Social Distancing Pin

While the idea of isolating people to slow the spread of illness has been around for centuries, the current US strategy of social distancing has its roots in a high school science fair project.  In 2006, 15-year-old Laura Glass used a computer simulation to test strategies for slowing the spread of epidemics for a science fair project. Laura’s project showed that closing schools is a highly effective way to reduce the impact of contagious diseases, and with her father, she co-authored a paper on the topic titled “Targeted Social Distancing Designs for Pandemic Influenza.” This paper helped inspire the current strategies that are being used to control COVID-19.  This pin, created with Laura’s help, is based on an illustration of a contact network she used in her original project. The illustration, along with the story behind this design, is included in the packaging.  Read more about the hidden history of social distancing strategy in this article.  50% of the profits from this pin are donated to organizations supporting essential workers. Find a list of the organizations these pins support on our Support Essential Workers page. These donations will be made on a rolling weekly basis and we will be updating the list of organizations receiving aid as the crisis evolves. This pin is 1" across. It has small parts and is not made for children!