Knowing that social isolation is particularly difficult for senior citizens and can lead to worsening dementia or depression, Swanson School of Engineering students in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Student Chapter are holding a letter drive.

The effort collected five pallets of personal protective equipment, such as masks, peroxide, sanitizers, eye protection and other supplies.

When labs at the Swanson School of Engineering closed for research purposes, Götz Veser (pictured), the Nickolas DeCecco Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and associate director of the Center for Energy, looked for a way his equipment could be put to use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers.