The Real Super Heroes Among Us

As the Coronavirus continues to hurt communities globally, we do have some super heroes walking among us, who are working diligently to mitigate the impact. First, let me be very clear. I absolutely love T'Challa, Shuri, Killmonger, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian. As much as we enjoy watching  block buster films such as Marvel Studios' Black Panther and The Avengers, the real super heroes are amazing individuals we encounter every single day, namely nurses, doctors and scientists fighting for all of us and putting their lives on the line.

I have wonderful family members and colleagues in the health care industry that I wish to thank for their tireless efforts to help us. You are appreciated and truly loved. I also want to celebrate employees working practically non-stop in grocery stores and folks delivering products and food to those who need it. Thank you!

There are tons of super heroes among us, but I just want to highlight a few. Lawrence Technological University computer science student Joe Schulte actually designed a cool robot to dispense hand sanitizer. Go Blue Devils! This is a really creative project-based learning activity for future computer scientists to use their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help others. Wayne State University chemistry alum, Jason McLellan and his colleagues made a critical discovery regarding the structure of the Coronavirus, which is important for developing a vaccine. At this time, there is no cure for the virus, so this is absolutely huge! Go Warriors! And, microbiologist Kizzmekia Corbett is leading the way to develop a vaccine! Schulte, McLellan and Corbett are just a few super heroes helping to fight this pandemic.

I am no expert on infectious diseases, but as a chemist I do celebrate my brothers and sisters in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) who are using their knowledge and skills to help all of us. Now, I certainly can't go in the chemistry laboratory and mix up a vibranium solution to help solve our current challenges, but all of us can play an important role by staying home as much as possible. Stay safe and healthy!

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