Spring 2022 Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

Evaluating Public Transportation Worldwide

New studies have found more effective ways to evaluate public transportation systems around the world to the benefit of riders and operators. This begs the question – have we been planning and building around false assumptions all along?

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

Outages in Ukraine Demonstrate the Internet’s Role in Modern Conflict

VCE February 28, 2022 Information Internet War

Outage reports in multiple cities following Russian invasion on Wednesday night pose the possibility of direct attacks on Ukraine’s internet infrastructure, resulting in obstacles to the flow of information in and out of the country.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

Wordle’s Rough Streak

VCE February 22, 2022 Apps New York Times Wordle

With popular puzzle game Wordle’s transition to the New York Times, users have become frustrated with the once beloved game.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

The James Webb Space Telescope’s Cloud of Controversy

VCE February 14, 2022 Astronomy LGBTQIA+NASA

With the James Webb Space Telescope’s recent launch, professional and amateur astronomers alike will soon have access to images of the first formations of stars and galaxies in our universe. But will the history of the telescope’s namesake cast a shadow over its potential discoveries?

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

A Bug’s Life: Insects as a Meat Alternative

VCE February 7, 2022 Environment Farming Sustainability

Meat and dairy production are two of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption worldwide. The environmental impacts of meat products have led to a push to find meat alternatives that still provide the same nutritional value. Part of the solution may lie in the integration of more insects into our diet.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

NFTs Going Mainstream

VCE January 31, 2022 Blockchain Cryptocurrency NFT

Non-fungible tokens make their official debut on social media as Twitter profile pictures, opening up questions and concerns about handling proof of originality and respecting the goal of decentralization in the cryptocurrency industry.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

The Inequitable Offer of 4 COVID Tests Per Household

VCE January 24, 2022 COVID-19 Testing

As part of the Biden administration’s most recent initiatives to combat the rise of COVID-19 cases, four at-home test kits have been offered to each household in the U.S., but the conditions of this offer are yet another example of a consistent pattern of inequities during the pandemic.

Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

SpaceX and Amazon’s Starlink Spat

VCE January 17, 2022 FCC Internet Satellites SpaceX

In the most recent update to SpaceX and Amazon’s ongoing conflict over the proposed Starlink Satellite Internet plan, Amazon has requested further delays to SpaceX’s launch schedule in order to “allow for more thorough analysis.”

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.

Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Sex-Based Bias in Medical Research is Dangerous

Jennah Saqib March 19, 2024

Women have historically been underrepresented in Phase I and II clinical trials, including areas of research such as Alzheimer’s and autoimmune diseases in which women are more affected. This results in drugs being tailored for men, which leads to a higher rate of women experiencing adverse effects of these drugs than men. Medical testing needs to involve women at every stage to prevent these inequalities from occurring and to prioritize women’s health.