by John Papadakis

Whether this has been the Spring of the Quarantine, the Spring of the Coronavirus, or the Spring of the Lockdown, it is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of the human population. We have all been hearing about the Spanish Flu pandemic at the beginning of the 20th century, but that period’s 500 million cases and 50 million deaths is very far from the 3 million Coronavirus cases and 352,000+ deaths (as tallied to-date). The effect on people’s lives around the world has nevertheless been extraordinary, to say the least. Professional activity, commercial operations, tourism, and all aspects of business life, even the subsistence of entire nations is put on hold since the beginning of this year, beginning with China and spreading globally, as the deadly COVID-19 began to grip people’s lives, keeping millions at home under lock-down if not in strict quarantine. As life came to a stand-still, schools like ACS Athens had to interrupt normal operations, move teaching and learning online and find new and innovative ways to continue students’ education.

ACS Athens had to close for the first time since 1990 and everyone had to come to grips with this new reality. Due to the exceptional efforts of the entire ACS Athens community, operations adjusted practically overnight to a new modus operandi; digital platforms Social awareness for online collaboration of teachers and students, administrators and staff, allowed virtual classrooms to take place and online activity flourished. This unprecedented disruption brought outstanding innovation. Innovation that had been years in the making, however. Students and faculty had already embarked on an educational adventure in the digital domain since 2008, something which allowed them to seize the opportunity offered to them with the nationwide school shut down and transition of online learning. ACS Athens was ready, and well-prepared to meet perhaps

ACS Athens Student Joins Greek 3d Printing Group Flattening the curve, one mask at a time

by John Papadakis, Director of Communications

Halandri, April 27, 2020 the greatest challenge of our life so far. Other than academics, many members of the community have embarked on extra-curricular activities, civic and volunteer projects, and were inspired by the global predicament. One ACS Athens student, 11th grader Jason Stavros Somoglou, engaged in an innovative and self- driven initiative; producing 3D-printed face masks to assist medical support facilities. He managed to manufacture 20 face masks at a time in exchange for more raw material.

Jason explained that the idea came when an adult friend of his sent him an interesting article on 3D printing (shield) masks in the United States and in various other countries. “This caught my attention and I wondered whether Greece had its own version of this. Turns out we did! I found a group chat on Facebook that had around 200 members at the time and I joined. It was interesting to see how all of these 3D hobbyists and enthusiasts brought together their resources to help fight the epidemic. I knew that I had

to help and chip in, in order to help flatten the curve.”

Describing the process, Jason points to its simplicity. Verified by the Greek Ministry of Health, a single source provided with the 3D design, a group of 3D printers manufactured them and the group was collecting them. “It was heartwarming to see that a young firefighter volunteered to come to pick up the first 20 masks even though the virus outbreak was at its peak,” said Jason. Explaining the process, he said that “there isn’t exactly a collaboration between the Hellas COVID-19 3D printing group and an organization, but there is communication between the volunteers and a company called Prusa. Prusa sells 3D printers and is also the company that produced the 3D models of the masks that we print here in Greece. There are also other collaborations between companies that provide 3D material for printing with some public schools that are in possession of 3D printers.”

So what is Jason’s take away from this experience? “I feel like this project has proven to me that everything that I have been doing with robotics and programming can actually make an impact in this world. All these years that I have been participating in competitions and going to events, I never made a real contribution to the world. I just “presented” my skills. But now that I got the chance to help and contribute something to our society in need, I feel like I am working towards achieving my deepest wishes: making a contribution, as small as it may be! That is exactly what I need in this current situation.”

Jason Somoglou, a “netizen” since birth like most of his generation, feels very comfortable around technology and how it is used to accommodate people’s needs. However, as he points out, “this outbreak is a life-changing moment for all of us and the only thing we can do is try to protect ourselves and the ones we love by staying home and listening to what the experts have to say about this situation. I will continue this project as long as masks are needed, and if any other situation comes up where I could help I would be more than happy to contribute my time and resources into fighting whatever fight has to be fought.”

The lesson of the Spring of Quarantine: Pandemics, like all wars against humanity, can only be won by the dedicated, selfless effort of the many only if each one of us puts oneself at the forefront of the fight.