To learn how to respond to public crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s useful to look at such potential catastrophes as an engineering problem that needs engineering solutions, say Fulton Schools Professor Brad Allenby and Associate Professor Mikhail Chester. The two civil, environmental, and sustainable engineering experts assert that the formulas and practices necessary to ensure public infrastructure systems are efficient and resilient could be applied to public health challenges such as the rapid spread of contagious diseases. From resource management, financial planning, coordination of government response efforts, public leadership strategies and the application of logistics, using engineering principles as a problem-solving model could help countries better cope with many serious threats to societal stability.