With millions of people affected, medical equipment shortages, and a search for treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19, an opportunity for innovation in the STEAM fields is upon us!
I saw recently a patent application for new medical equipment to ensure the protection of healthcare workers. Inspired by the various supply shortages that have left medical professionals without sufficient protection, an engineer came up with a new idea. This alternative is reusable, more environmentally friendly, longer-lasting, and readily available. This new technology will not only impact the present crisis, but our future.
With the increasing cases of COVID-19, people are looking to the medical field for innovation. They are investing and fueling the advancement of medicine. A COVID-19 vaccine has entered Phase 1 of clinical trial. The tests for COVID-19 are beginning to be administered through select drive-thru testing stations. This could be a major change in how we test and treat infectious disease patients in the future.
The closing of many schools has pushed technology. Schools are relying on new resources, like online classes, that could pose questions of how technology could be incorporated in the future to make schools more efficient.
You might be isolated right now. What do you wish you had? What do you wish your quarantined neighbors had? The questions that arise in times of crisis spark innovation. Maybe you have a product idea or a change of thinking? The coronavirus pandemic has brought new priorities to light, new perspectives, and consequently certainly new innovations. I encourage you to ask yourself how you can be a part of the innovation.

Sofia Melnychuck
Student Ambassador Co-Director
Tucson, AZ
BASIS Tucson North High School

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