Ethics, Communication, and Engineering

Intro

GCSP encourages students to work across traditional disciplinary boundaries, recognizing the importance of considering diverse perspectives when solving complex problems. The core-curriculum requirements at UP have allowed me to supplement my engineering coursework with exposure to liberal arts, such as philosophy and social sciences. This has helped me obtain a more well-rounded education and has equipped me to address engineering challenges through a multidisciplinary lens.

Introductory Ethics and Interpersonal Communication are two courses that had especially clear applications to addressing my chosen grand challenge of Restoring and Improving Urban Infrastructure. From making decisions and considering their impacts, to effectively interacting with stakeholders and clients, the principles of ethics and communication are essential to solving global challenges. In any case, all engineers have an obligation to work in a comprehensive and socially responsible manner.

Ethics and Grand Challenges

The word “civil” in “civil engineering” reflects the significant impact any civil engineering project has on civilian welfare. Since urban infrastructure affects people’s lives directly, approaching its restoration and improvement requires great attention to ethics. From bridges and structures to sewage and water utilities, the vast range of infrastructure projects designed, overseen, and constructed by civil engineers are intended to last for a long time. Therefore, their impacts on society and the environment are also intended to be long-lasting. These impacts, including other important factors such as cost, constructability, and public/client opinion must be carefully considered when working on such infrastructure projects.

From the approach to decision-making employed by project managers during my internship at a civil engineering design firm, to the design-decision matrix developed by my senior capstone project team, I found these approaches to making decisions aligned best with the ethical theory of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism encourages actions that yield the greatest good while minimizing negative effects. This translates directly to the weighing of pros and cons to make a decision that brings forth the greatest net positive results.  

Interpersonal Communication and Collaborative Settings

Working on any kind of project, regardless of discipline, requires effective and constructive communication. It is nearly impossible to find oneself working in a team of exactly like-minded individuals, with identical backgrounds, beliefs, and modes of working. Even if this was possible, it would stunt the creative potential and diversity of ideas developed the group. Even outside of professional settings, being surrounded by different kinds of people helps to boost open-mindedness and personal growth in general.

Despite the obvious benefits of diversity, working with vastly different people can often include a learning curve, especially in professional or academic settings. It is important to work through differences in communication styles, work ethic, and overall ideologies to meet the objectives of the project at hand. Therefore, being able to address conflicts and encourage open communication is crucial. Even outside of team settings, engineers are constantly having to communicate with various stakeholders and clients, with whom maintaining good relations is essential.

During my sophomore year at UP, I worked on my first conceptual design group project, in which I collaborated with three other classmates to develop a design for running path on campus. Outside of group work, I also had my first exposure to stakeholder interaction, as my team reached out to target users of the path (other students) to get their input on what they’d like to see in the design. We also reached out to the UP’s facility services (P-Plant) to learn about maintenance and upkeep and how to incorporate that into our design, as well.

Senior Capstone

The principles I learned in both my ethics and communication courses intertwine when it comes to working on projects. This is especially evident in my ongoing senior capstone project, for which my team is tasked with treating stormwater for a specific outfall basin in Portland. Outside of our primary objectives of meeting water quality standards and keeping costs low, we also wanted to incorporate other considerations pertaining to environmental and social consciousness. Using a utilitarianist approach, we are focusing on balancing these various considerations to produce the most practical and efficient intervention that also considers the wellbeing of the surrounding community, thus yielding the greatest good.

Furthermore, communication within the team and with advisors is essential. As four seniors with very busy schedules, it is important for us to maintain open communication and frequently touch base to keep up with our progress on the project. We also keep our advisors up to date through weekly meetings and email correspondences. I believe that meeting goals while keeping a good rapport with everyone involved is the key to a successful project.

Conclusion

There are many lessons to be learned from disciplines outside of STEM, with many highly applicable skills and principles. Incorporating different approaches and being aware of the ways we interact with each other and the world around us is essential for being a successful, well-informed engineer, especially in the context of urban infrastructure. The values I learned from these courses, along with the rest of my core curriculum will help me not only to be a well-rounded individual but to approach urban infrastructure problems more wholistically.