"I worked with Folia Materials, located in Woburn, MA. Folia Materials is a startup that manufactures antiviral and antibacterial face masks and water filters. The silverized face masks (coated with silver nano-particles) are highly efficacious, killing bacteria and viruses. The Folia water filter is also efficacious and kills a variety of microorganisms while also filtering out dirt and larger parasites. A key attribute of the Folia water filter is its low cost, enabling consumers in developing countries of South Asia to secure the health and safety of their drinking water.

As a chemical engineering intern, I worked in the R&D lab on three principle projects: filtration testing, silver effluent testing, and efficacy testing of the water filters. Each project provided me a unique opportunity to apply existing lab experience as well as gain new experiences and expertise. The filtration tests were related to different filter media, funnels, and funnel lids. My objective was to test different types of filter papers, funnels and funnel lids to determine which prototype leads to desired improved flow rates. This work was aimed towards getting higher flow rates in order to decrease the filtration time for consumers. For silver effluent testing, I evaluated release of silver from finished product of water filters from different partner manufacturing companies. Hand-in-hand with silver effluent testing, I also performed bacteria testing with E. Coli bacteria to optimize the silver coating on filter media and advance product development

Working at a startup is always exciting. You get to do a lot of things apart from your projects and your domain. Bacteria testing was such new thing I learned during my time with Folia. Usually, I am a quick learner, but microbiology was a field I had never explored. It was a challenge to me, and I took my time, My supervisor was patient with me and guided me until I was able to work on it independently.

In working with close to a dozen co-workers this summer with different backgrounds, I learned about materials science, microbiology, shipping, packaging, and product development. I also had the opportunity to improve my soft, writing, and communication skills during this internship. Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to utilize new skills and implement my knowledge at a dynamic and burgeoning company."