Thought Leadership

Podcast: Modeling, Economists and predicting the “New Normal”

July 1, 2020 • 2 MIN READ
1176067266
By Ed Bernardon
https://shows.acast.com/the-future-car-a-siemens-podcast/episodes/modeling-economists-and-predicting-the-new-normal
1176067266

Modeling plays a key role in the development of the future car and in this new pandemic world in which we live.  Preventing the spread of this disease permeates everything we do from how we manage our health to how we dine out, and even how we get around – everything is changing. While scientists race to find a vaccine, the world must adapt to a new normal, modeling and simulation help us predict how that new normal will unfold.

Putting new systems in place and altering urban infrastructure is costly. Particularly during an economic shutdown, we need to make sure our decisions have the intended effect of keeping us safe as we return to some version of normality. So, what role does modeling play in helping us make those decisions, and who is doing the modeling?  Join Ed Bernardon, host of The Future Car Podcast, discover how economists are shaping the models that try to predict the new normal.

Our guest today is Ashley O’Donoghue a Ph.D. economist at the Center for Healthcare Delivery Science at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She talks with us about some of the economic models that are currently being used to help us predict what the new normal might look like. She’ll also help us answer one of life’s great questions: What exactly does an economist do?

Discussion Outline:

  • What an economist actually does (1:49)
  • What is the role of an economist in the healthcare sector? (3:02)
  • What we learn from “causal inference” (3:41)
  • Examples of Natural Experiments in hospitals and what we can learn from data (4:56)
  • When do you know your model is good enough? (6:35)
  • Can models help us predict the future? (7:37)
  • What the current models are predicting about transportation (8:54)
  • The unintended side effects of the pandemic in the healthcare sector (9:26)
  • What changes cities are already making to adapt (10:01)
  • What is a “super spreader”? (11:10)
  • Which environments are more likely to create super spreader events? (13:24)

Connect with Ashley O’Donoghue:

Connect with Ed Bernardon your Host

Edward Bernardon

Ed has over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur and executive in industries related to software, design, and automated manufacturing in a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, and apparel. Primary roles have been as a sales and business development executive in early stage startups that have grown to become global in scope. Ed is currently Vice President of Strategic Automotive Initiatives at Siemens Specialized Engineering Software. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, business development, and making initial sales of new products to market leading companies. The primary focus of these efforts has been in the areas of design and manufacture of lightweight automotive structures and transportation interiors. Prior to Siemens, he was the third principal member and Vice President of Sales for VISTAGY that, without any outside funding, developed industry leading software for design and manufacturing of light-weight composite parts. Initially the sole sales person, he expanded sales to a global organization with direct and channel partners in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Ed was a key member of the executive team during the global expansion of VISTAGY and the transaction of Siemens acquisition in 2011. Prior to VISTAGY, Ed directed the Automation and Design Technology Group at the MIT Draper Laboratory, developing manufacturing processes, robotics, and complementary design software for composites, automotive and textile applications. Projects included design of a composite car body, FRTM and preform pick/place for composites fabrication, as well as robotic equipment for the manufacture of men’s suits, blue jeans, sweatpants and other apparel. Ed holds an M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from Butler University. He also has numerous patents in the area of high volume automated composite manufacturing systems, robotics and laser technologies.

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/thought-leadership/podcastthe-role-of-modeling-and-economists-in-predicting-the-new-normal/