On April 3, U.S. health officials recommended an arts-and-crafts project to combatting coronavirus: Make a cloth mask and wear it when you go out in public.

That, plus social distancing and hand-washing, can help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. A DIY face cover offers a bit of protection to the wearer while helping prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus to others, a useful thing when up to a quarter of people who have covid-19 may show no symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some tips from the field:

Fit 

Make sure the mask fits snugly and covers your nose and chin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an illustrated tutorial, plus tips for sanitizing your mask after wearing it.

Patterns:

The Centers for Disease Control website has a few patterns, including one that involves a coffee filter and another that requires no sewing — just scissors and the willingness to sacrifice a T-shirt. Surgeon General Jerome Adams released a video of himself making a mask out of cloth and rubber bands. Here is Parsons School of Design Grace Jun’s pattern and step-by-step tutorial from the Washington Post (4/5/20).

The University of Maryland recommends two types of patterns for hospital visitors and workers not directly involved with caring for coronavirus patients: https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/how-you-can-help/make-masks-donate

Type of material:

Breathability is important. Vacuum cleaner bags are strong filters but difficult to breathe through, for instance.The Washington Post (4/7/20) reports that a group of Cambridge University researchers compared filtration and breathability of different types of homemade mask materials and concluded that masks made from pillowcases or  cotton T-shirts struck the best balance.

Engineering students respond:

Engineering students also have joined the DIY supply chain. At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida and Arizona, for instance, student volunteers are 3-D printing hundreds of plastic face shields for area hospitals. Matthew Glass, a fourth-year Aeronautical Science major, said making the masks gives him “a mission and a sense of purpose” amid the pandemic. “With a project like this, you don’t get to necessarily see the effects of your actions, but you know that you are saving lives.”

K-12 students also are doing their part to combat Covid-19. Camdenton High School students in Missouri, for instance, have been making hundreds of face shields for local health care workers. Their secret weapon: 3-D printers that the local middle school received as part of a $16 million grant from the University of Missouri College of Education’s program to improve STEM teaching and learning by integrating technology into the curriculum.

Filed under: Class Activities, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: CDC, coronavirus, Covid-19 protective gear, Design, face mask, maker challenges, sewing, Web Resources