Fall 2023 Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Fall 2023 Featured Volume 7 Issue 1

Great Stakes in the Great Lakes: Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism in Culling Asian Carp

Asian carp are an invasive species that have dramatically damaged US waterways. Environmentalists are scrambling to find solutions to prevent the devastation that may ensue as the carp encroach upon the Great Lakes. However, current solutions to maintain these ecosystems are inherently unethical. Human response to the carp invasion reveals how ecological decision making influenced by human-centric environmentalist ethics is unsuitable when dealing with man-made problems. Instead, humans must consider what ethical obligations they have to protect the environment and repair damage done to the US waterway system.

Fall 2023 Featured Volume 7 Issue 1

Hostile Architecture: The Ethical Problem of Design as a Means of Exclusion

Zoe Nussbaum December 29, 2023 Architecture Civil Engineering Homelessness

From uncomfortable park benches to unnavigable sidewalks, hostile architecture has emerged worldwide to exclude unhoused individuals from public spaces. Hostile architecture goes against the principles of engineering a communal space. Yet, it persists because it subtly banishes unhoused people from the eyes and minds of communities that fear or are ashamed of them. However, the practice is unethical towards the unhoused and those in the community who experience limited mobility. Ultimately, hostile architecture has never been a sustainable method for solving homelessness, and its use is rooted in harmful bias against unhoused people.

Fall 2023 Featured Volume 7 Issue 1

An Ethical Exploration of Automating the Trucking Industry

Jacob Harrington December 29, 2023 AI Automation Automotive Industry Trucking

In recent years, a shortage of commercial transport drivers has resulted in an inability to meet increasing demand. A proposed solution for combating this bottleneck is to automate long-haul trucks through sophisticated AI techniques. Through automation, this shortage can be resolved. Unfortunately, although there are too few truckers on the road, it remains one of the most common professions for Americans today. Thus, by embracing this technology, there is a risk of forcing a substantial portion of the population out of work. Would pursuing automated trucking be an ethical decision? Inversely, would it be unethical to disallow automation? Through various lenses, this paper will dive into this dilemma and determine the best path forward.

Fall 2023 Featured Volume 7 Issue 1

To GEH or Not to GEH

Janessi Diaz December 29, 2023 AIDS DNA Genes Genetic Engineering HIV Retrovirus Virus

HIV and AIDS have devastated the lives of millions of people worldwide. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has completely transformed the reality of those impacted by HIV and AIDS, turning a death sentence into a much longer and healthier life. However, heavy pill burdens, drug resistance, and a lack of equity in current treatment make ART unethical as a long-term, permanent solution. It is up to biomedical engineers to find an ethical way to treat or cure the millions of people impacted by this virus. Genetically engineering humans (GEH) has shown great promise in improving treatment and finding a cure for HIV. If the engineers making these edits follow very thorough and specific guidelines, genetic engineering can be an ethical alternative to ART.

Fall 2023 Featured Volume 7 Issue 1

Consciousness and the Self: A Philosophical Discussion of the Future of Whole Brain Emulation

Jennah Saqib December 29, 2023 Biotechnology Mind-uploading Virtual Reality

Whole brain emulation is the theory that brain scans can be used to simulate the human mind digitally. It is primarily being researched to improve understanding of the brain to treat or cure neurological illnesses and conditions. However, the concept of whole brain emulation raises ethical and philosophical questions about what it means to be human and the future of humanity. This paper explores different schools of thought on the ideas of consciousness and how they can be applied to the concept of brain simulation and ethical research practices.

Fall 2023 Featured Weekly News Profile

Vapes Harm More Than Just Their Users

Janessi Diaz December 14, 2023 Congo lithium-ion batteries Vaping

For anyone who has been thinking about quitting vaping, here is some inspiration. Vapes are not just bad for those who use them, they are incredibly harmful to those who have to make them. Vapes require a lithium-ion battery which is made with cobalt. The demand for cobalt has created treacherous and inhumane conditions for miners in Congo where the mineral is present in great abundance.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

Controversy at the COP28 Summit

Jennah Saqib December 6, 2023 Climate Change coal COP28 Fossil Fuels

The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference has started with a bang. Comments made before the summit by the event president, Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, were met with scathing criticism. Al Jaber, who went on the record claiming the phase-out of fossil fuels is an alarmist idea not rooted in science, has since been slammed by other attendees for being biased toward fossil fuel and oil companies. Despite the president’s reluctance, a call for the complete removal of the fossil fuel industry continues to be a major focus point of the conference.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

FTC Dispute Helps to Explain Rising Medical Device Costs

Kaylee Tseng December 6, 2023 Healthcare Medicine Pharmaceutical

The FTC recently challenged over 100 patents in the FDA’s Orange Book, a guide that lists drug products, patents, and viable generics. A patent in the Orange Book for pharmaceutical companies delays competitors from entering the market because of infringement risks. However, the FTC found several instances of medical device patents listed in the Orange Book that overstep the Book’s purpose. These improper patents are artificially extending monopolies to pharmaceutical companies. This adds to the rising costs of inhalers and EpiPens, which come at the consumer’s expense.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

NASA’s “Asteroid Autumn” Reveals the Future of the Space Industry

Rachel Pak November 22, 2023 Asteroid Mining NASA Space Industry

This “Asteroid Autumn,” NASA has made significant steps forward in three of their asteroid-focused space missions. On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx successfully returned an estimated half-pound sample of asteroid rock. Psyche, launched on October 13, will travel out to examine the metal-rich asteroid 16-Psyche. Finally, on November 1, Lucy flew by her first asteroid out of the twelve along her planned trajectory. These missions highlight the growing interest in identifying and collecting the resources found in space. The economic and political advantages gained from access to space resources will shape the future of the space industry.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

iPad Kids: A Generation in Danger

VCE November 13, 2023 Algorithms Meta screen time Silicon Valley

People in Silicon Valley tend to be very strict about their children’s screen time because they have insider knowledge of just how addictive and harmful the algorithms they create are. Fed up with these algorithms, 33 general attorneys from 42 different states have come together to sue Meta for endangering children. Excessive screen use perpetuated by such algorithms has serious implications for the children who fall victim to them.

Podcast

Featured Spring 2023 VCE Podcast

Electric Vehicles: Climate Saver?

VCE January 31, 2023

Hosts Maya and Josh discuss the ethics of lithium battery mining and electric vehicle use with a panel of engineering essayists.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Predictive Policing

VCE October 31, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind predictive policing.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Clean Energy

VCE October 31, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind clean energy.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Cryptocurrency

VCE October 24, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind cryptocurrency.

Fall 2022 VCE Podcast

Autonomous Vehicles

VCE October 24, 2022

In this episode, the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics team explores the ethics behind autonomous vehicles.

Grand Challenges Special Issue

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

Redefining Societal Progress for Engineers

VCE March 29, 2023

Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges focuses heavily on the pitfalls of technological determinism. This paper supports Cech’s argument through a discussion of current examples of the consequences of technological determinism, such as the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, medication accessibility, and facial recognition technology. Though the consequences of a zealous engineering mentality are commonplace in our society, there are also current examples of tech companies neglecting to develop technology due to its possible negative consequences.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

How the Technical Sciences and the Social Sciences Should Go Hand-in-Hand

VCE March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges presented by the National Academy of Engineers (NAE) fail to involve ethics as a part of the solution to these issues. Traditionally, engineers have kept their work separate from its societal implications. Engineers and their non-technical counterparts have an obligation to view all technical solutions under the moral lens of ethicists and futurists. Going forward, engineers must be aware of their limits and work with experts outside of their fields to develop solutions that will be cognizant of society as a whole.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Lies We Tell to Inspire: Responding to the Engineering Double Standard

VCE March 29, 2023

The National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges are critiqued by Dr. Erin Cech for what she describes as a double standard in engineering. Though Cech rightly discusses a lack of accountability and acknowledgement within the profession, her argument lacks nuance. The Grand Challenges were ultimately a promotional tool meant to inspire the next generation of engineers, yet Cech holds them to a standard of being professional rules and guidelines. This paper will discuss the distinctions that Cech’s argument lacks, including placing an unreasonable amount of responsibility on engineers and overstating their influence.

Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

The Grand Challenges: Authorial Particularism and a Lost Opportunity for an Equitable Society

VCE March 29, 2023

The fourteen Grand Challenges were developed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in an effort to expose future generations to the wide range of innovation and technology that they could one day take part in. As detailed by the Challenges’ creators, the list includes challenges that are most significant to our current world. Dr. Erin Cech’s critique of the Grand Challenges is that a lack of diversity in the panel of engineering experts led to a lack of oversight into issues that are actually pertinent to developing nations. Cech’s argument that the Grand Challenges are a missed opportunity for social justice holds validity, but her mischaracterization of the lack of diversity requires further consideration.

Weekly News Profile

Featured Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Fighting for our Latino Migrant Workers after Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse

Janessi Diaz April 10, 2024

Tragedy struck on the night of March 26 when the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore came tumbling down. The collapse occurred after a large container ship, the Dali, collided with the bridge. However, the collapse was far from the most heartbreaking news of the event; Six men who had been working on the bridge when it fell lost their lives. The six men, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Carlos Hernandez, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, and Jose Mynor Lopez, were all migrant workers from Central America. As we remember and honor their lives, their deaths highlight the lack of care in the construction industry when it comes to protecting Latino migrant workers.

Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

AI’s Impact on Tomorrow’s Jobs

Mary Karapetyan April 2, 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the workforce, with thousands of companies developing advanced systems to streamline productivity. Despite its promise to enhance efficiency, there is a growing concern over its potential to displace millions of jobs across various industries over the next five years. As AI models become more sophisticated, there is a need for a deeper understanding of their capabilities and implications for the future of work and society.

Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Engineering Ways to Care for Astronauts’ Mental Health

Rachel Pak March 27, 2024

Amidst plans for space missions designed to establish a stronger human presence in space, concerns rise for the mental health of the astronauts. These astronauts, such as those selected for NASA’s Artemis missions, will embark on trips into deep space that will last months or even years away from Earth’s familiar environment and their loved ones. Since spacecraft tend to have an isolated and confined nature, NASA engineers are devising strategies to safeguard the mental health of their astronauts.