How engineers are helping solve global challenges
And how you can help.
Around the world there is an increasing demand for basic necessities in countries that have been affected by war and natural disasters. As a student of Mechanical Engineering I wanted to take a look at some solutions which engineers and scientists have developed to help people in need around the world.
I was able to do this research, through a course at my university called “Passion Project”, where students focus on exploring a subject they are passionate about.
The following are the developments that scientists and engineers have developed in recent years to provide solutions to many ongoing crises all over the world. These are the issues that engineering students can get involved in exploring solutions to in their studies and extra-curricular activities.
Water
According the United Nations, 783 million people don’t have access to clean drinking water and at least 6 million people die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related diseases.
Lifestraw has developed a handheld syringe that can filter down to impurities down to 0.2 microns. This technology also removes bacteria and protozoan parasites which may be in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. However even though Lifestraw costs just under twenty dollars it is currently too expensive to be funded on a global scale.
Lassonde professor Sushanta Mitra has developed DipTreat, paper strips laced with sugar, that can kill E. coli in contaminated water. The “DipTreat” discovery will be key to developing a new generation of inexpensive and portable water treatment devices, with human health benefits in Canada and around the world.
Shelter
In 2015, 65.3 million people were displaced from their homes due to war and persecution. Once displaced they are exposed to potential diseases and other sanitation issues. Currently many people are forced to live in refugee camps with limited space and resources. Individuals who are displaced by war have the option to flee which can be dangerous as they maybe caught in crossfire.
Julian Sharpe, the founder of The Survival Capsule, has developed a capsule which can help families who are displaced by natural disasters to find shelter, food, and safety for a short duration of time. The Survival Capsule comes in various sizes and can hold up to 10 people with sufficient food for ten days, GPS, light, air, capability to float upright on water and air tight door.
Healthcare and Sanitation
2.5 billion people don’t have access to adequate sanitation every year leading to untreated wounds, infections, diseases and even death. Our current method of providing health supplies to affected area is by air dropping survival kits, which mainly contain medical supplies, food and water. Once these kits a deployed they are only accessible to those within a close proximity.
Those who are injured and require medical attention are airlifted to nearby hospitals. However many individuals cannot to be accessed or identified as they are trapped under debris or trapped in their houses. This problem requires a better solution if we want to continue ensuring that those who need supplies most can receive them.
These are just a few of the basic living necessities that all people in all communities should be entitled to and yet many people have no access to these.
If engineers and scientists make it their focus to contribute their ideas and develop technologies that will bring relief to area affected by natural disasters, they can make an enormous impact on millions of lives.
All scientists should focus on creating products and solutions which are reliable, cost efficient, easy to use and accessible to everyone in society.
This is clearly a long term project, but one fact we know is necessary considering the planet’s growing population and the vulnerability of many to natural disasters.
Our mission as engineers and scientists should be to improve the lives of as many people on this planet as possible through innovative solutions to global challenges.
Possibilities for improvement are endless if we all work together as one community and invest of our time and our talents to help those in need.
