Engineering 0011

Group 20

E for Ethics and Education

Annmarie Grant (ang96@pitt.edu)
Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) has been organized
since almost the beginning of the past century [7]. Each has
its own code of ethics: NSPEs pertains to engineering as a
whole while AIChes pertains specifically chemical,
including nuclear, engineering.

INTRODUCTION
Finding environmentally friendly, renewable energy sources
is one of the most important engineering challenges as stated
by NAE, the National Academy of Engineering [1]. They
also state that finding such energy sources from nuclear
fusion specifically is on the fringes of current technology.
Nuclear fusion in general is exciting and novel technology
but its paramount use, because of its unique properties,
should be as an energy source. As it can be used to harness
incredible stores of power, engineers who will be studying
and applying this technology need to be aware not only of
what it can do in an objective sensesuch as power entire
cities with a relatively small fuel inputbut also from
ethical stancesuch as destroy millions of innocent lives if
used irresponsibly [2]. Freshman engineering students are
the future of such technology and need to be introduced
from the offset of the magnitude of influence their fields of
expertise hold.

WELFARE OF THE PUBLIC

Engineers are in a sense servants of the public. They create
new technology to benefit the good of their communities.
While engineering this new technology they must be aware
that they have the great potential to aid as well as harm their
communities. Both NSPE and AIChE address this fact in
their codes [8], [9].
The most popular type of nuclear fusion research right
now involves an ionized fuel source. This ionized radiation,
if leaked, disrupts the atoms in the human body, thus
offsettinging the balance of charges. In low doses this
increases the chances of cancer, and in high doses can lead
to death in a few months [10], [11].
If engineers believe their research to be potentially
dangerous or problematic, it is their duty and responsibility
to inform their superiors of this belief as addressed in part 2
of AIChEs code of ethics [9]. As a result, potential dangers
and safety measures can be addressed before an accident
happens. An example of where the working engineers did
not responsibly alert their superiors is in the Chernobyl
incident. Of course, alerting their superiors would have
made it known that they had severely broken from the
procedures they were assigned to do [3]. However, if even
one of the engineers had had a crisis of morals the incident
perhaps could have been avoided. At the very least, there
would have been more time to prepare for the aftermath of
the explosion.

WHO SAYS WHAT NOW?

As the name suggests, nuclear fusion involves combining the
nuclei of atoms. Small amounts of the masses of the
participating nuclei are converted to mountainous stores of
energy. The most desirable atoms for use are isotopes of
hydrogenatoms with different numbers of neutrons than
hydrogen-such as deuterium and tritium, as well as lithium
[3]. In theory, hydrogen and lithium in water can, through
nuclear fission, be transformed into the necessary isotopes
for billions of years [4].
While similar to nuclear fission, the splitting of nuclei,
nuclear fusion can yield much more energy. To better
explain the amounts of energy gained from this process, take
for example that the Sun has been fusing hydrogen into
helium for approximately five billion years [5].
It does not emit greenhouse gases, the materials needed
for the reaction are in abundance, and scientists and
engineers are well on their way to discovering the
technology to economically and efficiently harvesting this
energy [3]. However, a chemical engineer specializing in
nuclear physics simply cannot go into his or her field with
the idea that he or she will solely be trying to successfully
harness this energy. Engineers must be aware not only of
what they can so with their skills and knowledge, but what
they should do.

PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

One of the reasons nuclear power is in demand is because it
does not emit greenhouse gases know to harm the
environment through the depletion of the ozone layer [4].
However, if leaked into the surroundings, radiation harms
not only humans but also the environment. The most popular
form of nuclear fusion experiments involves an ionized fuel
source. If leaked, these ionized particles can upset the atoms
in a living organism and offset the charges in its molecules
[10]. Thus, not only humans but also plants can be damaged
and killed through radiation. Some plants are also known to
store radiation in their cells, thus passing it on to the
organism who will eat it . Sky-born radiation pollutes the air
sources and is a fast way for radiation to spread from one

E=MC2=ETHICS
The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has
existed for the better part of the 1900s [6]. The American
University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering

November 1, 2011
1

Annmarie Grant
area to another [12]. The individuals who find themselves
under this invisible cloud would be harmed by something as
basic as the very air they breathe [3]. It is an engineers job
to keep mother nature safe and clean [9].

knowledge on how to bypass these mistakes. I believe it is

very important for engineering students from the start of
their college careers to have in their curriculum something
which gives them this opportunity. The curriculum should
engage students from an intellectual and also from a moral
standpoint.
One proposition is for mandatory workshops to discuss past
and current engineering history. It has already been decided
by the National Academy of Engineering and state licensing
boards that certain requirements need be met in order to gain
a bachelors degree in engineering and then to further to be
certified as a Professional Engineer [14], [15]. Ethics and
engineering history in an engineering curriculum will allow
for the production of more richly qualified engineers. They
will be consciously thinking How can we make this
technology better for the public? For example, the recent
tsunami and nuclear power plant explosion in Japan were not
due to neglect from the engineers on staff; it was a natural
environmental occurrence. However, students can examine
the circumstances surrounding the disaster to improve future
power plants.

COMPETENCY
Engineering is a rigorous and specialized field. Professional
engineers take a multitude of intensive courses to earn their
degrees because of the potentially dangerous work they do.
As such, in a field where a slight miscalculation can mean
harm or death to many, the engineers working on a project
must be fully competent in the work they are assigned [8],
[9]. An engineer with a degree or experience in one field
should never be doing work in another, especially in nuclear
engineering where the potential to do monstrous harm is
great [2].
CORRECT CONDUCT
As previously stated, engineers have a duty to the public.
The public must be comfortable knowing that engineers are
doing research in their areas, even if the research in a field as
dangerous as nuclear physics. In order for the public to be
comfortable and for trust to be maintained between
engineers and their communities, engineers must act in an
honorable and respectable manner as stated in AIChEs
code of ethics [10]. This involves acting in ways that will not
harm the public or the environment, being lawful, and also
working to improve society. Also, their interests should not
conflict with their duties to protect society.
The best example of where engineers on staff did not
follow these codes of conduct was the Chernobyl incident in
1986. The engineers were more interested in their research
than they were in the health of the public. Their experiments
and tinkering were radically dangerous and caused the
Ukrainian nuclear reactor to blow up, one of the most severe
nuclear disasters in history [3]. Relinquishing the publics
well-being for selfish endeavors is neither honorable nor
responsible.
Another example is the atomic bombings in WWII.
Engineers were discovering fantastic new technology in
nuclear fission power sources [13]. However, instead of
finding constructive ways to use this novel invention, they
used it destructively to obliterate two cities in their enemys
country [2]. Engineers often serve the public internationally,
and their technologys benefits must also be international.
Using knowledge to hurt one side because another side
wishes it is not honorable and earns no respect.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Engineering is not a field in which one can put morals to
the side. It is a field that directly engages and affects the
public. In a contemporary society where engineers are trying
to find energy sources through what can be very dangerous
means, they must be conscientious when working. As such
there are codes of ethics to ensure the welfare of the public,
the health of the environment, and proper conduct of
engineers. There have been too many mishaps in the past
because of serious lapses in ethics. Engineers are highly
trained workers. Could is not the question to be asked; their
abilities are not in question. What is to be questioned is
whether or not something should be done. One must step
back and reason if ones interests as an engineer conflict
with ones duties to the public and environment.
It is necessary in this field to actively include ethics in the
curriculum to keep current studentsespecially those
looking to enter nuclear engineeringdiligent of the fact
that their work will not isolated in a vacuum chamber. One
cannot be allowed to lapse into the erroneous idea that a
little harmless tinkering or a small pencil-and-paper
miscalculation is not enough to forever offset a multitude of
lives.

REFERENCES

EDUCATING THE FUTURE

[1] (2008, June). Introduction to the Grand Challenges for

Engineering. Grand Challenges for Engineering. [Online
Article]. Available: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/
[2] Butler, Chris. (2007). FC14: The Nuclear Arms Race
(1945-2001). The Flow of History. [Online Article].
Available:
http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/now/21/FC144

Why should this be in the freshman engineering curriculum?

Freshman engineering students are the future of technology.
They are the ones who will be on the front lines of what is
new and innovative. To engineer the future one must know
of the past, the place to learn of others mistakes and gain

Annmarie Grant
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[3] Rockwell, Theodore. (2009, December). Facts and

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[5] Christian, Dr. Eric. (2001, March). How Long Has the
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank my friendsSarah Watte and Cain Hungand Drs.
Carlock and Hamilton for their help regarding my paper. I
would also like to thank Dr. Budny for his inspiration.

Additional Sources
Amadei, Bernard. (2011). Engineering for the Developing World. [Online
Article].
Available:
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/7126/7356.aspx
Kreuter, Catherine. (2009, August). Bombs and Ethics. The Salt Lake
Tribune.
[Online
Article].