LECTURE 04

§ A study found that 96% of the engineering students cheat on their homeworks (Carpenter et al, 2006)

§ Other studies have shown that this kind of behavior carries to the workplace

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§ What is your definition of ethics?

§ What is your definition of morals?§ Where did you derive these from?§ Do either have absolutes for you?§ Are either of these relative (time, place, industry, etc.)?§ Can these be in conflict with each other?

§ What is the social responsibility as an engineer? § Is it towards the public?§ Is it towards your company?§ Is it towards the government?

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§ Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by§ Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the

environment§ Being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and

clients§ Striving to increase the competence and prestige of engineering profession§ Supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines

FLINT, MICHIGANPopulation: 98,310Median Income: $24,679Life Expectancy: 76.8 yearsA 41.6% Poverty Rate The population of the city is 56.6% African American

§ 1966-2014: City of Flint is currently purchasing water from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department (DWSD) being supplied from Lake Huron

§ April 25, 2014: Flint makes the switch from buying water from DWSD to getting water from the Flint River to save money.

§ May, 2014 - one month after the switch residents are complaining of the smell and color of the water.

§ August, 2014 - E. Coli and Bacteria found in water§ October 13, 2014 - General Motors stops using Flint water because of corrosion to car

parts.§ October 16, 2015: Flint starts buying water from the DWSD. § December 14, 2015: Mayor Karen Weaver declares a state of emergency over elevated

lead levels in the city’s water.

§ There was never a corrosion control plan put into place.§ It is estimated that 50% of the homes in Flint have lead pipes.§ If a corrosion inhibitor (orthophosphates) was added to the water a lot of problems with

Flint’s water would have been avoided.§ Flint River water had eight times more Chloride in the water than the water from the DWSD§ Additionally, Flint river was 19 times more corrosive than the DWSD water

§ Overall, if treated correctly Flint Water could have been a safe water source.

§ Corrosion inhibitors would have cost them $100 per day.§ It is estimated that the state will have to pay $1.5 billion to fix the water crisis.

§ Water tested by Virginia Tech and 13,200 ppb of lead (EPA limit is 15 ppb)§ Lead accumulation is cumulative and does not get out of your body§ Causes anemia and affects brain development in children§ Damages red blood cells, absorption of calcium

§ Do the public officials need be held accountable? § Are the engineers at fault?

§ Citicorp Center in New York with its distinctive forty-five degree diagonal crown, the Citicorp building is one of the most recognizable skyscrapers on the New York City skyline.

§ With fifty-nine stories, it's the 3rd tallest building in midtown Manhattan, and at the time of its completion it was the 7th-tallest building in the world. At ground level, the huge skyscraper almost seems to hover(yüzmek) above Lexington Avenue, held aloft by four massive, 114-foot-tall stilts which are located at the center of each side rather than on the corners.

§ The building's structural skeleton was designed by an engineer named William J. LeMessurier (pronounced "La Measure") in the early 1970s. This design made room for the church under the building's northwest corner, and gave the giant structure a graceful, almost levitating effect

§ Cheap material was not used

§ Joints were not welded, chevron bracing was used

§ Winds greater than 70 mph will collapse the building

§ Probability of 1/16th happening every year

§ Could fall and topple adjacent building

§ Endangers 200,000 lives

Paul is a chief engineer for a robotics company. He is responsible for writing & implementing the code that makes the robots work. A flaw in the code caused one of the robots to kill an employee. The State decides to charge Paul for the death of the employee

§ Discuss as a group and come up with arguments for the State and defense of Paul?§ Deliberate as a group and decide whether Paul is guilty or not? If guilty, what is an

appropriate punishment?

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§ Examine the literature, news, magazines, etc. and write 1 paragraph summarizing what you feel is a violation of engineering ethics / decision making.§ Explicitly state what you interpret as the violation§ What lesson(s) can be learned from this event and disseminated to current and new

engineers?§ What can be done to prevent such a situation from repeating itself?

§ Discuss a personal ethical conflict, or an ethical conflict that you observed, during undergraduate career or during senior design§ What was so conflicting about it?§ How was it resolved? How do you think it should have been resolved?§ What can be learned from it and applied to the future?