Our Mission

Viterbi Conversations in Ethics is an educational forum for reasoned, informed, and relevant discussion of engineering ethics. Written, edited, and published by USC Viterbi School of Engineering students, Viterbi Conversations in Ethics will publish exceptional student work and responses, counter-points, and new perspectives from both peers and professionals.

History

In 2013, Viterbi Conversations in Ethics was conceived at the USC School of Engineering as a way to showcase undergraduate student writing about ethics in the engineering professions and to highlight the important role of ethics in engineering. We in the Engineering Writing Program believe that our students must begin to see themselves as professionals within a larger community of thinkers and writers, and this is an opportunity for these students to enter into the larger professional conversation about ethics and to invite comment from other students and professionals.

Viterbi Conversations in Ethics is funded by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Office of the Dean. Seed money was also provided by the USC Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching.

Core Team

Viterbi Conversation in Ethics’ core team is composed of student editors. Our staff also includes web developers and faculty advisors.

Current Editors-in-Chief

Teagan Ampe

Class of 2021

Teagan is an undergraduate majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Web Technologies and Applications. Outside of class, she enjoys planning events for Women in Computing and the Society of Women Engineers, reading urban fantasy books, and petting cats.

Isabel Brieler

Class of 2022

Isabel is an undergraduate studying Astronautical Engineering. She loves anything space-related and loves to read, work with children, and make music in her free time.

Current Editors

Isabel Yarwood Perez

Class of 2021

Isabel is an undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering. Outside of class, she is involved in the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Design Team. Additionally, she is a member of the Community Outreach committee in the Society of Women Engineers, where she organizes events for young girls to encourage and empower them to pursue interests in STEM fields.

Tyler Amano-Smerling

Class of 2021

Tyler is an undergraduate studying Computer Science: Games, and her favorite game titles include Breath of the Wild and League of Legends. She loves photography, traveling, and percussion–– she is also a bass drum in the Trojan Marching Band!

Michael Delucia

Class of 2022

Michael DeLucia is an undergraduate studying Computer Science. In the future, he hopes to work at the intersection of Finance and Technology. Outside of class, he enjoys sports, video games, and trading stocks.

Sabrina Sy

Class of 2023

Sabrina is a second-year biomedical engineering student with a minor in gender and sexuality studies. Outside of class, she is a member of the Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering, where she serves as a member of their Makeathon planning committee. She is also involved in research in the Cardiorespiratory Sleep Lab and serves as a Virtual Peer Mentor (VPM) for McCarthy Honors College. In her free time, she enjoys playing online trivia games, surfing at Sunset Beach, and dramatically lip-syncing in her room.

Web Developers

Justin Wilford

Class of 2022

Justin is a graduate seeking an MS in computer engineering. After school, he plans on pursuing a career in computer architecture. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, browsing cat memes, and watching anime.

Founding Editors

Naajia Jami, Civil Engineering

Julia Levy, Astronautical Engineering

Former Editors-in-Chief

Isabel Yarwood-Perez, Mechanical Engineering

Brandon Chew, Chemical Engineering

Rachel Longjohn, Computational and Applied Mathematics

Rebecca Thoss, Chemical Engineering

Former Editors

Meera Gorjala, Public Policy and Environmental Studies

Laura Cook, Chemical Engineering

Ayman Siraj, Chemical Engineering

Tsung-Han Stephen Sher, Computer Science

Sharada Rayan, Computer Science and Business Administration

Krishnan Raman, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Anush Kadoyan, Computer Science

Nicole Pay, Mechanical Engineering

Tiarnan McCaffrey, Mechanical Engineering

Huaning “Wendy” Wang, Mechanical Engineering

Georgia Babikian, Biomedical Engineering

Connor Buckley, Computer Science

Former Web Developers

Tuling Zhao, Computer Science and Business Administration

Faculty Advisors

Martha J. Townsend teaches in the Engineering Writing Program at USC and serves as the founding and current Faculty Advisor to Viterbi Conversations in Ethics.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Curing the Human Condition: The Ethics of Editing Our Own DNA

Connor Powers October 26, 2021

Thirty-two million Americans currently have health conditions linked to genetic defects, nearly all of which can be corrected by genetic editing with CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Opponents of gene editing abound, from those who point to their potential role in increasing the privilege gap between the rich and poor, to people who object morally to the idea of humans meddling with their own DNA, to pharmaceutical companies whose profits would be threatened by a reduced need for medication. However, after analysis of the ethicality of genetic editing technology with the frameworks of common good, utilitarianism, and fairness, it is evident that the eventual species-scale benefits that will be brought about by the technology outweigh its risks and flaws.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Animal Testing as a Means of Survival

Isabelle Lau October 26, 2021

The morality of animal testing has been widely debated since its origins in Ancient Greece. Testing on animals allows the evaluation of new drugs and procedures without harming humans but raises the question of whether animals should be forcefully used for human gain. This paper recommends that animal testing only be used for approved medical research necessary for human survival and when all other animal-free methods are inadequate. If researchers need to use animal testing, they must scrupulously follow guidelines to minimize animal pain and suffering.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

The Ethical Challenges of Neural Technology

Sabrina Sy October 26, 2021

Neural engineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field that utilizes engineering techniques to discover the function and manipulate the behavior of the human brain. Current research in neural engineering focuses on the development of treatments for neurological disorders that deplete the health of the nervous system and explores how the nervous system operates in both health and disease. Neural engineering has huge potential to relieve suffering in those who have lost functionality in their nervous systems, but the further development of this technology raises a number of ethical questions about identity, privacy, responsibility, and justice. These questions must be thoroughly addressed in order to guarantee the most responsible future development and use of neural engineering technologies.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Biohacking: The Ethical Implications of Democratizing Biotechnology

Lindsey Marks October 26, 2021

Biohacking is a Do-It-Yourself movement that encourages experimenting with biotechnology tools to find ways to improve one’s health and enhance one’s natural capabilities, and many in the movement advocate for the democratization of scientific tools so that everyone can participate in such scientific discovery. However, some biohackers take their experimentation to the extreme, and not all of them seem to understand the responsibility and risks associated with the scientific methods they employ. As a result, tension between the biohacking community and the professional science community has grown as biohacking continues to increase in popularity. Though the biohacking movement makes salient points about the way ethical precautions and regulation slow innovation, this paper explores the need for codes of ethics governing the pursuit of scientific discovery and how biohackers and traditional, trained scientists can reach common ground.

Fall 2021 Featured Volume 5 Issue 2

Why We Should Embrace Artificial Wombs

Timothy Wang October 26, 2021

A human fetus developing outside of a uterus may seem like science fiction at first, but artificial wombs are quickly becoming a reality. They’ve already been tested successfully on lambs, and some researchers predict they’ll be ready for human use in less than a decade. Despite criticism from opponents who see artificial wombs as “unnatural” or believe they will be harnessed to create genetically modified “designer babies,” this paper argues that the technology, once proven safe, is wholly ethical – and in certain cases, it may even be unethical not to use it.

Fall 2021 Featured Weekly News Profile

Surgeons Perform First Successful Pig-to-Human Transplant Using a Genetically-Engineered Animal

Sabrina Sy October 25, 2021

In a revolutionary feat of science, medicine, and engineering, surgeons at NYU have successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human. However, as biotech companies rush to develop suitable animal organs for transplants, we must address the ethical concerns behind xenotransplantation.

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

Apple’s Control of the App Market

Isabel Brieler October 11, 2021

Apple has faced a lawsuit over their in-app payment policies, and recently filed an appeal to delay the judge’s decree that they allow app developers to direct users to third-party payment platforms — but do they have an ethical justification for this?

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Third Dose Debate

Teagan Ampe October 4, 2021

Some people in the U.S. are now eligible for a booster COVID vaccine, but is it ethical to get a third dose while vast swaths of the globe have yet to receive their first?

Fall 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Push for Universal Standards in the European Union

Michael DeLucia September 27, 2021

The European Union wants to standardize the connectors used in smartphones and many mobile devices — while this may help consumers in the short term, the jury is still out on the long-term efficacy of this policy.