March/April 2017

On Ethics
Ethics Contest Gets Creative

If you’re an engineer working on a risk assessment team for the development of a driverless/autonomous vehicles operating system, what’s your ethical obligation when determining the safety risks to passengers, pedestrians, or other drivers in the event of an unavoidable crash?

This ethical dilemma is just one of four situations with which you can test your knowledge of engineering ethics against other experienced PEs and engineering students, by participating in the 2017 Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest.

All current NSPE individual members (through their NSPE state societies) and NSPE chapters (including student chapters) are invited to participate in this contest to honor the Society’s former general counsel, who played a key role in founding the NSPE Board of Ethical Review.

This year, the contest has been revamped to allow for more creative ways to show off your ethics know-how. Contestants can choose one of four different fact situations dealing with the ethics of engineers, demonstrating their understanding of the facts and the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers through an essay, video, photo essay, poster, or PowerPoint presentation.

Contestants are asked to read the facts of the case, then develop a discussion and conclusion to respond to the included question(s). Contestants should also provide references, citing specific sections of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers. Contestants may also want to check the NSPE Board of Ethical Review’s website for additional cases decided by the BER.

The winning entry will receive a certificate, recognition in PE magazine, and an award of $1,000 to the author!

The entries will be judged by the following criteria:

• Quality of the entry in form and presentation. Clarity, composition, expression, etc. are important. The essay, video, photo essay, poster, or PowerPoint should be a finished piece and “ready to go.”
• Demonstration of understanding the implications concerning ethical or unethical behavior.
• Comprehensive analysis of the case and arguments supporting conclusions. This may include new thoughts or other expressions.

Contest information can be accessed at www.nspe.org/ethics.

All entries must be received by Friday, 
April 28, 2017. Entries can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to: 2017 NSPE Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest, NSPE Legal Department, 1420 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2794.