5 years after its start, engineers are making progress on all fronts
Having survived the "end of the world" in December 2012, as predicted by the Mayan calendar, you have the opportunity to reflect on the realities of the state of planet Earth today and the challenges humans face that, if left unresolved, could lead to an uninhabitable world. Five years ago, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) identified 14 Grand Engineering Challenges that identify the major problems facing society in the 21st century.
A committee of experts from around the world met at the request of the US National Science Foundation and agreed on the great challenges we face. The challenges encompass a visionary guide, guiding current and future engineers to focus on what they do to help people and planet prosper.
While some of the challenges focus on “nice to haves” to improve the quality and joy of life, most are on the critical path to sustaining human existence on this planet. The challenges are categorized into four schemes: sustainability, health, vulnerability reduction (or security), and the joy of life. So while most people can appreciate the value of reverse engineering the human brain, other challenges such as providing access to clean water could be prioritized as critical to supporting human survival.
A year ago, National Instruments put forward the idea that the engineering needed to solve these challenges is only as good as the instruments used. This is probably why the NAE devoted an entire grand challenge to inventing better tools for scientific discovery. NI is in the business of equipping engineers and scientists with these tools that accelerate productivity, innovation, and discovery, while the company's customers are the front lines fighting to solve these major challenges in their daily work. This year, NI will show how these customers are solving critical needs in each of these four categories. This series of articles begins with a challenge in the health category and discusses how engineers in Pakistan work to provide clean water to local communities.
Health: Providing Access to Clean Water
Solving the health challenges that humanity faces is not an easy task. The most popular topics in this area include advances in medicine, medical devices, and personalized medicine. What is simpler, and even more critical, is access to clean water for all.
According to the NAE, the severity of the clean water crisis is greater than most expect. The inability to access clean water causes more deaths globally than war. Today, approximately one in six people do not have access to this vital resource. Economic and political barriers, aggravated by regional situations in developing countries, are often the root causes of access to clean water.
One example of how this challenge is being addressed is a project in rural Pakistan supported by Planet NI, an NI program designed to nurture local innovation and achieve sustainable prosperity in emerging countries through increased access to technology. Outside of the civilian infrastructure, residents of villages near Islamabad have access only to unsanitary water for their daily needs. Contaminated water, along with the absence of health care options, make life a daily challenge. Planet NI constituents partnered with Air University to use technology and develop devices that help meet community clean water needs. With this collaborative effort, the team created a life-changing solution through a solar-powered water pump and filtration system. This innovation now provides the simple but critical amenity of access to clean water, which dramatically reduces residents' susceptibility to waterborne diseases.
Made possible through the donation of lab equipment, technology, and support, this example is one of many where engineers using NI technology are solving a major challenge. The results of these efforts not only provide a basic standard of living but also a critical component for survival.
