Seeing Your Breath: Using Science to Choose the Proper Mask

Working with Stanford scientists, we at the Exploratorium modified our Giant Mirror exhibit to allow us to observe small changes in the temperature of moving air. In this video, we use Giant Mirror to collect evidence about which face coverings work best to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This information can help us make informed decisions about which masks to wear to keep each other safe during this pandemic.

This video was made in collaboration with Jacob Hines and Evan Wang of Stanford University. Jacob is a PhD candidate in applied physics, where he works on quantum engineering with cold atoms. He is also a former president of the Stanford Optical Society, a student organization that connects researchers in fields related to optics. Evan is a PhD candidate in electrical engineering. He is studying the design and application of nanophotonic metasurfaces and is a co-president of the Stanford Optical Society student organization.

Inspired by this high-speed breathing visualization from NIST: https://www.nist.gov/video/cover-smart-do-your-part-slow-spread