By Sara Frueh

National Academy of Engineering (NAE) President John Anderson sat down to talk about some of the engineering challenges posed by the pandemic and how engineers — and the NAE in particular — are working to meet them.

Q: What are some ways engineers are playing a role in responding to the pandemic?

A: The genetic structure of the virus [SARS-CoV-2] was sequenced within weeks of its discovery, and it was done with the help of both scientists and engineers. Optical, electrical, mechanical, computer, and chemical engineers were all involved in making that possible.

Another area where engineers are playing a role is in the scale-up of therapeutics and vaccines. Scientists are discovering the vaccines — that’s a scientific task, though there’s also engineering in it —but when you go from making 100 doses to a billion doses, that’s a huge engineering challenge. The same is true for manufacturing therapeutics. Engineers are working on that right now.

Engineers are also working on maintaining the integrity of the supply chain — getting equipment such as masks to where they’re needed, and getting the right chemicals together to make vaccines and therapeutics, and those come from all over the world.

We’ve also applied artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate the rapid development of therapeutics and vaccines. Artificial intelligence processes a lot of information to identify promising routes to therapeutic interventions. For example, what drugs could be used to prevent the antigens on the outside of the virus — which allow the virus into your cells — from getting into cells?

And engineering has allowed telework. If this had happened 20 years ago, where would we be? We would not be communicating with each other like this. Broadband, wireless communication, 5G, Zoom, and other platforms — all of these technologies have been elevated by this pandemic.

As a final example, engineers are modeling the transport of aerosol droplets as it relates to transmission of the coronavirus between two individuals and among groups, so that effective countermeasures such as enhanced ventilation can be taken.

Q: Do engineers approach problems like the pandemic differently from scientists?

A: Engineers would be nowhere without science, and science would be nowhere without engineering — because engineers put into motion what science has discovered. National Medal of Science winner Theodore von Kármán said, “Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was.” They’re both important.

“Engineer” is a verb, which means that it’s action-oriented. It’s a key way we look at life. Engineers consider themselves problem solvers and also creators. We create products, processes, and systems that address economic and societal needs — like the ability to telework. Engineers are used to thinking in systems; a pandemic is a system, for example, and society is a system.

Q: What are some specific innovations that engineers are bringing to the response effort?

A: The speed and scale of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 have improved greatly, and engineers have brought artificial intelligence, automation, and process control to industry’s development of those diagnostics. The increase in testing capability is due in great measure to these engineering tools. One important element engineering brings is risk modeling. For example, suppose you’re relying on a certain precursor chemical to make a therapeutic, and there’s a hurricane between you and the source. Do you have a secondary source? Or what happens if you’re making drugs or vaccines, and there’s a three-day moratorium on shipping, or an airport is closed? You have to be able to adjust.

To help do this, some companies are using what’s called a “digital twin” — a computer model of the real world that can help them adjust to the real world. They model systems in the real world — such as the pandemic, or manufacturing processes — which lets them anticipate problems and plan what to do.  The model is continually improved by putting in more real-world data as it emerges.

Q: Are there ways engineering can help the workforce and the economy get going again?

A: Every time there’s a crisis or a major problem, there are opportunities that lead to improvements. For example, there will be more people with ideas about how to distribute things — leading to more Amazon-like companies. There will be innovations in rapid diagnostics; the Holy Grail is a home test for COVID-19. There will be new platforms — I don’t think Zoom is the end; there will be competitors. These will all produce jobs. We’re also learning more about education, so you’ll see more companies emerging around home schooling and education.       

Much of the economy will come back in information technology and manufacturing — and then in the service industry, because you’ll need to service all of these things. I actually think COVID will lead to more economic development once we control it.

Q: In light of what we’ve learned so far, are there ways engineering can help us prepare for the next pandemic?

A: The National Academy of Engineering annual meeting — which will take place Oct. 4-7 — will explore that question. We’ve got some outstanding speakers — David Walt, for example, who has served on the Academies’ infectious disease standing committee, will speak about lessons learned from this pandemic and how to apply them in the future. Pamela Cheng, who is senior vice president for global vaccine products at AstraZeneca, will speak about engineering’s role in the pandemic. (More information on the annual meeting)

Q: How is the NAE contributing to the pandemic response?

A: NAE members are serving as volunteers on National Academies committees that are doing studies related to the pandemic. They’ve examined subjects such as the effectiveness of fabric masks and how long the virus survives on surfaces.   

And in April, the NAE launched the COVID-19 Call for Engineering Action to incubate ideas for innovations that could help respond to the pandemic. Six hundred ideas came in, and we narrowed it down to 10 — one example is a self-cleaning mask — and teams pitched the ideas for investment and development. It was fabulous. I’ve heard from some of the participants that investors are interested in some of the ideas.

It’s an intergenerational effort. It started with a grassroots effort by two generations of engineers:  Grand Challenges Scholars, who are engineering students and recent graduates; and alumni of the NAE Frontiers of Engineering program, who are mid-career engineering professionals. Then some NAE members wanted to contribute, and they volunteered to serve on the expert review committee. Three generations of engineers are both learning from one another and working together to contribute in a time of national need.

The effectiveness of the nation’s and world’s responses to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recovery of both our economy and social well-being, will depend on the talent of scientists, engineers, and medical professionals.  Together, we will be successful.