Tsai came to the United States in 1981 to pursue his doctoral degree in a variety of subjects at Kansas State University, where he completed more than 500 credits, despite needing only 90 to graduate. His thirsty intellect drove him to take courses in subjects ranging from chemical engineering to physics and math.

His breakthrough on the mask came when he was leading a research team at the University of Tennessee in 1992. The team’s goal was to develop an electrostatic charging technology — coincidentally called corona charging — to filter out unwanted particles. His invention eventually became the foundation of the N95 respiratory mask.

Tsai immediately hit the drawing board. He set up a makeshift laboratory in his home, where he lives with his wife and daughter, and began experimenting with different methods to decontaminate the masks.

“I started working almost 20 hours a day,” he said, adding he’s doing it mostly on a volunteer basis. “But I didn’t mind.”

“If I can have this opportunity to help the community, then it will be a good memory for the rest of my life,” Tsai said. “I’m happy to do it.”

“He’s very humble and unassuming despite being a pioneer in this area of filtration,” Love said. “Just when he’s ready to relax, all hell breaks loose, and he’s become critical.”

Tsai, however, said that it’s the health-care workers who are “the real heroes” and that he’s just doing his job.