The integral role of engineering

Coronavirus, the most frequently mentioned word in 2020; it creates a sense of fear in us, but also pride. Pride for the healthcare workers, who sacrifice their own health for ours; pride for essential workers, who aid in aspects of community, which we used to neglect; but most of all, pride for the engineers, who at this very moment are battling COVID-19. Scientists are rapidly discovering new innovations, which is becoming the anchoring force for the world we currently live in.
As COVID-19 cases and its new variants are exponentially rising, hospitals have found themselves unable to tend to every patient. Thus, they have turned to engineers to produce enough ventilators and hospital beds to accommodate everyone. Rather than simply increasing the production of respiratory equipment, engineers came up with a method, which assists hospitals in coping with the large number of patients.
The Philips Respironics E30 ventilator is easy to use and produced in abundance; this is vital for the wellbeing of society. Its simplicity allows a quicker mass-production; therefore, successfully solving the issue on hand, while also reducing the strain on already stretched resources.
The significance of masks is indubitably integral to stopping COVID cases from rising. Throughout the pandemic, engineers have been working to make reusable and effective masks.
After months of testing and trial and error, an engineer, working with Friedrich Prinz invented a mask which "protects the respiratory system of long-term mask wearers." To exemplify, a tube extends from the mask to a "box" (worn on the waist), which regenerates pure oxygen. This breakthrough will undeniably have a positive impact on society.
Kizzmekia Corbett, a young African American, has played a tremendous role in finding a vaccine for coronavirus. During the last few months, she has written innumerable papers, conducted experiments, and analyzed data, all of which are helping understand the effectiveness of antibodies in neutralizing coronavirus. Her outstanding efforts have brought her to the National Institutes of health; this is a large feat for both women and the young generation involved in engineering. It was her progress in engineering, which is currently helping solve covid, that brought her this far.
In brief, the examples illustrated above are just a few of the many ways engineering has helped respond to the global pandemic. This goes to illustrate the power of engineering, which unleashes the societal potential for innovation and knowledge