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Rockin' the COVID-19 masks at Stanford

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August 25th, 2020| 1 min readCommunity & Culture

Rockin’ the COVID-19 masks at Stanford

As they help stem the spread of COVID-19 through safe practices, members of the Stanford community reveal their creativity, passions, family relationships and innate optimism in the face of the pandemic.

Waymouth Lab — When graduate students and postdocs began returning to Bob Waymouth’s lab in the Department of Chemistry to do research, Bob’s wife, Winnie, offered to make everyone masks. Lab members are now proud owners of smiling shark and night sky masks, which match their lab coats, according to PhD candidate Rebecca McClellan.
Image credit: Jim Zhang

Waymouth Lab members are proud owners of masks featuring the night sky and smiling sharks.

Swimming is Erin Sonnenschein’s happy place. The creative director for Stanford magazine wears her homemade mask before and after swimming at Stanford. “I made this mask from an old bandana, some muslin, a coffee bag wire, elastic and a furnace filter,” she says.

Mar Margalef, a postdoc in the Pediatrics Department, made this mask from an old sock.

Jimenez mask — Kai Jimenez, faculty administrator in Computer Science, wears a “Could you be any closer?” mask made by her sister and inspired by the TV show “Friends.”

Kai Jimenez’s “Friends” inspired mask.

Midge Owens-Hudson — At work at the entrance to Green Library, Midge Owens-Hudson wore a mask created by the Stanford Libraries Masqueraders. Staff from across the library – including those who were expert sewists, those with rusty skills and those who could not sew but still wanted to be involved – have been involved in a months-long project to create three masks per person for every employee of the Stanford Libraries family.

Annie Shiau, administrative associate at the Stanford Alumni Association, sketched, designed and relayed her vision of a mask to an artisan in Taiwan, who created this one-of-a-kind handmade, sequin, bead and floral appliqué mask. “Some may say it’s rather obnoxious or looks like a piece of lingerie, but I love it and love wearing it,” she says.

Annie Shiau’s one-of-a-kind, handmade, sequin, bead and floral appliqué mask.

MBA candidate Bianca Pinasco says that she wears a mask as a sign of respect for others. “Putting others’ health and safety first is paramount to me,” she says.

Tom Abate, associate director of communications in the School of Engineering, has been volunteering with an East Bay group that makes masks for healthcare workers and was rewarded with this “Dr. Who”-inspired mask. The mask evokes the Daleks, a race of villains in the British science fiction show. Abate chose the mask for its aesthetics, but vows to become a fan of the show.

Dyer-Chamberlain — Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain, associate provost for administration in Student Affairs, made these masks for her husband, Page Chamberlain, professor of geological sciences, and their two sons. Dyer-Chamberlain has been making similar masks for donation to San Francisco General Hospital, along with blankets. “These particular ones are kind of special to me because they are made from batik material I bought in Malaysia when I worked in refugee camps there in the early 1980s,” she says. “When I was looking for fabric for masks, I re-discovered this fabric and it seemed like a perfect use.”

Margaret Dyer Chamberlain's masks — Margaret Dyer Chamberlain’s masks are made from material she brought back from Malaysia.

Debra Prozio, student services officer in bioengineering, loves cats and received this mask from a good friend at the beginning of the pandemic. “Everywhere I wear it, I get compliments,” she says.

Debra Prozio’s cat lover mask.

Trevor Bakker — Trevor Bakker, a PhD candidate in economics, wears a Natural Resources Defense Council mask made from a bandana and elastic saved from a disposable mask. He hopes the mask helps communicate the urgent need for informed public policy on the climate crisis.

Kathleen Burnett, the safety ambassador for the Axe & Palm, has a set of five masks based on Crayola crayon colors. The masks are inspired by her four-year-old son, Isaiah.

Virgili — Giorgia Virgili, art director at Stanford magazine, says her Batman mask reflects the need for heroes right now in the face of COVID-19.

Giorgia Virgili’s Batman mask.

Muna Aryal Pizal — Muna Aryal Rizal, a postdoc in radiology, wears a mask specially made for members of the Airan Lab.

LaToya Powell — LaToya Powell, graduate admissions officer in electrical engineering, is a fan of the Trolls movies. She notes that the character Poppy, who is featured on her mask, conveys a positive attitude by saying, “There’s always a bright side.”

Lisa Boesch, Human Resources director in the School of Engineering, is an avid fan and owner of a corgi, thus the corgi-themed mask.

Lisa Boesch’s corgi lover’s mask.

University Communications Copy Editor Heidi Beck sports a Pokemon mask, noting that unlike that popular game – where you “gotta catch ’em all” – she wants no part of COVID-19.

News Service science writing intern Lara Streiff almost never wears pink and can’t remember the last time she watched a Looney Tunes cartoon, but her mom made this mask for her. “My mom made it for me with love, because mothers worry about their kids. It reminds me of her whenever I wear it, and it gets me tons of compliments.”

Lara Streiff’s Sylvester the Cat mask.

Melissa De Witte — Melissa De Witte, deputy director for social science communications in University Communications, wears a mask made by her mother, who has been donating similar masks to essential workers in the Boston area. “She intentionally chooses fun fabrics – like this raccoon print – in the hope that it can bring a little joy and whimsy during these difficult times.”

Brenda Yu, a PhD student in biophysics, chose a uniquely shaped mask that protects while expressing her style and sense of fashion.

Elizabeth Player Jones — Elizabeth Player Jones, deputy director of the Travel/Study Program in the Stanford Alumni Association, started a contest to encourage mask wearing among her family and friends called the “Great American Mask Challenge.”

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