Mask the World

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About Mask the World

Who We Are.

Our mentors are experts in science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics, business, and law. The Mask the World Team is comprised of expert mentors, graduate and high school students.

We've partnered with the non-profit, Reach Shirati, to expand our reach into Tanzania. This team has also partnered with Harvard and Stanford for our research. We've partnered with Journal of Health Design, a peer reviewed journal, to publish research and findings from our "mask-a-thons".

What We Do.

Our team works to research efficacy of fabrics. We hold "mask-a-thons" to test DIY fabric and respirator options. Students have created a "cook book" of DIY mask options based on testing each "recipe".

Our team partnered with Harvard to test their DIY reusable respirator. The team has raised funds to send more than 550 masks to an underserved school district in the United States, and has raised money and created masks to serve communities in Tanzania, through the partnership with Reach Shirati.

Why We Do It.

We've discovered there is a large community of educators, scientists, engineers, technology experts, an d corporate professionals who have thought about mentoring but never knew where to start.

The Mask the World Team fills that gap by inviting the very best and brightest to a place where they leave an indelible legacy for generations to come while providing valuable knowledge and world change in the present.

Mask Reviews

While some of these masks are N95 and/or NIOSH approved, this does not mean they are suitable or safe for all environments or situations. Even the masks that have N95 filters, NIOSH certifications and proper seal, have a one-way exhalation valve. This could be used in a controlled environment such as a private office or agricultural setting where everyone is wearing the same mask. While tape can be used to cover the valves, this is not a lab tested or approved fix.

Model

P95

Certification

NIOSH

Filters

Sold Separately

Seal

Great

Resusable

Yes

This is a P95 NIOSH certified mask with an exhalation valve which is not suitable for protecting others.

“According to the United States Department of Labor, healthcare workers who are unable to obtain N95 respirators may use R95, R99, P95, P99, P100 and others respirators. Like N95 masks, these are expected to filter out a minimum of 95% of particles of the most penetrating size, and those ending in a “99” or “100” filter out at least 99% or 99.97%, respectively, of such particles but can be more difficult to breathe through. R95 and P95 masks are typically used for protection when working with oil-based substances like fuel, paints, solvents, or pesticides. N95s are not resistant to oil, R95s are “somewhat resistant” and P95s are “strongly resistant to oil or oil proof,” as shown in the CDC’s infographic about these types of masks.”- Tod Cooperman, MD

EnvoMask

Model

N95

Certification

NIOSH

Filters

Includes 5 Filters

Seal

Good

Resusable

Yes

This is a N95 NIOSH certified mask with an exhalation valve which is not suitable for protecting others

O2 Mask

Model

N95

Certification

None

Filters

Sold Separately

Seal

Good

Resusable

Yes

This a N95 mask but it is not NIOSH certified. This mask has an exhalation valve which is not suitable for protecting others.

Soft Seal

Model

N95

Certification

NIOSH

Filters

Built In

Seal

Good
Silicone Seal

Resusable

Yes*

This is a N95 NIOSH certified mask. Soft Seal has several different masks within two categories, the silicone seal line has a good seal. Within the silicone seal line, they have four different options which all have an exhalation valve which is not suitable for protecting others.

* “After taking it off, wash your hands again so that anything transferred to your hands won’t be transferred to your nose, mouth or eyes. When you take your mask off, you should place it in an open container/box/bag to let the humidity from your breath captured on the inside of your mask evaporate. Do not put it in a sealed container. We suggest always placing it in the container with the front of the mask facing up so the contaminated side of the mask is not against the container surface. Although we have performed no specific studies, recommendations in the literature suggest after 3-4 days, there is likely no living viruses on the surface. Some healthcare workers rotate three masks so that each mask is allowed to dry out for two days, potentially reduce viral load, and extend the useful life of their masks. However, this does not suggest you do not wash your hands after every time you touch the mask. Also, using disinfecting solutions or wipes containing alcohol have been shown to damage the non-woven filter media and should not be used.” – Soft Seal website

RESEARCH TEAM

Shivani Shukla

Shivani Shukla is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. Her interests lie at the intersection of nanotechnology and neuroscience, specifically in creating electrical recording technologies for the brain. She has conducted research in labs across the world, including at Nagoya University in Japan, at the Technion in Israel, and at Carnegie Mellon. Shivani coordinates the research team, which originated at the NJ Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology at Rutgers University in 2020.

Hemil Patel

Hemil Patel is a senior at Eastern Regional High School. He is developing more effective and accessible masks by researching whether copper’s antiviral properties could be utilized in a home-based procedure. He has helped program a MATLAB simulation to model the effects of fortified masks on a sample population. Hemil hopes to study chemical or biomedical engineering in college.

Isabella Bunn

Isabella Dunn is a senior at Moorestown Friends School who hopes to pursue Biomedical engineering in college. She specializes in researching adjustments to fit and filtration of homemade masks and testing their effects through home-based procedures. Bella has created multiple at home procedures utilizing household aerosols to test the fit and filtration efficiency of various masks.

Sydney Yan

Sydney Yan is a senior at Biotechnology H.S. As a member of the research team, Sydney focuses on the chemical aspects of the project. She has been investigating potential approaches to copper isolation, and helped optimize a pandemic simulation in MATLAB. She hopes to study biomedical engineering in the future. In the past, she has conducted organic chemistry research at Monmouth University and an independent study on microplastics.