ’ s oldest and largest life science societies .
Hailing from Ipoh , the daughter of late Tamilkuyil Kaliaperumal went to SJK ( T ) Buntong during her primary educational stage . She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from ( 1984 , University of Malaya ) and a Master of Science ( 1986 , University of Malaya .
Dr Kalai has paved her way by focusing on the molecular pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , the pathogen that causes high morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis ( CF ) patients . She is very enthusiastic when it comes to research especially digging deeper on the improvement in quality of life for CF patients .
After eight years in the faculty of science and a sabbatical stint at Harvard Medical School , she joined FIU ’ s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in 2007 , playing a pivotal role in the early growth of the college . She became the first founding faculty and the founding chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases .
She has broken boundaries
Researchers from various fields look up to her as a pioneer in the field and also as someone who is well respected among different ethnicities .
Dr Kalai is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Microbiology with Norman Fry of Public Health England , the journal ’ s first global editor in its 50-year history . In 2008 , the Faculty of 1,000 Biology members chose Dr Kalai ’ s papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , which is a prestigious honour .
medical solutions to prevent deaths .
“ We did not want to patent the concept because we wanted EcoFlo to be freely available to all . “ Besides helping to save lives , it will ensure that ventilators , a limited resource , are used only for the most severely ill ,” said Guru , who is president and CEO of Mach 33 Engineering , based in Maryland .
He added his firm was willing to provide designs and the list of parts so that anyone could improve or create their own version of the technology .
“ The initial idea was to provide access to manufacturers who want to help but we were worried they will use our research and try to profit from it . If companies take our devices and sell them , that violates our purpose in doing this ,” he said .
Seeking crowdfunding
Guru said it cost US $ 250 ( RM1,035 ) to fabricate EcoFlo , which uses a blower normally meant for hospital-grade ventilators . Similar low-cost CPAP devices for use in the home cannot handle the volume flow required for patients with lung dysfunction , he added .
Hospital-based CPAP machines cost between US $ 6,000 and US $ 10,000 or more and are used for patients with poor oxygen exchange in the lungs . — The Health
In 2011 , she was appointed as the Mentor of the Year and clinched FIU ’ s highest distinction , the President ’ s Council Worlds Ahead Faculty Award , for exceptional achievement as a student-centred professor who exceeds expectations . Following that , she became the first recipient of the New England BioLabs Inspiration in Science Award .
Besides doing research and conducting talks , Dr Kalai has published over 120 articles and encyclopaedias in the field of alginate gene regulation , antimicrobial resistance , gut and lung metagenome and microbiome , alternative therapeutics , forensic science , comparative genomics , and bioinformatics .
Her contributions have taken her to other countries where she continues to awe and inspire . — The Health
Guru Ramu pictured in his lab .
Pulitzer Prize winner
MALAYSIAN-BORN British science journalist Edmund Yong has won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting .
Born in 1981 , Edmund , better known as Ed Yong , migrated to the UK in 1994 and became a citizen in 2005 .
According to a June 14 Malay Mail report , Yong has been writing for The Atlantic in the US since 2015 and won the award for his series of articles where he anticipated the course of the coronavirus pandemic , clarified its dangers , and illuminated the American government ’ s failure to curb it .
The Atlantic in acknowledging Yong ’ s accomplishments said Yong began warning readers about the fragility of America ’ s pandemic preparedness long before Covid-19 emerged .
His 2018 investigative article , “ When the Next Plague Hits .” showed how Yong correctly predicted an interconnected set of dangers : breakdowns in international communication , chronic underfunding of public health , shortages of supplies and scientific expertise at the federal level , and former President Donald Trump ’ s inadequacies as a leader .
In a series of tweets , Yong who is also a juror , said “ I could not have done this without the amazing people at The Atlantic , who collectively created an environment where award-winning work was possible . It really takes a village , and in recognition of that .
“ I ’ ll be splitting the prize money between everyone who worked on my pieces last year — every editor , copy editor , fact checker , artist , and more . Even when individuals win Pulitzers , their work depends on a community . I want to honour mine ,” he said .
This is not Yong ’ s first award . In 2016 he was awarded the Byron H . Waksman Award for Excellence in the Public Communication of Life Sciences .
Yong was selected for his excellence in science writing , which includes his popular blog , Not Exactly Rocket Science , his work with national publications such as The Atlantic , and his first book , I Contain Multitudes , which focuses on microbiology .
His blog Not Exactly Rocket Science was part of the National Geographic Phenomena network .
The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper , magazine and online journalism , literature and musical composition within the US . — The Health