Code Of Ethics
Situations often arise in engineering where a decision will affect a lot of people in potentially negative or harmful ways. In some cases, the decisions are cut and dry, but more often than not the best choice is unclear or not an option. That is, sometimes the right choice is a very difficult one, and other times there simply is no right choice. As engineers, we often make decisions that affect a large number of people, and inevitably some of these will be of the latter kind. This is why it is important to establish and follow a Code Of Ethics.
When I am faced with an ethical decision, I feel that it is necessary to reflect upon and give full attention to the potential outcomes. I spend time considering the implications of each choice, why the choices must be made, and the consequences of each. The main factors involved in this consideration are: how are other people affected, how is the final outcome affected, how is this choice better/worse than another, and are there alternative choices I have not considered. Among these, I think the first is most important. It is my belief, in agreeance with the IEEE Code of Ethics, that “the safety, health, and welfare of the public” are of utmost importance.
In an ethics of engineering class, we did a case study on a murder investigation where the police believed that an Amazon Echo had recorded crucial snippets of audio. Police wanted Amazon to hand over the audio recordings for use as evidence. This raises many ethical questions. Should Amazon oblige and hand over the data? Do they even store the data? If so, should they do this? How do the decisions in this case affect the future of data privacy?
During class, we discussed many of the factors at play. There is a delicate balance between improving and integrating technology in to our lives and the privacy concerns that arise from this. In order to improve voice assistance, the data does need to be kept (at least briefly) and analyzed, but that makes a large majority of people uncomfortable. Most people in our discussion group agreed Amazon should not be holding the data “longer than necessary,” but that is ambiguous and implies a decision that privacy is more important than improving technology. We finally concluded that the issue itself is a very difficult one, perhaps with no correct answer.
In thinking about the virtues of ethics and how they relate to making decisions like those faced by Amazon and its engineers, there are three that come to mind as being of utmost importance:
- Integrity
- Responsibility
- Self-Discipline
One of the most difficult aspects of being an engineer is a far cry from the technical know-how and problem solving creativity we are known for. It is the challenge of following a code of ethics and making good decisions for everybody involved. The plethora of moral and ethical dilemmas we will face requires us to hold true to certain virtues and constantly grow and reflect on decisions made by us and others. In this way, engineering is as much a philosophical profession as it is a technical one.
General Education Reflection
As a student in engineering, I have found that it is easy to emphasize technical classes and thinking; however, the general education classes I have taken have shown me how important general education is. General education classes allowed me to see the world from different perspectives and integrate a wide breadth of knowledge to expand both my personal character and my professional ability. Among the many non-technical classes I have taken, the most important to me have been Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Metaphysics and Psychology of Sexual Orientation.
The philosophy classes I have taken, especially Introduction to Metaphysics, have been helped me to improve both my critical thinking and my approach to problem solving. Engineering requires making a lot of “best guess” decisions, and philosophy requires looking logically at problems and choices to make a well reasoned decision. Fundamentally, these are the same things. Additionally, a large portion of philosophy is analyzing something to try to find flaws in it. Applying this methodology to design engineering is very important in producing robust, well-built products.
Another major influence the philosophy courses had on my engineering decision making is in the realm of ethics. Because a huge part of the study of philosophy is related to ethics, we spent a lot of time asking questions and looking at problems from numerous perspectives. In engineering, decisions with ethical implications are frequently made–decisions about the safety level of an automated car feature, or the biological impact of a new technology. With this background in philosophy, I feel much better prepared to tackle these problems.
On another side of the coin, my psychology of sexual orientation class was extremely helpful for understanding and recognizing the problems and triumphs faced by the LGBTQ community. I grew up in a very conservative town in southern Missouri, and had very little exposure to people and communities different from my own. We are in a time of greater self expression and social acceptance, and this class helped me to be more aware, compassionate, and empathic towards the wonderfully diverse culture we are currently in–especially as those people continue to fight for freedom of expression.
While being an engineer can be technically challenging, there is a whole other challenge that comes with being a well rounded individual. I’m very grateful for the people involved in my general education courses, as they have taught me how to be a better critical thinker, more ethically minded, and increasingly empathic and compassionate.
Cumulative Reflection
My time at Iowa Sate University has given me ample opportunity to grow and excel in the engineering profession. I have had both classes and extra-curricular activities to expand my knowledge and try (and fail) to apply what I know and become a better engineer. Among the most helpful things this college has given me are: the ability to learn for myself, familiarity with industry standard tools, and an environment where I can stretch my abilities.
It’s no secret that electrical engineering is hard work, but the amount of homework assigned and the theory we are expected to learn has made me a much better self-teacher. For instance, in CprE 288 (embedded systems) we have a final project that consists of using an array of sensors to navigate a Roomba through an obstacle course. In the past, there was a thought that the hardware on the robot was not very good and each bot needed its own calibration. Applying problem solving and self-learning skills, I figured out the problem was not in the hardware but rather the base code handed out to students. I spent a couple weeks rewriting the software, learning a lot on the way (mostly through struggling) so current students have less hassle. The many examples like this have helped me to be better at self-teaching.
Another invaluable toolset I have gained at Iowa State is the knowledge of how to use proper test and measurement tools. We are lucky enough to be fully stocked with industry standard tools like oscilloscopes, function generators, power supplies, and multimeters. I have used these tools to do personal and school projects (including the rewrite of the code for CprE 288) and when I did an internship at Garmin I was already familiar with the tools, as they used exactly the same ones we have at the school.
I have also found satisfaction and engagement with resources outside of classes to be tremendously helpful in classes and engineering problems. I was part of a team developing a new hardware platform for our signals and systems classes. I did the board layout using skills and tools I had learned about with outside resources, in particular using YouTube, online forums, and support from people who have familiarity with the tools. On the same project, I used a 3D modeling program to create a model of an enclosure for the project and we had a machine shop produce the cases. Most of these skills have been learned from engagement in outside resources.
Going beyond the skills mentioned above, I am continuously trying to engage in lifelong learning. I have recently started learning about leather-working and plan on doing several textile projects when time permits (probably over the summer). I hope to constantly pursue learning something new and trying something different through every chapter of life.
Iowa State has been a great resource for allowing me to grow and become a better engineer. The lab facilities, professors, and classes have been exceedingly helpful in growing my knowledge and learning new skills. Outside of the classroom, the culture of engineering and my love for creating things has pushed me to continuously explore avenues of creation and learn new skills. I am constantly trying to look at things from new perspectives, improve my knowledge base, and expand my technical ability.