March 2014

NSPE TODAY
Ethics Contest: Pressure to Change

Should an engineer, under pressure from his supervisor, sign off on a contractor’s change order even though the engineer has his suspicions about the contractor’s work?

All current NSPE members, including students, are invited to weigh in on this issue by participating in the 2014 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest.

Entries may be written in teams but must follow the format of NSPE Board of Ethical Review cases, focusing on the discussion and conclusion sections. Writing quality, understanding of the ethical implications, and analysis of the case will determine the winning entry. Entries must be 750 words or less, submitted through a state society or local chapter, and received by April 11.

The winners will receive a certificate, recognition in PE magazine, and an award of $1,000 (half to the sponsoring society or chapter and half divided among the authors), furnished by NSPE and its Educational Foundation.

Milton F. Lunch, NSPE’s general counsel from the 1940s until the 1980s, was critical to the establishment of the NSPE Board of Ethical Review and the Code of Ethics.

To download the application, visit www.nspe.org/ethics and click on “Ethics Resources.”