Md Jalal Uddin Rumi and Md Jakir Hossain attended Nanovax annual conference took place in Ames, IA, from April 2-3, 2025. 

Md Jalal Uddin Rumi presented at the poster sessions with the poster "The Invisible Risk of Ultrafine Particles from Wildland-Urban Interface Fires: A Growing Challenge and Hidden Threat for Humanity". 

Md Jakir Hossain also presented the poster "Decoding Firefighter PPE Contamination: Characterization and Decontamination Insights from Lab-Simulated Smoke Exposure"

The International Fire Cancer Symposium was hosted at the University of Miami in Miami, FL where researchers and fire service members attended to learn more about current research through presentations and a poster session. Dr. Rui Li, Mengying Zhang, and Leslee Weible attended to present two posters for NexGenPPT regarding the smoke characterization project that is ongoing and expanding within the lab. During the awards portion of the last day, Dr. Rui Li accepted the 2nd place award for the merit of the research presented within “Decoding firefighter PPE Contamination: Characterization and Decontamination Insights from Lab-Simulated Smoke Exposure” and “Unveiling Fire Emission Profiles: A Controlled Comparative Study of Wildfires, Structural, and Battery-Involved Fires”. The research was done and posters were created by Mazyar Etemadzadeh, Md Jakir Hossain, Yulin Wu, Md Jalal Uddin Rumi, Dr. Rui Li, Mengying Zhang, and Dr. Guowen Song. 

NexGenPPT leaders, Dr. Guowen Song and Dr. Rui Li, edited Designing Advanced Respiratory Protective Devices for Pandemics: Performance, Mechanism and Future Perspectives, which has now been published! Other members of our team were featured within the publication including Mengying Zhang and Yulin Wu. 

Designing Advanced Respiratory Protective Devices for Pandemics: Performance, Mechanism and Future Perspectives identifies emerging and critical issues that directly or indirectly influence the protective performance of Respiratory Protective Devices (RPDs), along with important future research directions. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the vital role of respiratory protection provided by PPE (and RPD) in novel infectious respiratory disease control. A wealth of recent research on coronavirus mitigation measures is combined with prior information on infectious diseases, RPDs, and human physiological and psychological responses to make this a fundamental resource on recent advances, innovative perspectives on respiratory protection, and new applications. 

The effectiveness of such disease control measures rely greatly on the performance of the RPD, user compliance, and proper use. Only an interdisciplinary approach to this issue can lead to success.

FEMA grants are a resource that helps support research that can lead to improvements to the health and safety of members of the fire service with areas of interest spanning topics like sleep, hydration, and personal protective equipment fit and function. Dr. Guowen Song, Dr. Rui Li, and PhD student Leslee Weible attended the U.S. Fire Administrator (USFA) Summit Research and Development session to present the progress and current results of the smoke contamination and AI-SAFEHAND projects. Recognition was also given to new grant recipients, including Dr. Song for "Guarding Against Lithium-ion Hazards: Understanding and Mitigating PPE Contamination in Battery-Involved Fire Smoke." Throughout this conference, they were able to connect with colleagues to discuss future projects and make plans for collaboration, as well as get valuable feedback for their research. The USFA Summit provides an avenue for critique and shows the progress being made by the researchers being awarded these grants, giving validity and weight to the topics that are being investigated. 

Grant writing is a skill that takes time and guidance to develop. On October 1st, Iowa State’s Office of the Vice President for Reach sponsored a workshop by Grant Writer’s Workshops and Seminars. Members of the NexGenPPT group (Postdoc: Sai Jakkala; PhD candidates: Saloni Purandare, Ha Eun Chae, and Bahar Hashemian Esfahani; PhD students: Mazyar Etemadzadeh and Leslee Weible) attended this workshop to expand their knowledge and understanding of how to structure and write grant proposals that are clear and creative. Dr. Robertson explained methods to effectively utilize your resources and write grant proposals that catch and hold attention. He made sure to also show the differences between the different funding agencies as knowing your audience and having common goals is half the battle in finding funding. This workshop helped to prepare our members to continue their research now and in the future through skills for securing funding and learning to write for an audience outside of their organization. 

As summer weather starts to heat up and people are spending time out in the sun, the question of what to wear becomes prevalent. There are many factors to consider when looking for the perfect ensemble from fabric to fit to the accessories that you choose. Dr. Guowen Song gave his expertise on the subject, advocating for people to consider how their clothing choice will aid the evaporation process as it will help them stay cool. The TIME article further details the different avenues that a person can look at when dressing for the heat, including the need to consider every layer that is added even down to your undergarments. To read more of the article, click here.

In the tearoom, students avoid burning things — a stark contrast to the fiery experiments conducted in Guowen Song’s teaching and research labs. As the Noma Scott Lloyd Chair in Textiles and Clothing and professor in apparel, events, and hospitality management, Song oversees a team of researchers developing protective clothing primarily for health care workers and firefighters.

Song’s research has garnered national attention and millions in funding from federal agencies. Among other projects, he is leading a multi-university team of scientists developing next-generation personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. The project is supported by a $1.8 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control.

Mazyar Etemadzadeh, a graduate student in apparel, events, and hospitality management, read about Song’s work and immediately “wanted to join his research group to improve PPE.”

Recent epidemics — COVID-19 and raging wildfires, specifically — have elevated pressing challenges in occupational health and safety. Song and his team are addressing such concerns, developing groundbreaking fabrics that better protect workers from harmful toxins. Imagine nurses wearing PPE that kills viruses on contact; or firefighters in uniforms that block exposure to toxins that put them at risk for cancer.

The NexGenPPT team traveled to the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (FIERO) PPE Symposium from March 17-20th. This symposium focuses on educating the community about research and current fire service practices, bringing awareness to the hazards and advancements being made to mitigate them. The team was able to attend many of these sessions and learn more about the hazards and research endeavors that are prevalent in the fire service industry while finding resources to enhance our own work.

Dr. Rui Li, Dr. Guowen Song and Dr. Mengying Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher, presented AI-SAFEHAND Revolutionizing Gear Selection: An AI App for Gloves. Their presentation covered the challenges surrounding current firefighting gloves and the conference goers’ perception of the as well as ISU’s current grant funded project, an initiative creating an app that will use AI to take a photo and help the firefighter using the app to obtain the correct size and fit for their glove. NexGenPPT presented more of their research in another FIERO session, this time focusing on smoke production and its interactions with PPE. Dr. Rui Li and Dr. Guowen Song were joined by Yulin Wu, an ISU doctoral candidate, to present their findings around PPE contamination, decontamination, and the creation of consistent smoke for research. These presentations helped to inform and bolster attendees to seek further information and participate in research at the NexGenPPT booth. ISU Ph.D. students, Fan Zhou and Leslee Weible, and University of Minnesota Masters student, Tse-Hsun Kuo, utilized the exhibition time given at FIERO to collect hand images and 3D scans to help inform the development of the AI-SAFEHAND app.

Overall, FIERO provided vital insights into research within the industry and allowed for strong connections to be made that will further current and future research endeavors.

Over the past 20 years, the landscape of threats posed to U.S. forces by chemical and biological (CB) weapons agents has grown in both complexity and scope. While the CB protective overgarments currently issued to Warfighters are routinely improved upon and updated, they remain bulky, are cumbersome to wear, impose a high level of thermal strain on the wearer, and reflect decades-old technology. This state-of-the-art report surveys recent innovations made by government, military, academic, and commercial entities in producing the next generation of CB protective clothing, namely using a class of “functionalized materials” known as metal-organic frameworks. This report particularly outlines a line of innovation that has resulted in the testing of a CB protective ensemble that can be worn as a standard duty uniform, not a bulky overgarment, helping to unencumber the Warfighter from the added thermal strain and weight burden.

NASA has a long history of backing the research necessary to deliver fabrics that could withstand the extraordinary rigors of Space. Evelyne Orndoff is the Soft Goods Development and Testing Lead, Crew and Thermal Systems Division, for NASA. In her presentation at the Emerging Technologies Conference at ATA’s Expo, she discussed these historical fabrics, explaining how and why some are still in use, and some are not. 

Faced with its current challenge—the South Pole of the Moon—the agency is looking for the next generation of history-making fabrics. About the Moon’s South Pole, Orndoff says, “This is the worst place to go. Nothing is round. [The regolith] is like glass, and it’s sharp down to the micron scale.” [...]

Bahar Hashemian Esfahani, a third-year Ph.D. student in Apparel, Merchandising, and Design at Iowa State University, under the support and mentorship of Dr. Song and Dr. Rui Li, presented her groundbreaking research on "Evaluating Radiant Heat Resistance for Firefighters' Hood Materials" at the 2023 International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) conference in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Bahar's research investigated the effects of sweating and moisture absorption on burn injuries in firefighter hood materials, employing a specially designed Sweat Simulation RPP tester. The results revealed that moisture content and active sweating reduced radiant heat protection compared to dry conditions. Increasing moisture content from 40% to 80% led to a significant rise in heat transfer in both materials, resulting in diminished protection. Surprisingly, increased active sweating from 5g to 10g resulted in decreased heat transfer and enhanced protection for firefighters. This research marks a significant step toward developing improved firefighter hoods, ensuring enhanced protection and comfort.

Congratulations to Bahar for her impactful presentation and dedication to advancing in-depth studies on improving firefighter hoods for enhanced comfort and protection!

AESHM warmly welcomed the Ames Quilt Guild and ISU Block Builders to Iowa State University on Friday, the 13th, offering an engaging and informative tour of our innovative work and dynamic workspaces. The day commenced with a presentation by Dr. Linda Niehm, providing insights into the department's remarkable growth. Subsequently, the group delved into the intricacies of current textile research led by Dr. Chunhui Xiang and Dr. Rui Li. A delightful meal in the Tea Room provided the perfect setting to digest the newfound knowledge.

Post-lunch activities included an extensive tour of three labs: the DATs Lab, Comfort Lab, and Hazards Lab. Participants witnessed the diverse array of tools and equipment available at AESHM, from industrial sewing machines for hands-on learning to hazard simulation capabilities and comfort-testing apparatuses like thermal manikins.

The tour culminated in two distinct experiences, with some members venturing to the renowned ISU Creamery while others concluded their visit at the Student Innovation Center. Here, attendees could explore the meticulously designed workshops and spaces tailored to foster student success in academic and personal endeavors. Notably, the visit showcased two student-run AESHM initiatives, the Sparks Café and Innovate 1858, serving as vibrant hubs for creative innovation and collaboration.

Last week our team hosted Board of Regents Member JC Risewick in a lab tour of our facilities. Every year, members of the Board of Regents meet with faculty to gain a better appreciation of the various roles faculty have at Iowa State University and establish connections with faculty. This also allowed the LABS to showcase the programs, research, and notable activities present at the university.

Regent Risewick was able to tour two different labs and have a conversation with Dr. Song and other team members about our work researching personal protective technology and equipment, as well as our plans for the future. The next generation of PPT is just ahead, and we're looking forward to sharing it and making the world a safer, more prepared place for workers across industries.