With emerging trends in material technology resulting in smarter, lighter, faster, sustainable fabrication, Alice started to sew solar panels to fabric as early experiments for harnessing solar energy with softer, malleable material. She became focused on solar technology and finding ways to create clean energy solutions upon learning her son Quinn was diagnosed with asthma.

While teaching as a Professor in Architecture and Material Technology at Columbia University, fueled by her passion for helping the underserved, Alice invented the world’s only self-inflatable, portable solar light, eliminating the need for a mouth nozzle. She went on to create Solight Design a company with a social mission to help communities living in regions without power. She went on to win numerous awards including the US Patent Award for Humanity and her products have been exhibited at MOMA, the Modern Museum of Art in New York City. In 2019 she was featured in Secretary Hilary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton's book, "The Book of Gutsy Women" Now with the SEEUS95 mask, she continues to fight for better design solutions for making lives better by making us seen and safe.

Sara Turbull was hired by 3M to design with a new air spun polymer non-woven PET material. She used a bra as inspiration for her mask and created the first 3M single-use N95 dust respirator. Since then, her original design has remained largely the same.

The US and the rest of the world experienced a surge in the demand for face masks as the Coronavirus pandemic took hold. Suddenly, masks were being sold everywhere, from gas stations to clothing stores. But not all masks are created equal. Some are too thin, uncomfortable, or hard to wear, and worst of all, some are just downright ineffective. In addition, healthcare workers are getting rashes and face dents from wearing masks for hours on end.