covid 19

The pandemic has been on our minds much longer than anyone could have anticipated, and usually when you hear COVID-19, the news isn’t the best, but this news is. A group of dads in Australia were able to mitigate the spread of the very contagious omicron variant in their children’s school. The dads, whose children attend Brisbane Independent School in Pullenvale, Queensland, got together with the principal to figure out how they could prevent outbreaks of the omicron variant. They used their knowledge in science and engineering to come up with a plan to stay ahead of the contagious virus that they all knew could spread through the school like wildfire. Dads in the group included a scientist that specializes in marine ecology, an engineer and a medical specialist.

In December, the dads began discussing how they could keep the small school's 71 children safe after the border was recently reopened. They decided to do something that Bill Nye would be proud of, and turned to science and what they knew about how the virus spreads. Ventilation was key in keeping the spread as low as possible, and these dads did not disappoint when they put their heads together to figure things out. The group used a smoke machine to study airflow patterns in the classrooms and administration areas, and carbon dioxide meters were used to identify “dead spots” where ventilation was low.