Engineering Ethics
Learning through Case Studies
By: Marta Gaska
Binghamton High School
What is Engineering?
The profession in which
• a knowledge of math and science ,
• experience, and
• practice
http://www.bom.gov.au/inside/oeb/
is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize,
economically, the materials and forces of nature
for the benefit of mankind.
-ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology)
Engineers Solve Problems
They must develop the safest solution possible
for people and the environment.
Engineers Solve Problems
When confronted with a decision,
they must “do the right thing”
and even predict potential problems
then prepare for them.
http://www.followsteph.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/right-and-wrong-decisions.jpg
Consider this case study:
Back in the 70’s, Ford introduced the Ford Pinto.
In a collision, the fuel tank tended to explode because of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
• its lack of a true rear bumper,
• its lack of any major structure between the rear panel and the tank
• the numerous bolts holding the engine that could too easily puncture the tank.
Ford estimated that each resulting death would cost them $200,000
and each burn victim would cost them $67,000 in court.
Total payout of benefits to victims was projected
to be $49.5 million if the problem was not fixed.
The cost to fix the problem was projected to be
$137.5 million.
They did not fix it because it saved them money.
Lee Iacocca said, "Safety doesn't sell"
http://jeffcjensen.net/blog/
Engineers Solve Problems
Some solutions may deal with
controversial issues
with no clear “right” answer
that everyone agrees on
Biomedical Engineering Example
What do you think about
genetically modified plants ?
Feeding the hungry?
Or
Disturbing the balance
of the environment and
creating possible health
risks?
Transgenic maize containing a gene from
the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_plant
Biomedical Engineering Example
What about genetically modified animals ?
"Cupid" and "Diana," the first targeted, transgenic,
cloned sheep at the Transgenic Animal
Conference at Lake Tahoe (August 1999)
http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/1999/news99.nov.html
Great contribution to
scientific research?
In 2009, Japan successfully transferred a gene into a marmosets and produced a
stable line of breeding transgenic primates for the first time.
It is hoped that this will aid research into human diseases that cannot be studied in mice,
for example Huntington's disease and strokes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_mammal
Can we learn from an
Engineering Disaster?
Apollo 1 was the first manned
mission of the Apollo manned lunar
landing program, which failed due to
a cabin fire which killed all three crew
members, and destroyed the
Command Module in 1967, during a
test of the spacecraft on Launch Pad
34 at Cape Canaveral before the
planned February 21 launch
The Hyatt Regency hotel walkway
collapse in 1981, in Kansas City,
Missouri, killed 114 people and
injured 216 others during a dance.
At the time, it was the deadliest
structural collapse of U.S. history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_walkway_collapse
Ocean Ranger was a semi-submersible
mobile offshore drilling unit that sank in
Canadian waters in 1982 with 84 crew
members on board. There were no
survivors of the accident.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Ranger
Your Case Study Assignment
CHOOSE AN ENGINEERING DISASTER.
Once your topic has been approved, research online and create a PowerPoint
presentation. The presentation must include:
Definition of the Problem: What is your case study about?
Evidence
•
•
•
a factual account of the event including the types of
engineers involved
a summary of financial losses
a summary of human losses
Identify causes
•
•
a technical description of the part or parts that failed
a determination as to why the part(s) failed
Evaluate a policy
•
a technical description of how the failed part(s) were intended to work (
i.e., the designed intent )
Develop solutions
•
a conclusion of any changes in design, regulation, or procedure that were
put into place in order to prevent similar failures in the future
Conclusion
Engineering Ethics Resources
http://www.scs.illinois.edu/~eseebauer/ethics/index.html
http://www.matscieng.sunysb.edu/disaster/
http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/ethcodes/EnglishCodes.aspx