Mental Health Archives - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Featured Summer 2025 Weekly News Profile

The Psychedelic Renaissance: Should Magic Mushrooms Be Illegal?

The 21st century has witnessed a rise in the so-called “Diseases of Despair” in many countries, with the United States being especially affected. Psychedelics are a distinct class of psychoactive substances that alter perception and consciousness in significant ways, and studies have shown they may help contribute to mental health treatments. Experts are beginning to question the controversial ban on psychedelics, as ongoing research reveals their promising therapeutic potential.

Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Engineering Ways to Care for Astronauts’ Mental Health

Rachel Pak March 27, 2024 Astronauts Deep Space Missions Mental Health

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.

Fall 2022 Weekly News Profile

How Telehealth Contributed to the Adderall Shortage and Reignited Concerns

Kaylee Tseng October 17, 2022 Healthcare Management Mental Health Substance Abuse

A recent shortage in Adderall comes after a large spike in demand for the prescription drug, with many prescriptions being issued from telehealth startups earlier this year. These platforms that emerged during the pandemic have raised concerns regarding the overprescription of controlled substances. However, the high amount of prescriptions coming from these newer companies follows a longstanding trend of potential ADHD overdiagnosis and overtreatment in the US.

Fall 2019 Weekly News Profile

Why Don’t We Treat Anxiety Like the Flu?

Georgia Babikian December 2, 2019 Illness Mental Health The Collected Schizophrenias

12/2/2019 As the flu season comes around, many people go to their doctors for check-ups and vaccines. My friend, who suspected she had the flu…

Podcast

Podcast Spring 2025 Spring 2025 VCE Podcast

Virtue Ethics: Cultivating Moral Character in a Modern World

VCE March 8, 2025

Hosted by Aryan Shah with guest Branden leong This podcast explores the role of virtue ethics in engineering, emphasizing how virtues like compassion, integrity, and…

Podcast Spring 2025 Spring 2025 VCE Podcast

AR/VR and how they shape the future of technology

VCE March 8, 2025

Hosted by Aryan Shah, Deep Shah, with guests “Greta Hoffmeister, Kariena Panpaliya, Dasean Volk, Hang Nguyen, Grace Eamer In this episode, the guests delve into…

Grand Challenges Special Issue

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.

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.

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.

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 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

Stripped Chips: Bringing Cleaner Snacks to American Shelves

Kariena Panpaliya November 25, 2025

Two of the most popular brands of chips have released “naked” versions of their products, which have no artificial colors. Supported by studies that show the potential harm of artificial additives, efforts to “strip down” products have grown widespread across several manufacturers of prepackaged food in America.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

Build-A-Baby: Is Gene Editing the Future of Humanity?

Mary Karapetyan November 11, 2025

Gene and molecular-level interventions are just one example of how modern medicine is seeking to push boundaries and uncover breakthroughs. CRISPR-Cas9 is the most common gene-editing technology used today. The Cleveland Clinic conducted a Phase 1, first-in-human clinical trial overseas to test the safety and effectiveness of a new CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy called CTX310. While a relatively new biotech startup, called Preventive, announced its plans to pursue embryo-editing technologies aimed at preventing hereditary disease, and preparing for the possibility of implanting a genetically edited embryo to create a baby. Many uncertainties surround gene editing practices, leaving professionals unsure of how far such technologies should go and how they should be regulated.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

The Ethics of Humanoid Robots

Alice Steele October 26, 2025

Tesla’s vision for its Optimus humanoid robot fleet raises questions about the direction AI technology and robotics are taking. This is especially important to consider as people increasingly project human qualities – such as empathy – onto technology designed to mimic humanity.

Fall 2025 Featured Weekly News Profile

AI Actors Enter Hollywood

Kariena Panpaliya October 12, 2025

AI talent is entering the film and entertainment industry. Eline Van der Velden’s company Xicoia is in the process of making AI performers, the first of which is Tilly Norwood. While the public has brashly criticized the entity, studios and agencies are excited to work with her.