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In a normal April, in a normal year, John Preston might be found strolling through the campus of McMaster University, or lingering in a coffee shop, working out project ideas on a pad of paper. Classes would have ended on schedule, students would be studying for exams and for engineering professors like him, “the pressure would be off,” he said.

But that was before COVID-19 ripped through populations in Asia, Europe and now North America, exposing gaping shortages of the masks, gowns and other equipment needed to treat patients and protect health-care workers battling the virus.

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In this strange season, Preston finds himself steering a team of McMaster engineers working “24/7” to churn out a product that up until two weeks ago they had no expertise in: masks. It’s a task that has turned out to be a great deal more complicated than he initially thought.

“A mask is not just a piece of fabric you put over your face,” said Preston. “In the medical context it’s a highly regulated device. So we’re all being forced to stretch into new areas and work in ways we haven’t before, but we do have the skills and we’re learning very quickly.”