The Institute - June 2020 - TI3

RANDI KLETT

editor's note

in the fight. Deep-learning models are
being used to assess existing and new
drugs that might aid in successfully treating COVID-19. Hospitals have deployed
AI tools to help detect COVID-19 on chest
scans, and use deep-learning algorithms
to diagnose, triage, and monitor coronavirus cases from lung images.
This healthcare crisis is driving new
developments in robotics after seeing the
successful usage of robots in the battle
against COVID-19.
Robots can perform repetitive chores
such as delivering supplies to medical
staff, freeing hospital workers to do more
important tasks. Robots are taking on
dangerous and dirty jobs, including handling nasopharyngeal sampling swabs
and decontaminating medical equipment and facilities. Robotic vehicles are
being deployed to support contactless
deliveries amid quarantines.
I am proud of the work that all the
members of our IEEE community have
been doing in response to the uniquely
challenging circumstances we now face. I
extend my heartfelt thanks to every member of this community for your understanding, flexibility, and strength in these
taxing times. I am confident that when
we work together, no challenge is too
great for us to overcome.
As the global community continues
to grapple with COVID-19 and its farreaching implications, and as we begin
to look beyond the pandemic, be assured
that IEEE will continue to support our
imperative to learn, connect, inform, and
advance the technical state of the art.
Recent events highlight the essential
role of science and technology and the
crucial need for knowledge, innovation,
and application across academic, public,
and private sectors. Thank you for being
a valued IEEE member.
Share your thoughts with me at
president@ieee.org.
-TOSHIO FUKUDA,
IEEE president and CEO

Engineering Ingenuity
Rises to the Occasion
BY KATHY PRETZ

Editor in chief, The Institute

As I write this note in mid-April, I'm home

in New Jersey abiding by the state's stay-athome order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
In fact, the entire team that put together this
issue of The Institute has been working
remotely since 18 March, when IEEE closed
its offices in New Jersey and New York until

it's safe to return.
The Institute and IEEE Spectrum teams are working to leverage
IEEE's strength to help you with the global health crisis by creating
the COVID-19 News and Resources hub for members. It contains
information from across the organization, such as a list of free
resources, answers to frequently asked questions, and articles about
technologies that members are developing to fight the coronavirus.
Among the members we've highlighted is IEEE Fellow Kurt
Petersen, a MEMS pioneer and recipient of the 2019 IEEE Medal
of Honor [page TI-6]. Cepheid, a Petersen startup that he has
since sold, developed a microfluidic system in the late 1990s. The
company's GeneXpert rapid molecular diagnostic machines are
based on that system and are now being used to test for the virus.
We've included articles about members working on other
projects as well.
Mark Humayun invented the implantable Argus II, a retinal prosthesis system [page TI-8]. The IEEE Fellow spent 20 years looking for
a way to restore vision to people, like his grandmother, who have
lost their eyesight because of retinal neurodegenerative diseases.
Lisa Lazareck-Asunta hadn't considered a career in engineering
until she attended a conference for women in tech as a teenager.
Today the senior member is chair of the IEEE Women in Engineering committee. On page TI-11 learn about some of the work she's
doing to ensure WIE is making a difference.
Member Victoria Serrano has launched several outreach efforts in
Panama to teach preuniversity students about careers they could have
in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields [page TI-13].
An article on page TI-15 highlights Norwegian startup UBIQ Aerospace, which has developed an autonomous deicing system to help
protect drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles. One of UBIQ's
cofounders is Senior Member Tor Arne Johansen.
I want to thank all the IEEE members who have been serving
on the front lines of the pandemic, demonstrating their ingenuity and commitment to helping their communities. I hope by the
time you read this, the worst of the crisis is behind us. n
FOR UPDATES ABOUT IEEE AND ITS MEMBERS, VISIT US AT
SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG/THE-INSTITUTE
THE INSTITUTE

JUN 2020

TI-3

http://SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG/THE-INSTITUTE

The Institute - June 2020

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