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May 2020  
Argus Consulting CEO Kent Bredehoeft’s advice for leaders: Let go of perfection. (Photo courtesy Argus Consulting.)
No management course could prepare leaders to handle the COVID-19 crisis. But even still, great leaders know to put people first. That’s exactly what Kent Bredehoeft, CEO of the Kansas-based fuel systems engineering firm Argus Consulting, decided to do.

He’s navigating his team through the pandemic using these pillars.   

1.  Set your workforce up for success and keep a pulse on their well-being.

2.  Do what engineers do best – solve problems.

3. Let your vision and your values guide your decisions.

4. Establish new goalposts, then shout them from the balcony.

5. Embrace change and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

– Nellie Betzen, The Engineering 100

 
How to pass the pepper while maintaining proper social distance using Joseph Herscher's latest machine.
Rube Goldberg virtuoso Joseph Herscher’s latest creation brings humor to social distancing. The Joseph’s Machines creator tells E100 that quarantine presents challenges to sourcing materials – but leads to more creative results.

“It's forced me to be more resourceful with what's on hand. I can't just pop down to the Dollar Store to buy something. I have to try to make do with what's already in the house.” While many cope with boredom, Herscher’s never been busier. “I make machines from home, so being quarantined doesn’t really affect my work. It’s cut out all the social distractions, so I’m working non-stop!”

– Tia Over, The Engineering 100

 
Decontamination sites are treating N95 masks for hospitals and first responders around the country.
After dinner one night, OhioHealth's Medical Director of Provider and Associate Well-Being, Dr. Laurie Hommema, worried about her hospital’s N95 mask supply. The conversation reminded her husband, Kevin Hommema, an engineer at Battelle Memorial Institute, of research done years ago on how to decontaminate masks for reuse.

The couple leapt into action, sending emails to colleagues. Within days, OhioHealth and Battelle representatives met. In a few weeks, the FDA granted approval.

Now, several cleaning sites in converted cargo containers around the country are treating used masks with hydrogen peroxide gas. Battelle says each system can clean 80,000 N95s a day.

– Katherine Brennecke, The Engineering 100
Mindfulness practice helps create what philosopher Suzuki called a “beginner’s mind” with many creative possibilities.  
In stressful times, it can be hard to focus on day-to-day tasks, much less big ideas. Research from Harvard Business Review shows how mindfulness practices can help engineers solve problems. Erin Sonn, M.Ed., who teaches mindfulness at The George Washington University and in private practice, explains, “Stress turns our energy into survival. We constrict our flow of creative thinking.”

She likens our minds to snow globes, thoughts swirling around. Letting thoughts settle invites clearer thinking. “Mindfulness creates space by unpacking the mind, and in this space curiosity and creativity flourish,” she says. “Now is a great time to practice.”

– Melissa Mathews, The Engineering 100
City sewers could provide genetic clues related to coronavirus and its vaccines.
Individual testing for COVID-19 is still being brought to scale across the U.S., but environmental engineers are working to track outbreaks at a community level. Their laboratory? Our sewers.

The New York Times reports efforts are underway to detect the virus in wastewater. This method has proved successful in providing early warnings on outbreaks for other viruses and in tracking the effectiveness of vaccines. The Times discusses many detection techniques, including looking for genetic material carried in fecal matter.

While wastewater testing for COVID-19 is still a work in progress, it could potentially help inform and direct a public health response.

– Melissa Mathews, The Engineering 100
Exosuits and mini-submarines provide analog for space missions. (Photo courtesy Ann Close of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.)  
While earthbound, NASA astronauts train using “analog missions” in locations similar to space – like the ocean. Astronauts and engineers frequently move into Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research station. They spend up to three weeks at 62 feet below sea level testing equipment, communications and behavior.

Last summer they traveled for the first time to the University of Southern California’s Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies to test an exosuit – a specialized dive suit that simulates a spacewalk suit. The suit allows participants to work at an incredible 1,000 feet below sea level with a mini-submarine that simulates a lunar rover.

– Donna Scaramastra Gorman, The Engineering 100
Through technology and talent, engineers have kept us entertained in lockdown.  
Streaming services have kept us entertained while social distancing, with an abundance of content showcasing STEM culture. Here are my personal favorites:

Movies: For families, my top choice is “Hidden Figures,” celebrating three female mathematicians and offering a powerful alternative history lesson. And you don’t have to be a fan of Facebook’s founder to enjoy director Aaron Sorkin’s excellent “The Social Network.”  

TV: A middle-aged chemist makes meth-dealing oddly relatable in “Breaking Bad.” It’s a modern classic for a reason.

Music: I’ll always take Queen, a band comprised of an astrophysicist, a technologist, a biologist and the great Freddie Mercury. 

– Melissa Mathews, The Engineering 100

 
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