Marcos Garcia-Acosta and other Chandler engineers are stepping into the pandemic fight by lending their talents to supply much-needed personal protective equipment.

Garcia Acosta, a graduate of Northop Grumman Campus and a Seton Catholic Preparatory graduate, is helping organize a group of engineering volunteers loaded with know how who are addressing a shortage in potential protective gear. They are developing cost-effective designs of masks and streamlining production The Chandler Arizonan reported.

The “Chandler Shield” is a plastic sheet, three-hole-punched onto a foam visor with an elastic band tied around the back. Once completed, Acosta is keeping track of where it is going.

He told the Arizonan there is an effort to serve those with a daily contact that are not a high priority.

“There’s a huge need for PPE in the homeless shelters,” he told the Arizonan. “There’s a huge need for PPE in the rehab clinics.”

The group has also reached out to Arizona’s tribal communities. To date, several dozen masks have been sent to the Navajo Nation. Garcia-Acosta comes by his engineering roots naturally as he believes if he sees a problem, he can fix it. And it is proving beneficial to those in need who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our members are trying to constantly come up with a solution to make things better,” Garcia-Acosta told the Arizonan.