Besides producing advisory opinions on ethics cases, the seven-member BER is involved in many other engineering ethics activities. It participated in the development of the ethics video Gilbane Gold, which shows the dilemma of an engineer caught between doing what he feels is right and remaining loyal to his company. It also established a Code of Ethics Exam on the NSPE Web site and began the "You Be the Judge" column in Engineering Times in 1987.
The BER, which meets twice a year to discuss ethics issues and decide cases, also administers the annual Milton F. Lunch Ethics Contest. The contest gives members an opportunity to test their ethics knowledge by applying it to a fictional scenario.
Other BER projects include the development of the NSPE Ethics Reference Guide and the translation to Japanese of the most recent three volumes of BER cases.
NSPE's Board of Ethical Review is approaching 50 years of service to the profession, and it continues to be a place where engineers openly discuss tough questions and provide guidance to others.
What is the BER?
