Face masks are one of the most effective ways to protect others and yourself from being infected by COVID-19. In this post I’ll discuss how face masks are not only a crucial health standard, they are also supported by science research, and provide a way to express yourself artistically.

The science of face masks is simple by stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that not wearing a face mask increases the risk of the virus being transmitted. He also says that it is irresponsible not to wear a mask.

The health of Americans is at risk. The COVID-19 virus has not been controlled in the United States as shown in Figure 1. The virus is spreading faster than it did in the earliest stage of the pandemic. Not only is the virus spreading faster, those getting infected are younger Americans, and in Florida, its 21 year olds that getting sick. This is a great concern of mine.

Thousands of colleges and universities are getting ready to make their final decision about whether to bring students back, offer courses online, or design some variant of hybrid courses, all the while trying to keep people safe. There are about 20 million college and university students, and more than 1 million professors & instructors in the U.S. Combine these figures with the fact that there are more than 50 million students enrolled in K-12 schools throughout the country. There are 3 .2 million teachers. There is much to do to prepare for this, and face masks will play an important role in keeping people safe.

The University System of Georgia will require all students, professors, staff and visitors to wear masks on campus starting this fall.

Bringing Students Together

What happens when students are brought together. There is a very good paper published in Science today. Although nearly all schools were closed in March, many have opened in more than 20 countries around the world. The title of the paper is “School openings across globe suggest ways to keep coronavirus at bay, despite outbreaks.” There is very little data (research-based) based on these school openings. Many plans were used to organize students in school, and no one plan seems to jump out as one to follow. Some schools required masks. In others, they were optional. Students were separated during play periods, and in other schools, kids played together, mask or no mask. How susceptible are children to infection from COVID-19? Many assumed that younger children are not as susceptible as teenagers. And given latest surge of outbreaks in the U.S., high school students need to be careful.

Face Masks for Art

I’ve purchased many types of masks since early March. My newest is a small collection of masks designed by Maria Popova, author, writer, designer, artist of Brain Pickings, a weekly email blog on her search for meaning “across literature, science, art, philosophy, and the various other tentacles of human thought and feeling.” I highly recommend her Brain Pickings blog.

I stumbled across her face masks, and followed up to find them for sale on Society 6, a site where artists, crafters, and designers can sell their art.

So, the mask I am wearing is from a painting Star Clusters in Hercules by Étienne Léopold Trouvelot (1877). From Amazon comes this short bio of Trouvelot.

Étienne Léopold Trouvelot was a French artist turned entomologist turned astronomer. Following an ill-fated breeding experiment that led to the introduction of the gypsy moth to North America, he was inspired (by witnessing an aurora) to take up astronomy. His skill as an artist earned him invitations to Harvard College and the U.S. Naval Observatory. In addition to his numerous scientific papers, he produced some 7,000 astronomical illustrations during his career. In 1882, fifteen of these were published as large-format chromolithographs in the book The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings, issued by Scribner’s in an edition of around 300 copies. Soon after, he was awarded the French Academy’s Prix d’Valz, and later impact craters on both the Moon and Mars were named in his honor.

Source: Star Clusters in Hercules

Popova has put together a collection of science masks, based on earlier works of art. Here are a few.