Hosted by Deep Shah with guest Nick Giustiniano Should engineers feel responsible for the weapons they create? Join host Deep and guest Nicholas Giustiniano, an…
View More The Ethics of War: Engineers, Weapons & DilemmasCategory: Spring 2025
Toxic Beauty: The Hidden Chemicals in Your Cosmetics
Hosted by Deep Shah with guest Khushi Kapasi We use cosmetics every day, but do we know what’s inside them? Host Deep sits down with…
View More Toxic Beauty: The Hidden Chemicals in Your CosmeticsBridging Minds: Ethical Dimensions of Brain-Computer Interfaces
Hosted by Deep Shah with guest Michael Wang In this episode of the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics podcast, host Deep Shah is joined by Michael…
View More Bridging Minds: Ethical Dimensions of Brain-Computer InterfacesCloud Computing : Ethics, Security and the Future of Digital Infrastructure
Hosted by Deep Shah with guest Mo Jiang In this episode of the Viterbi Conversations in Ethics podcast, host Deep Shah sits down with Mo…
View More Cloud Computing : Ethics, Security and the Future of Digital Infrastructure
De-extinction: Does the End Justify the Means?
Colossal is a company committed to de-extinction. Its main mission is to bring back the woolly mammoth. This mission may help conserve critically endangered Asian elephants and mitigate the impacts of global warming. However, it also raises ethical concerns regarding the livelihood of wildlife that currently reside in the mammoth’s habitat.
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Returned Asteroid Samples Suggest the Building Blocks for Life are Scattered Across the Universe
Asteroid samples collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx not only contain the pristine building blocks for life, but also the salty remains of an ancient water world. The spacecraft was able to help unlock these discoveries because it collected samples directly from the asteroid and carefully preserved them on the way back to Earth. These findings support the idea that asteroids delivered the building blocks of life to our planet early in its history, and may have delivered them elsewhere in the solar system. The success of this mission justifies the development of future sample retrieval missions to other cosmic bodies within our solar system.
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A Dreamer, A Destroyer of Worlds
The recent room-temperature superconductor LK-99 controversy highlighted significant challenges within scientific communication and raised critical questions about the role of engineering in societal advancement. LK-99’s rapid rise and fall from scientific prominence reflects a need for essential virtues of engineering practice. This article analyzes the engineer’s societal role and establishes a framework to emphasize the importance of three virtues – joy, compassion, and rigor. These virtues are crucial for fostering responsible innovation and advancing human well-being through technology.
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USC Viterbi School Prepares Virtuous Leaders in Engineering
Engineering requires a certain dedication to protect the communities being served. This dedication is fostered by ethical engineers. The USC Viterbi School of Engineering aspires to cultivate such engineers. To ensure they live up to ethical obligations, Viterbi should look to establish its students with the values of integrity, altruism, and courage. Engineers with integrity exhibit perseverance in the face of failure and hold themselves accountable for the honest delivery of research findings. Through altruism, engineers are able to dedicate themselves to the people and environments their choices will impact. Lastly, courageous engineers push aside selfish desires, address uncomfortable truths, and have an unwavering commitment to represent those who cannot have a say in decisions. Together, these traits equip engineers with the characteristics needed to create a better future.
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Open, Upright, and True, Despite Temptation
In an ever-evolving technological landscape, defining the ideal engineer is complex. The role of an engineer is not merely to innovate, for their responsibilities go beyond their field of study. Certain attributes form the foundation of a proficient engineer. These virtues, integrity, authenticity, and open-mindedness, can guide an engineer in developing their moral compass, which is an essential asset in practice. As servants to society, engineers should resist the temptation to exploit new technologies and remain true to themselves, exemplifying respectful attributes in the workplace. The future of engineering remains obscure due to the rapid pace of technological development. In such moments, it is crucial to remember why the role of an engineer is invaluable in the first place: to make the world a better place.
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The Building Blocks of an Ethical Engineer: Curiosity, Discernment, and Collaborative Spirit
Engineers must embody a unique blend of traits that empower them to address the complex challenges in their field. The cultivation of curiosity, discernment, and a collaborative spirit equips engineers with specific skills necessary to contribute innovative solutions to the world. Curiosity pushes them to lend their expertise and time to discovery. Discernment allows engineers to select design characteristics and objectively evaluate flaws to ensure that their creations align with their ethical responsibilities. A collaborative spirit helps engineers expand their perspectives, supplement gaps in their knowledge, optimize design results, and ensure the best possible outcome for a project. These traits, along with the necessary ethical background, must be integrated into engineering curriculums to shape a sustainable future for generations to come.
View More The Building Blocks of an Ethical Engineer: Curiosity, Discernment, and Collaborative Spirit