June 20, 2023

Dr. Mengying Zhang, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management, mentored by Dr. Guowen Song, has been awarded the 2023 Postdoctoral Seed Grant Award from Iowa State University. These grants provide postdoctoral scholars research funding in the role of a principal investigator while giving them an opportunity to develop independent research.

Dr. Zhang's research project focuses on developing an automatic hand anthropometric measurement tool using artificial intelligence (AI). This AI-based approach aims to improve the accuracy of hand measurements by reducing the potential for human error and decreasing the time and effort typically required for data collection. The tool will help compile detailed hand size data across various fields, supporting research that leads to better-fitting and more ergonomic gloves, tools, and equipment, enhancing occupational safety and work efficiency. The techniques developed could also be adapted for measuring other body parts, improving the overall fit and performance of personal protective equipment.

Congratulations to Dr. Zhang on her award and the promising work ahead.

Each year,  thousands of workers in the farming, fishing, and forestry sectors suffer hand injuries and illnesses, causing significant healthcare costs and loss of productivity. Fishery workers are often exposed to cold temperatures, high wind velocities, and wet weather while handling cold/frozen equipment/objects. This can cause blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow to extremities and decreasing hand dexterity and tactility, increasing the risks of traumatic hand injuries and exacerbating musculoskeletal disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms and fundamental parameters that affect blood circulation and skin temperature of a hand holding a fishing tool while wearing a protective glove and being exposed to extremely cold and wet conditions are still largely unknown. This knowledge gap and absence of relevant industry standards have forced fishery workers to use gloves designed for other purposes and occupations, usually where the focus is purely mechanical protection (tears, cuts, punctures, etc.) while neglecting thermoregulatory aspects. These gloves are inadequate for fishery work due to poor thermal and moisture management,  causing thermal discomfort and reduced dexterity and grip, thereby contributing to a hand injury in the worst-case scenario.

This project aims to reduce hand injuries in the fishing industry by establishing a framework to provide scientific directions for the development of standards, regulations, evaluation methods, and selection guidance of existing and next-generation protective gloves through an interdisciplinary exploration-examination-prediction approach. We will develop and validate a 3D multi-segment hand thermoregulation model capable of simulating the thermophysiological response of fishery workers exposed to cold and wet conditions, repetitive motion, and fast-paced hand activity. The expected results will elucidate how ambient conditions, gloves, and tool gripping interact to affect blood flow and skin temperature in each hand segment, thus providing new insights for the design and development of effective fishing gloves that consider hand thermal physiology and optimize hand function while accounting for the particular usage environment and fishing tasks. 

This project has three specific aims: 

1. Market and usage experience analysis and performance evaluation of existing protective gloves,
2. Developing a 3D multi-segment hand-specific thermoregulation model for fishery workers, and
3. Using model simulations to investigate the impacts of glove material properties, environmental factors, and hand posture (fishing activities) on the thermophysiological response of the hand. The proposed work is innovative because it departs from the status quo by employing a synergistic and convergent approach to develop and evaluate hand protective gear that will lead to new designs and materials that account for the human thermophysiological response and ergonomic factors to mitigate the risk of hand injuries. Finally, the expected outcomes have significant potential to guide new material development and apply functional and ergonomic designs, and generate new evaluation standards and usage guidance for gloves to achieve balanced protection, comfort, and performance.

Written by Billie Flaming

The third International Conference on Functional Textiles and Clothing took place in New Delhi, India February 2023, and NexGenPPE's Dr. Guowen Song was honored as a distinguished speaker for the event. The only speaker based in either of the Americas, Dr. Song joins leaders from across the globe as they drive developments in the field of textile materials as well as the apparel production process, bringing the next generation of PPE ever closer to the present.

Written by Billie Flaming

Firefighters' capacity to do their job well is deeply related to their PPE and how safe they are when entering dangerous environments. The practices around contamination and decontamination and protective glove fit are the center of NexGenPPE's funded grants. Attending the FIERO 2023 Conference allowed our team to discuss and learn from fire service members directly about these issues.

The Fire Industry Education Resource Organization had many presenters, and our own Dr. Rui Li presented two different sessions to firefighters and members in the industry. He introduced the basis of NexGenPPE's research and plans for the future and our continued relationships with FEMA, NIOSH, and fire departments around the country. His presentations were well received, and the team was able to connect further with the conference attendees at the NexGenPPE exhibitor's booth.

The exhibitor's booth gave our team the chance to introduce our research and also father data. Bringing along our handheld 3D scanner, we were able to get three-dimensional scans of firefighter's hands, valuable pieces of data to have as our glove fit project moves forward. Postdoctoral researchers Mengying Zhang, and Fan Zhou and Ph.D. students Bahar Hashemian Esfahani, Farhad Aghasi, Karthika Suresh Kumar, and Yulin Wu, all attended the conference and took the time to connect with fire service members and gather high-quality hand scans.

The connections we made, and things we learned at the FIERO Symposium will have a strong impact as we move forward with our research and will keep the firefighters, the end users and beneficiaries of this research, as the foundation of why we continue to learn and better this field of study.

The NexGenPPE team recently completed a semester of study and learning as a part of Startup Factory, graduating with the rest of Cohort XII. The team gained skills in business management and valuable insights they will carry forward in their continued research and collaborations with industry leaders and collaborators.

RFP PIRI Seed Grant

The NexGenPPE team is accepting proposals for their yearly seed grant of $10,000. The last recipient of the seed grant was Dr. Rachel Eike, whose work on smart socks was impressive and valuable for filling knowledge gaps in the PPE area. More than one proposal can be submitted.

The deadline is 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 20, 2022.

Submit Now!

New Project: Risk Management and Hazard Mitigation Arctic Research Plan

Our goal is to secure and improve the quality of life through research that promotes an understanding of disaster risk exposure, sensitivity to hazards created by extreme weather conditions, and the adaptive capacity of the PPE.

Know More...

NexGenPPE Takes Next Steps in Las Vegas

Written by Billie Flaming

This October, the NexGenPPE team attended the American Chemical Society's Western Regional meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several team members presented at the conference and attended the various panels, growing their connections and understanding of this important pillar of science in the field of PPE.

Along with attending the conference, the team also visited ECMS, a Verified Independent Service Provider (ISP) who cleans, inspects, and repairs firefighter turn-out gear in accordance with NFPA 1851, the guiding standards that direct the care of firefighter's PPE. The team was given a tour of the facilities and was able to ask questions about the cleaning process as it currently works within the ECMS system. The lessons learned by our team are detailed below.

1. The fire departments are the ones who decide when to send contaminated PPE in for cleaning. As such, there are few similarities between different firehouses in the frequency of cleaning and repairs.

2. The moisture barrier is washed with the thermal liner to maintain the integrity of the garment's shape.

3. ECMS uses conventional wet cleaning to balance cost, efficiency, and personal training.

4. An experienced worker determines the specific cleaning program for each gear set according to their assessment of the PPE's contamination level.

5. There is a concern for the ECMS team about the working environment's exposure to chemicals, detergents, and harmful particles from the PPE.

6. PPE cleaning is a heavy-labor business relying on wet cleaning methods; new clean techniques such as ultra-sonication or liquid CO2 are not widely accepted due to the cost and time-consuming nature of the techniques.

7. Currently verification method from NFPA 1851 can support the cleaning efficiency for a limited representative level. It can also provide contaminant removal based on data. However, physical methods to prepare contaminated samples are limited by smoke-lacking simulation and the selection of representative chemicals.

8. ECMS passes the NFPA 1851 for inspection, cleaning, drying, and repair functions. They not only return clean PPE to different fire departments but also know about PPE maintenance and contamination to increase the understanding of danger within a smoky fire situation.

It was valuable for the NexGenPPE team to see first-hand the methods and challenges currently facing the people who live with the borders drawn by the NFPA 1851 standard. As our team looks to the future and next generations of standards, it is important to keep in mind the fire safety personnel who will be wearing the PPE and the safety of the professionals tasked with its cleaning and repair.

FEMA Grant Awarded

The NexGenPPE team was awarded a $1.57 million grant by FEMA to continue their research in the decontamination of firefighter gear and PPE. The project explores how to properly clean gear contaminated at fire scenes by smoke and other chemicals. Often this equipment holds onto hazardous contaminants despite washing and standard laundering, and the long-term exposure results in firefighters contracting cancers at a greatly elevated rate.

This research is done with the collaboration of several faculty, staff, and students in ISU's AESHM, Engineering, Kinesiology, and other departments. Several firehouses across the United States have worked with the Iowa State team, as this project will have a powerful impact on the health and livelihood of firefighters as they continue to do their important work for society.

Frontiers Special Issue

September 2, 2022

Dr. Guowen Song is taking part as a key editor for an upcoming special collection for Frontiers in Materials, entitled “Challenges and Emerging Issues on Firefighter’s Toxic Chemical Exposure: Smoke Chemicals, Contaminated PPE, and Off-gassing”.

Toxic chemicals, either from fire ground combustion, contaminated PPE, or off-gassing from PPE material and chemical finishing, have become the leading concern for the long-term health of firefighters. Exposure to fine smoke particles and toxic chemicals released from fire scenes can result in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other pathological diseases, and minimizing this exposure has become a health priority for the firefighter. Firefighters face exposure to smoke at fire grounds and contaminants in fire stations, vehicles, and even their homes because of resuspended fine particles or released volatile chemicals from contaminated PPE, and our work will not only investigate this but also work to develop PPE that does not have these hazards built into the protective gear.

If you want to learn more about the collection, you may do so here: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/39016/