How Coronavirus is Changing Our Planet – and How to Talk About It

“So, what should we think?

Should we give the virus the spotlight? Or should we insist that the environment get a piece of the attention?

As we slogged through news articles and academic papers, we came to believe one side had the upper hand: The environment has to be a part of the story.

The coronavirus is bad. It’s causing immense human suffering across the world and dismantling industries that form the bedrock of our economy. We have every responsibility to mourn those we lose and to care for those we can help. The environment shouldn’t be front and center in every discussion about the coronavirus, but it needs to be part of the conversation.

This isn’t about celebrating or gloating. It’s not about capitalizing on a tragedy. It’s about realism, it’s about preparation, and, most importantly, it’s about building the post-pandemic future.

The environment has to be part of the coronavirus conversation because it is part of the coronavirus story. In the wake of this tragedy, there’s a chance to build a better future, one where the needs of our global waters, lands, atmosphere, and fellow creatures are front and center. One where we know that polluting kills, and environmentalism saves. One where global cooperation is commonplace and environmental justice is a prevailing creed.

Humanity must play a bold gambit in the months and years to come. The path to a coexisting people and planet is corrupted with political stagnation, impending climate change, and the looming threat of another viral outbreak.

As we mourn those we’ve lost and mend what has been broken, we must take heart in what we’ve learned. In global strife, it is our purview to find the glimmer of hope. To do what we can with what we have.

Let’s do that now.”

Read the full article by Charlee Thompson and Ben Chapman here!

Analyzing Our Digital Behavior with Team Tech & Cisco Systems

Every year, Team Tech has the opportunity to work with corporate advisors to develop a high-utility engineering project from the ground up. This year, we have the privilege of being mentored by two amazing women at Cisco Systems: Senior Technical Leader, Harini Venkateswaran and Technical Leader, Dr. Nazanin Magharei. Throughout the year, we have grown so much as individuals and as engineers with their guidance.

When our advisors proposed that we do a project focused on anomaly detection in mobile phone usage, we didn’t know where to start. Most of us had little to no experience with machine learning, and very few of us had actually developed software to be deployed for public use. However after countless hours spent completing online courses, reading papers, working through tutorials, and helping each other along the way we are now on track to finish building a web application that will help individuals better understand trends in their phone usage. Our product consists of a front-end interface that will allow a user to view how much time they spend on different types of apps and a back-end algorithm which detects instances of  abnormal behavior.

This project is a useful tool for anyone trying to gauge their productivity or better understand how their screen time is being spent across various apps. The anomalies we detect allow the user to protect the security of their device,, by preemptively checking instances of suspicious behavior. Here’s a quick look at what’s been happening behind the scenes: 

This graph shows the results of one of the anomaly detection algorithms we have been experimenting with.

Here is a draft of how our front-end visualization will look, using d3js.

We’re excited to present our work at WE20 and we’re so grateful to the SWE community as well as our advisors for all the support they have given us!

Environmental Effects of COVID-19

The coronavirus has undoubtedly taken a disastrous toll on global health, economies around the world, and social interactions. However, the outbreak has also caused an interesting impact on another part of our society: the environment. One of the most prevalent environmental changes due to COVID-19 is the difference in air quality. Countries like Italy and China are seeing drastic improvements in the levels of air pollution, most notably in drops of nitrogen oxide. This cleaner air comes as a result of reductions in industrial activity because of restricted businesses activity, as well as minimized vehicle travel. The social distancing policies enacted in a large number of countries have resulted in employees working from home, thus clearing the roads. Similarly, travel bans and fear of contamination in airports has significantly reduced the amount of air traffic. In New York, traffic levels were estimated to be 35% lower than they were a year ago, while carbon monoxide emissions (mainly from cars and trucks) have fallen by 50%. The drop in emissions varies from location to location depending on the types of fuels used to generate electricity, but it is clear that the world is seeing lower levels of pollution due to the effects of the coronavirus. Not only has COVID-19 improved air quality, but this pandemic has visibly affected wildlife and our ecosystems. Bodies of water such as the inner canals of Venice have been seeing unusually clear water. Experts believe that this is due to a combination of a lack of boat traffic and reduction of sewage discharges into the canal that were previously stimulated by tourism and commuting workers. Furthermore, as humans are confined in their homes, social distancing practices are changing the way that animals interact with their surroundings. For instance, sika deer in Japan were spotted wandering into urban settings to find food, because many of them used to be dependent on snacks fed to them by tourists. Animals that have come to rely on scrap food in cities and bustling areas will be forced to adapt and find alternative ways to feed themselves.

Will the environmental benefits and changes last past this pandemic? The answer to this question depends on how our government and citizens handle the aftermath of the crisis. On one hand, there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from COVID-19, giving us a new opportunity to take environmental action. We now know the extent to which education, shopping, telecommuting, networking, and more can be done virtually, which could create a more sustainable future. Unfortunately, on the other hand, many believe that the issues in our economy will undermine the enthusiasm for environmental protection as the world recovers. Governments will likely try to quickly re-stimulate the economy, ramping up the amount of tourism and services, unclean sources of energy, and relaxed business regulations. It is imperative that we continue to advocate for our environment in these tough times.

Previously cloudy Venice canals turned beautifully clear as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Strong Women, Strong Girls

On April 25th, we were planning to host an event for girls in 3rd-5th grade. The girls would have gotten the chance to select a female role model to spend the day with, and together they would explore engineering. We planned activities around our version of the olympics, the Stemolympics, where we were going to display female engineers who had earned “gold medals” in their discipline. The pairs would go through hands-on activities in the morning and a team design project in the afternoon to build bottle rockets. During our lunch break a Chemistry Professor, Gretchen Adams, was going to display some demos for the girls to enjoy. We wanted to show them science in action, through the instruction of another female in the STEM field. We were so excited to spend a day encouraging young girls to think about pursuing engineering as their future. I know that I was really interested in science since when I was their age, so I was excited to show them different examples of futures they could pursue in science fields. It’s too bad we had to cancel the event this year, but I know this event will be great in the future!

Environmental Quad Day

On Monday April 22, more than one dozen RSOs on campus set up for the 2nd annual Environmental Quad Day. Beautiful weather brought hundreds of students to the event, in which they learned about how they can contribute to a sustainable campus and were able to interact with different booths for a chance to win sustainability-themed prizes!

Some of the RSOs represented include Students with Environmental Concerns (SECS), the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, & Environment (ISEE), Red Bison, Enactus, Bee Keeping Club, and Wildlife Society.

SWE's booth not only promoted eco-events that the Community Service Committee hosts and promotes, but it also allowed students to play a fun game and test their knowledge while learning about famous women who have contributed to the environmental science field.

Environmental Quad Day will continue to grow and SWE plans to participate in future events to showcase our commitment towards a sustainable campus and healthy environment. Happy Earth Day!

Team Tech 2019

This year, Team Tech is working with John Deere to create an attachment for their tractors to make the equipment more accessible for customers with a wide variety of disabilities. So far, our team has worked on developing a lift system for users who find it difficult to get into the tractor. We have also worked on a steering mechanism to reduce the force and range of motion required to operate the tractor. In the beginning of February, the team went to a John Deere site off campus and talked with two sales people who answered our questions about the logistics of the project. We learned about the functionality of the tractors, took measurements, and some of our members even got to operate the tractor. We hope that John Deere is impressed with our prototypes, and that our hard work will benefit users with disabilities.

Science of Happiness Girl Scout Workshop

This Girl Scout Workshop was for girls ages 12-14 and was about the different ways you can find happiness. All of the Girl Scouts got a happiness journal where they will be able to write down their happiest memories to remember when they aren’t having a good day. During the workshop, we talked about the importance of a positive mindset and how doing things for others is a great way to stay happy. They enjoyed many activities, such as, writing thank you cards to people they love and creating a list of tips on how to stay happy to keep by their bed or in their lockers. Overall, the workshop was a huge success and all of our volunteers and the Girl Scouts had a blast!

EWeek 2019

National Engineers Week, better known at UIUC as EWeek, brings together many of the engineering RSOs on campus to compete against each other in many different challenges. The theme for 2019’s EWeek was Jurassic Park and every aspect of the week somehow incorporated dinosaurs. This year SWE created a 10 person team named SWERex to compete, and it was arguably one of the most stressful yet enjoyable weeks of our college careers. We began our EWeek journey by running around engineering campus in children’s dinosaur masks to create a video about dino-engineers taking over campus. Then came the week of truth where we would battle it out with the other competitors to become EWeek champions. We competed in events such as an obstacle course, poop the potato, tug of war, a costume contest, and many other relay-type events. We showed up to the dinosaur costume contest as a banana and Sonic the Hedgehog, got dragged down EHall during tug of war, ran all over campus for Amazing Race, and led a blindfolded team member across North Campus for a relay. And although SWERex did not prevail as the Eweek champion, we laughed more than we thought possible and made countless memories!

Taipei Cafe

Taipei cafe is the hidden gem of Bubble Tea lounges. Unlike the neon storefronts of Kung Fu Tea and Teamoji, this modest little spot is tucked away on Fourth and Green. I was greeted by a collection of Hayao Miyazaki characters and an insta-worthy lounge space, and after ten minutes of staring down the menu, I finally decided on a drink. My favorite treat is the Okinawa Milk Tea with Pearl which has hints of vanilla and brown sugar and is delicious both hot and iced. Beyond Milk Teas, they also serve Mojitos, Mousse, Shaved Snow, and much more! It’s a perfect spot to meet up with your fellow SWEsters and enjoy a game of Jenga, Cards Against Humanity, or just hide away from the cold for a while.