Biomedical Engineering Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Summer 2023 Weekly News Profile

3D Printing: Revolutionizing the Making of Prosthetics

3D printing has made significant advancements in the medical field, particularly in the production of prostheses. The first 3D-printed prosthetic was developed in 2011 for a family that could not afford a prosthetic. Though the high cost of conventional prosthetics remains a significant barrier for many individuals, innovations in 3D printing offer more affordable alternatives. A functional prosthetic has recently been created with a price tag of just over $25, proving that prosthetics can become more accessible.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

FDA Advisory Panel Asks for Improvements in Pulse Oximeters

Sabrina Sy November 7, 2022 Biomedical Engineering COVID-19 Health Disparities Medical Devices

An FDA Anesthesiology and Respiratory Therapy Devices advisory panel met this week to discuss racial and skin-pigmentation bias in pulse oximeter devices. This comes in the wake of research demonstrating that inaccurate blood oxygen readings may have contributed to the greater number of Covid-19 deaths in minority patients compared to white patients.

Fall 2021 Volume 5 Issue 2

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

Connor Powers October 26, 2021 Biomedical Engineering CRISPR Gene Editing Genetic Engineering

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 Volume 5 Issue 2

Animal Testing as a Means of Survival

Isabelle Lau October 26, 2021 Animal Rights Animal Testing Biomedical Engineering

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 Volume 5 Issue 2

The Ethical Challenges of Neural Technology

Sabrina Sy October 26, 2021 Biomedical Engineering Brain-Computer Interfaces Neural Engineering

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 Volume 5 Issue 2

Biohacking: The Ethical Implications of Democratizing Biotechnology

Lindsey Marks October 26, 2021 Biomedical Engineering CRISPR Genetic Engineering Medicine

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 Volume 5 Issue 2

Why We Should Embrace Artificial Wombs

Timothy Wang October 26, 2021 Artificial Wombs Biomedical Engineering Health

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 Weekly News Profile

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

Sabrina Sy October 25, 2021 Biomedical Engineering Genetic Engineering Medicine Organ Transplants

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.

Spring 2020 Weekly News Profile

How do we Regulate False Medical Claims?

Isabel Yarwood Perez February 10, 2020 Biomedical Engineering Biotech Misinformation

2/10/2020 In a world of mass media where misinformation can be common, it can be very easy for companies to take advantage of the public…

Spring 2019 Volume 3 Issue 1

Exorcising Research Ghosts: The Ethical Issues Associated with Medical Ghostwriting

Arushi Gulati March 26, 2019 Biomedical Engineering Ghostwriting Healthcare Pharmaceutical

Introduction In the last century, average life expectancy in the United States increased by over three decades [1]. This was in large part due to…

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

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

Redefining Societal Progress for Engineers

Natasha Singh 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.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

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

Charles Liu 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.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

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

Shub Gaur 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.

Featured Spring 2023 Volume 6 Issue 3

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

Huzaifa Aslam 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

Fall 2023 Featured Weekly News Profile

McFlurries Aid in the Fight for the Right to Repair

Janessi Diaz September 27, 2023

McDonald’s is notorious for their broken McFlurry machines, though the reason behind their malfunctioning is surprising. The manufacturers of these machines have forbidden McDonald’s from outsourcing repairs, but purposely make their machines fragile because they make millions off of fixing them. This highlights a greater issue in the engineering community: the fight for the right to repair. Consumers should not be forced to turn to original manufacturers to repair their products. Due to its high-profile nature, McFlurry machines may finally push Congress to pass the bill that would secure this right once and for all.

Spring 2023 Weekly News Profile

The Role of Bias in Scientific Research

Jennah Saqib September 22, 2023

The world is buzzing once again with supposed evidence of alien life. While under oath, Jaime Mausson presented two bodies he claims are of extraterrestrial origin to the Mexican Congress. However, experts are skeptical of his findings, claiming they have no real scientific basis. This case brings to question the role of bias in scientific research and how the resulting spread of misinformation can cross the line into becoming harmful.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

How the WGA Strike Could Accelerate AI Regulation

Kaylee Tseng September 11, 2023

As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA continue to strike, AI has become a significant sticking point for studios and unions. For writers, AI text generation could exacerbate existing low wages and enable studios to hire fewer writers. For actors, AI greatly accelerates digital duplicate technology, jeopardizing actors’ rights to their own image and potentially lowering their rehire rate. Both of these instances have unclear legal or corporate guidelines, especially in the United States. However, a strike resolution may set a new precedent for AI regulation in creative industries.

Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

Should We Hit the Brakes on Autonomous Vehicles?

Jackie Finnemeyer September 5, 2023

Driverless vehicles have become commonplace in several major cities in the United States. Though the technology has come a long way, incidents involving autonomous vehicles are not uncommon. As many self-driving car companies prepare to expand, residents and workers in test cities are feeling frustrated about being forced to share the road with this technology.

Summer 2023 Weekly News Profile

Engineering Cleats Just for Women

Janessi Diaz August 9, 2023

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off earlier this month, but many household names are missing from the pitch. Many players have been ruled out due to serious knee injuries. Experts say ACL injuries may plague female soccer players frequently due to ineffective footwear. Historically, women’s soccer cleats have been designed for men and then re-dressed to appeal to women. Recently, footwear engineers have come together to remedy this issue; they have finally begun designing cleats for female athletes.