Chris Rothfuss holds a PhD in chemical engineering and now serves as the senator for Wyoming State District 9 and as the Wyoming Senate minority leader. Rothfuss spoke with ESAL about how his scientific background informs his work as a senator and how it has shaped the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, researchers are being called to more broadly engage in their local communities. ESAL participated in an online panel hosted by the Society Civic Science Initiative sharing ideas for STEM professionals to respond in novel and creative ways.

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is an all-volunteer movement established to fill the technology gap for local governments battling the COVID-19 crisis. ESAL interviewed Yung, the CEO of USDR, about their continuing efforts to assist governments across state and municipal jurisdictions.

ESAL and fellow organizations participated in a Twitter chat led by the Science Network of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The virtual conversation addressed the importance of scientific engagement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the decisions and actions that address the COVID-19 pandemic take place at the local level. ESAL spoke with Sara Lamnin, a city council member in Hayward, CA, about ways that city government tracks emerging information on COVID, and how scientists and engineers can support their communities’ responses.

Melissa Baker is a third-year medical student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a founding board member of Medical Supply Drive, a student-led organization. ESAL spoke with Melissa to see how they're mobilizing to respond to the critical shortage of masks and protective equipment in hospitals across the U.S.

As local communities rally together to face this challenge, ESAL has compiled a list of ideas for engineers and scientists who want to contribute to COVID-19 efforts. We will continue to add to it as we learn of new efforts, so please send us anything you’d like to see included.