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ENGINEERING: CONFLICTING INTERESTS AND ETHICS
Alexandra Long (aml169@pitt.edu)
INTRODUCTION: EARLY SIGNS OF
PROMISE FOR THIRD GENERATION
BIOFUELS
SCENARIO: CHALLENGES DURING
DESIGN PROCESS
Photobioreactor Design Project
As an undergraduate student in the Swanson School of
Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, I studied
industrial engineering and earned my bachelor’s degree upon
my graduation in 2018. I knew that with this degree my
employment opportunities would be very flexible, and I
pursued a job with Duke Energy since I always had an interest
in making energy more efficient. For some time before my
graduation, there was a great interest in finding a renewable
energy source that could be developed into a technology to
harness energy for large-scale consumption. The finite supply
of fossil fuels was one factor that spurred this interest. With
the rising costs of petroleum products and the detrimental
effects they had on the environment, an alternative and
sustainable energy source was needed for this pressing
challenge [1].
A promising technology that could fit the ever growing
need for energy in our country was the use of algae in third
generation biofuels. Even in the early stages with researching
this technology, it showed substantial potential. One positive
attribute of biofuel from microalgae is that it would not
demand much change from our current system of deriving
energy from fuel. An example of the effectiveness of biofuels
obtained from microalgae was carried out in an experiment by
Professor Demirbas at the University of Mahallesi [2]. In his
study, the oil produced from the algae was “comparable to
fossil oil” [2]. Because of this, without even altering the
chemical structure of this fuel, it still has the ability to run the
engines used in cars and even aircraft. In addition, algae has
the capability of regenerating fairly quickly, and is able to
produce thirty times the amount of energy per acre than a land
crop could [3].
However, there was one downfall in the production
process. In order to produce a superior biofuel product, a
photobioreactor must be used. Photobioreactors are a type of
closed trench system used to grow algae that can perform
“beneficial tasks”, but they are not economical and require
more capital to start up in comparison to an open pond system
[2]. This was the missing puzzle piece in the problem of
producing biofuel: how can we produce it in mass quantities
using large photobioreactors while still making a profit?
Considering that biofuel from microalgae has the potential
to produce massive amounts of energy that can be readily used
in commercial products, there is an opportunity for it to be
very profitable in the market if the missing puzzle piece is
found. After my employment with Duke Energy, I soon
learned that this was why I had been hired. Duke wanted to
be the front runner in developing this technology on the large
scale. The market had the consumer base for such a product:
many consumers were already environmentally aware and
would also understand that if they used these biofuels, they
would be able to use it as a tax break considering that it is a
green energy source. If Duke Energy were the first and only
producer on the market, they knew they would be able to gain
the majority of initial customers who would sign up for this
cheap, renewable, environmentally friendly and tax
deductible energy source.
For these reasons, Duke Energy assembled a design team
of engineers to develop a photobioreactor that could cheaply
produce a quality biofuel from microalgae. My job as an
industrial engineer was to ensure that the design project
developed by our team was as efficient as possible to create
the largest profit. In some ways, my job was the most
important. I held the knowledge to complete the puzzle of
producing profitable third generation biofuel.
After the duration of three months, our team had made
substantial progress with constructing an array of cheaper
designs for a photobioreactor. At times I was tempted to cut
corners and not consider all variables associated with
efficiency in each design. I was not going to receive the
majority of my paycheck until a completed design for a
photobioreactor was submitted to Duke Energy. I could not
be sure of the timeline until I would receive my full
compensation. It could have been anywhere from one more
month to six more months. In the meantime, I was a recent
college graduate with thousands of dollars in loans that were
gaining interest monthly in addition to all of my living
expenses and rent. All of that extra stress sometimes made it
difficult to perform my job to the best of my abilities.
Confrontation with Competing Energy Company
It was around the time of three months into the design
project that I went out on my lunch break one afternoon to
the burger stand at the corner by my workplace. It was here
that I noticed the professional-looking businessman in a suit.
This was not out of the ordinary though. The area was home
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
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Alexandra Long
to many different corporations and there was always at least
one business man at this burger joint, so initially I thought
nothing of it. After I had ordered my cheeseburger with
bacon and an over-easy egg, I was confronted by the
professional looking business man. After complimenting my
choice of order, he introduced himself and mentioned that he
worked for General Electric Energy. This had sparked my
interest. Was this man here by coincidence, or had he meant
to run into me?
After making some small talk, he stated his true reason
for running into me. He had heard rumor that Duke Energy
was in the process of creating a functional, highly profitable
photobioreactor for the production of third generation
biofuels for consumer consumption. At this statement I
became skeptical. I had then known that he had meant to run
into me at the burger joint, it was not just coincidence. I was
curious by this time to learn his true intentions.
He did something that I had not expected. From his jacket
pocket, he pulled out a checkbook, flipped to a new, crisp
check, scribbled a six-digit number as the amount paid and
turned it around to face me. He then proceeded to tell me the
outline of his offer. If I gave him information on our design
project, the check would be mine and my identity would be
kept secret so that Duke Energy would not know who on the
design team had given away information to a competitor. I
was astounded. I had never imagined being confronted with
a situation like this in my career. Before he left, he handed
me his business card so that I may get in touch with him
later. I did not immediately call the number on the card that
day, but I did not immediately throw it away either.
when I had the opportunity in my own life it was still tempting
to go through with the offer.
After the thought of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory, my mind continued on to an even more drastic
comparison of my bribe with a scene from Star Wars Episode
III: Revenge of the Sith. It was in this episode that Anakin
Skywalker discovered the true identity of the Supreme
Chancellor as being the Sith Overlord [5]. Anakin was bribed
into going to the dark side in order to save his unborn twins.
At the time, his decision did not seem to be flawed. He had
not carefully considered the ethics of his decision, and in the
end it became the reason for his own demise and the death of
his wife [5].
So now my position was: would I be like Charlie and return
the everlasting gobstopper, or would I be like Anakin and only
be concerned with my personal interests? My decision was
going to be between throwing away the business card and my
year’s financial security with it, and remaining loyal to Duke
Energy and keeping our design project a secret. What if this
man had approached others on my team as well, and if I
passed his bribe then it would be all for nothing and I would
not even earn any money from it.
Reference to Engineering Codes of Ethics
In order to make an informed decision, I decided to
reference the engineering code of ethics in addition to my
remembrance of Hollywood films and their moral themes. It
was not until after familiarizing myself with the National
Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics
again did I have a revelation. One of the six canons listed
states that I, as an engineer, should “avoid deceptive acts”
[6]. It was very clear that being bribed by a member of a
competing company for information that belonged to Duke
Energy was a deceptive act. If it was not evident enough for
me before from Hollywood, I had now read it from an
ethical source that I am supposed to follow in my
professional career.
Supplementary to the general code of ethics for all
engineers, I also referenced the code of ethics specifically for
industrial engineers. In this code of ethics, I came across the
canon that “Engineers shall act in professional matters for
each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall
avoid conflicts of interest” [7]. Not only did this canon
reinforce the one mentioned from the NSPE code of ethics,
but it also confronted my dilemma with my personal interests.
It made me realize that, under no circumstances, would it be
ethical to take the bribe, no matter how tempting it may be.
After consulting these codes of ethics, I was curious as to
how other engineers had dealt with their ethical dilemmas and
what the outcomes had been in their professional careers. One
such article that I came across was of an engineer deemed as
a “whistleblower”. In this first case, the engineer examined
had not “fulfilled her ethical obligations” because she went
against the direct orders of her supervisor to not disclose a
possible “environmental threat to city officials” [8]. The
APPLICATION OF ENGINEERING ETHICS
IN MY PROFESSION
Conflict of Personal Interest
I was stuck in a dilemma. For one, there was my own
personal gain that was to be considered. If I were to give the
man from General Electric Energy information on our design,
I would have more than enough money to pay off my loans
and live comfortably for the remainder of the year. In addition
to that, I would still be compensated by Duke Energy at the
completion of our design. I would no longer be financially
stressed and putting in unnecessary effort to budgeting my
expenses every week. I would have a much better quality of
life without being effected in my career pursuits if the man
kept his word about keeping my identity secret.
However, that night I could not sleep well. The man who
confronted me at the burger joint eerily reminded me of a
childhood movie I used to watch: Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory. I was having flashbacks of the “bad guy”,
Slugworth, who offered the golden ticket winners
compensation if they were to return an everlasting gobstopper
to him after their visit to the chocolate factory [4]. Even as a
child I was able to recognize the situation as unethical, but
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mistake that this engineer had made was that they did not
voice their opinion to the correct “authorities”. Their
supervisor must have had reasons as to why it was not right to
disclose this information, at least not at that time, yet the
engineer disregarded this and disclosed the information
anyway. Even though this situation was not completely
parallel with my own, it can be related to the same cannons
that I had reviewed in helping with my own decision process.
The actions made by this engineer could have led to the
termination of their job, and that weighed heavily on my mind
in making sure that I made the right ethical decision [8].
A second case that I had happened upon caught my
attention because it involved industrial design. Although this
case did not directly relate to the bribe I had been offered by
the General Electric man, it did make me reconsider the
current contract I was under with Duke Energy and made me
aware of my future contracts and whether or not it would be
ethically sound to enter into them. In this second case, an
engineer was asked to enter into a contract where they would
only be compensated for their work if they had submitted in
their designs within three months for a deadline [9]. This case
was found to be ethically sound, however it made me realize
how complicated ethical situations could become and how
attentive I should be in making the right decisions.
REFERENCES
[1] C. Westbrook. (2013, January 4). “Biofuels
Combustion*.” Annual Review of Physical Chemistry.
(Online Article). http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full
/10.1146/annurev-physchem-040412-110009. pp. 201-219
[2] F. Demirbas. (2011, February 22). “Biofuels from algae
for sustainable Development.” Elsevier. (Online Article).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S03062619
11000778. pp. 3473-3480
[3] H. Balat, M. Balat, F.Demirbas. (2011, January 6).
“Biowastes-to-biofuels.”
Elsevier.
(Online
Article).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01968904
10005157. pp. 1815-1828
[4] Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (1971). Warner
Bros. (Movie).
[5] Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. (2005).
Lucasfilm. (Movie).
[6] “Code of Ethics for Engineers.” National Society of
ProfessionalEngineers.(2007).(Document).http://www.nspe.
org /Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html
[7] “Engineering Code of Ethics.” Institute of Industrial
Engineer. (Document). http://www.iienet2.org/Details.aspx?
id=299
[8]“Whistleblowing.”(1982).(Online Report).http://www.n
spe.org/resources/pdfs/Ethics/EthicsResources/EthicsCaseSe
arch/1982/BER%2082-5.pdf
[9] “Contingent Contract—Industrial Design.” (1977).
(Online Report). http://www.nspe.org/resources/pdfs/Eth
ics/EthicsResources/EthicsCaseSearch/1977/BER%207712.pdf
CONCLUSION: AS AN ENGINEER, I
SHOULD BE LIKE CHARLIE, NOT
ANAKIN
After confronting the reasons for my insomnia that night,
I could make an informed, ethically sound decision. I
retrieved the business card given to me by the man from
General Electric, shredded it, and dumped it into the waste
basket where it belonged. After carefully considering the
codes of ethics which I am expected to uphold, I would not be
able to, on good conscience, release any information for
personal gain and deceive Duke Energy.
I would strongly encourage other fellow engineers to
approach any ethical dilemmas in a similar fashion as I had.
If there are any feelings of second guessing your choices as
ethically sound when it comes to engineering, you need to
make sure that you make an informed decision. I was
reminded by lessons that I had learned as a kid from movies,
and then found that these lessons were reinforced by the
engineering code of ethics. Both of these processes are useful
tools for engineers “who want to continue to think and act
with maximum professional integrity”.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
A. Demirbas, F. Demirbas. (2010, July 16). “Importance
of algae oil as a source of biodiesel.” Elsevier. (Online
Article).
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01968904
10002761. pp. 163-170
P. Fu, J. Lu, C. Sheahan. (2011, March 14). “Metabolic
Engineering of algae for fourth generation biofuels
production.” Energy and Environmental Science. (Online
Article). http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2011/ee/
c0ee00593b. pp. 2451-2466
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my roommate, Sam, for proofreading
my paper and helping me in the beginning stages of finding
my “out of the box” sources on ethical situations that applied
to my own. I would also like to acknowledge a fellow peer,
Nick, who helped me format my paper and offered his support
on helping managing my time to complete it.
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