A Louisiana Tech freshman is 3-D printing a contraption for medical personnel intended to relieve the pressure on the ears from the elastic bands on face masks. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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Ten years ago today, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana exploded, killing eleven workers and spewing nearly five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Matt Doyle reports many of the species impacted still haven’t recovered…
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High School seniors and juniors are missing out on spring graduation and ring ceremonies, but that’s not stopping them from getting their caps, gowns, and rings. Matt Doyle has the story.
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A Louisiana Tech freshman is 3-D printing ear guards for medical personnel. Mechanical engineering major Avereigh Barras says she was inspired to start creating the devices after seeing a Canadian boy scout’s invention intended to relieve the pressure of elastic bands from masks on the ears.
With the contraption, the bands no long touch the ears. The mask bands hook to the device behind the head. Barras says as of now, she’s created just over 1,600 and hopes to hit the 2,000 mark in the first two weeks of manufacturing.
Cut 5 (13) “…some bigger hospitals.”
Barras recently started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the cost of the shipping and manufacturing which she says has seen an abundance of support.
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Today marks ten years since the BP Oil Spill ravaged the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, and environmental scars exist still to this day.
National Wildlife Federation Gulf of Mexico Restoration Director David Muth says the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was recovering as a species before 2010 but since then…
Muth says Coastal bottlenose dolphins have seen their successful birthrate remain less than a quarter of what it was before their habitat was poisoned by the spill.
The spill also killed off 17 percent of the Gulf’s Bryde whales, an impact that’s seen them be added to, and remain on the endangered species list since.
Muth says the overall ecological impact remains horrific, but the one silver lining to result from the calamity was the more than 16 billion in fines that paid for coastal restoration projects like…
Muth says Louisiana received over eight billion dollars in payments as a result of the spill.
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Some schools are organizing drive-through pickup for caps, gowns, and class rings for juniors and seniors who are missing out on some of the seminal events of their high school years.
Jostens sales rep Jim Rabb says his company is working with schools to establish drive-by locations where parents can bring their kids to get some semblance of pomp and circumstance.
For many kids, these drive-throughs are the first time they’ve seen their fellow students and teachers in person, and Rabb says most of them are run by a familiar face…
Rabb says they’ve taken precautions to maintain social distancing and all employees are wearing at least gloves. He says it’s not mandatory, but if you do come he asks you to put on a mask…
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The state health department says I-C-U doctors should receive credit for helping to lower the number of COVID-19 patients who need ventilators. On April 4th, the state reported 571 of their COVID-19 patients needed ventilators, now that number is 349. Assistant state health officer Joe Kanter
Kanter says the mortality rate for someone placed on a ventilator in Louisiana is between 40 and 60-percent, while New York and Seattle are over 80-percent. He says are I-C-U doctors have learned how to better treat the disease
Kanter says critical care specialists are also finding success in having sickest coronavirus patients lay on their stomach because it helps to increase the amount of oxygen into their lungs
He says it takes a sophisticated ICU team to pull it off to prevent sores and prevent injury to their head and neck. He says they are not sure if this method works with patients before they go on the ventillator.
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The NFL draft is this week as the Saints have the 24th pick in the first round on Thursday night. Mike Triplett covers the Black and Gold for ESPN says New Orleans is in position to take the best player available
The Saints are known to trade up in the first round. Triplett says New Orleans is in a win-now mode, so it’s a possibility they could do that again on Thursday…
Triplett says the Saints do not have a second-round pick, which probably reduces the chance they move up in the first round. Many mock drafts have New Orleans selecting Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Triplett says Murray and LSU’s Patrick Queen would bring more athleticism to that position