Thayne Covert '23: Multidisciplinary Learning Competency

Ethics and Engineering: How a Multidisciplinary View Enhances Engineering Education

 The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP) is a unique program designed to produce graduates who are well-equipped to tackle the world's most pressing challenges. My specific challenge is “Engineering the Tools for Scientific Discovery” which provides context for the five competencies that GCSP is built on. These five competencies are multidisciplinary, talent, business/entrepreneurship, multicultural, and social consciousness. In this essay, I will be discussing how completing the multidisciplinary competency by taking an Ethics class set me up well to complete the other competencies of the program, and how it has given me a toolbox which I can use to help solve future challenges both as an engineer and as a person.

 At the University of Portland (UP) the mission of the school outlines how students are educated wholistically using the heart, head, and hands method. In greater detail this means that students are taught technical skills, hands on practical skills, as well as how to practice empathy and keep humans at the center of engineering. This already matches up with GCSP’s goals of developing well rounded individuals and taking classes outside of engineering (like ethics) is how this is accomplished. Taking an ethics course at UP taught me to think beyond my own discipline and to collaborate with others who have different expertise and backgrounds to become a more well-rounded person. This mindset is essential in tackling the world's most pressing challenges, which are often complex and require multidisciplinary approaches. Additionally, completing the competency has taught me to appreciate the diversity of thought and how to approach my challenge as an ethical person.

Ethics

Kicking off my GCSP journey, I took an ethics course at UP during my sophomore year in the Fall of 2019. This class was just an introduction to the subject, but it was completely different from all of the engineering classes I had taken until that point and subsequently very rewarding. It covered a broad range of subjects showing how ethics is a critical aspect of decision-making in all aspects of life. It provides a broad overview of theories to decide right, wrong, and everything in between. During the class we dove into detail on a few of these ethical methods such as “Divine Command Theory” (DCT), Kant’s “Categorical Imperative”, and “Utilitarianism”. Each has their own merits and this class helped equip me to analyze the world going forward. A big takeaway was that when it comes to ethics there are often no right or wrong answers, and only different perspectives.

 Engineering

Although ethics may not seem to be closely related to engineering or my specific challenge of “Engineering the Tools for Scientific Discovery” at first glance, they in fact complement each other in surprising ways. While engineering is all about optimizing and solving problems, it is also essential to ask what problems engineers are solving and what impact they will have on society. Ethics plays a major role in this decision-making process at all levels of engineering, and it is necessary to analyze one’s own values to then make the best decisions both in professional and personal life. The decision-making process of determining aircraft safety needs can be used as an example to see how some of the various ethical theories apply. Using a couple of the methods mentioned briefly above, DCT would state that the safety factor would need to be rooted in church doctrine, where utilitarianism on the other hand would consider the benefits (regarding human necessity) versus the potential loss of life. This list of frameworks can continue almost indefinitely, and every person can find a way of thinking that they agree with. I personally prescribe to the utilitarian train of thought for the most part, as well as a separate set of ethics called “virtue ethics” stating to not take extreme action unless circumstances require it.

 On a larger organization-wide scale, ethics is also relevant because most organizations have a list of ethical principles to follow. I saw this in practice during the Spring/Summer of 2021 when I interned with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). When I was sworn into my position, I was given the “Code of Ethics for Engineers” from the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) which was a big document outlining how engineers should act within USACE. Most of what it contained were basic concepts to a reasonable person (such as holding public safety paramount), but the fact that they had to be laid out for every engineer was initially surprising to me. Upon reflection however, it makes sense why this is the case ensuring that engineers are held to a high standard, and I am glad that I had taken an ethics course because it helped me to place this experience in a larger context of ethics.

 Reflection

Looking forward, at my time at UP and off into the future, I realize now that the ethics competency of GCSP really laid the groundwork for all the development I went through since then. While at the time I initially just went through the motions, in hindsight learning about ethics has added so much value to my educational experience. It was really just the first step out of my comfort zone at the time, but it has since led to so much more. I now know that engineering is not just about making something work; it is about making something work in the best way possible while considering its impact on society. I can’t just be a calculating engineer who only memorizes formulas and does what I am told to do, I need to be a full person who can think for myself and approach every problem with a clear wholistic view.

 I am interested in the aerospace industry as a potential career path, and while many technological developments in this field can benefit society, they can also be easily used for military applications. This double-edged sword of an industry makes it difficult to navigate decisions (especially when information is limited) and ethics are necessary to avoid decisions that would betray my core values. Since taking the Ethics course, I have been able to gain a fresh perspective by analyzing myself through the lens of ethics. As a result, I have become a more well-rounded individual with a better understanding of myself. I am now equipped with a toolbox of skills that I have applied at UP as I shape my future goals, and that I plan to use in the future post-graduation.

 Conclusion

In summary, taking ethics at UP was just the first step on my GCSP journey, and it has set me up well to become a more well-rounded person with a wholistic viewpoint that I apply to view future challenges both as an engineer and as a person. This course has taught me the importance of ethics in decision-making and helped me gain a broader perspective on how to approach various decisions that I will most likely have to make. By analyzing myself through the lens of ethics, I have become better equipped with the necessary skills to tackle problems from different angles. I am grateful for this course providing me with an essential foundation that I can build upon, and I am grateful for GCSP pushing me out of my comfort zone as I continue to develop my skills and knowledge. Overall, the ethics course was a valuable learning experience that will undoubtedly benefit me both personally and professionally as I continue into the next phase of my life.