Physical distancing might limit our ability to meet in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strengthen our personal connections at a distance. Learn how two alumni found the power of their global network, even during times of social distancing.
While many of us are away from the Boston campus, essential staff are still working on campus to ensure the university is operational. These “frontline” workers are risking their health every day to keep Northeastern resilient.
For two alumni, these heroes were front and center. Bihe “Momo” Wang, S’16, from Beijing, China, who works for a medical supplies distribution company, voluntarily reached out to the Office of Alumni Relations, and offered to ship 6,000 surgical masks for Northeastern frontline workers. At the same time, Paul “Pu” Chen, MBA’08, also from Beijing, and co-founder of Mahaton Disinfection – a microbial pollution governance company in China, and an IDEA-supported startup – offered to ship 500 medical grade, and 500 N95 masks to Northeastern. “We consider ourselves an IDEA enterprise, so I felt obligated to help,” said Pu.
What eventually became a cross-university collaboration with involvement from Advancement, the Resilience Institute, and Bouvé College of Health Sciences, has resulted in even more protection for Northeastern employees. And, it has also led to a new collaboration between the two alumni – who previously did not know each other. The masks were recently delivered to Northeastern facilities and are currently in use across departments who are still on campus.
April 24, 2020
