cold-chain shipping system
partner project with xiaoyang (joshua) wang
sponsored by national wastewater surveillance service (cdc-NWSS)
fall 2023
The National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) is a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which monitors disease rates, most notably COVID-19, by analyzing communities’ local wastewater in CDC-affiliated labs.
This allows communities to take ownership of their health outcomes by tracking and making decisions based upon their wastewater data. However, current practices used to handle, (un)pack, and ship said data between facilities are imprecise, haphazardly constructed, and environmentally devastating.
Additionally, user needs, compliance, and data sample quality vary wildly depending on community resources. Introducing an intuitively structured, scalable, resilient, and low-variance packaging system presents an opportunity to enhance data sample reliability, promote sustainability in materials and energy use, and standardize data collection processes across the nation.
Our answer is CryoSafe, a sustainable cold-chain shipping system providing a framework for precise yet effortless data sample loading and retrieval through a careful interplay between conducting, cooling, and insulating components.
Inspired by the insulation strategies of wild bees, the reusable aluminum/bio-gel core within a biodegradable honeycomb board shell minimizes the devastating environmental impact of cold chain shipping while providing intuitive interior access, ensuring shipments arrive chilled and pristine.
each single-vial package provides guided, intuitive (dis)assembly and effortless nesting of cooling, insulating, and protective elements. a custom NWSS label can be attached to the exterior, or affixed to a multi-sample package for communities with larger data outputs. all packages fit standard usps priority mail sizes.
