Reflection Essays

​ Throughout the course of my education, we have frequently discussed ethics in the engineering profession. It is important to follow a Code of Ethics in order to be a moral person and prevent harm to others. Engineers make things that many people use often. There is a large potential for harm if certain things are not properly and ethically designed. There are many different aspects to be cognizant of in order to be successful and ethical in your career. To best explain my understanding of ethics, I’m going to give some examples we discussed in class and the discussion around them, give my personal take on how to handle an ethical situation and do a deep dive into 3 of the 6 Virtues of Ethics.

​ In class, we discussed many different ethical situations and discussed with our classmates our differing opinions. The issues that stuck out to me the most were the Volkswagon emissions situation and the Big Data Issue. The Volkswagon emissions issue is about the scandal around the company spoofing emissions tests. They created and implemented a system to determine if it was being tested and then run in such a way as to produce fewer emissions. When the cars aren’t being tested, they produce a significantly higher, unregulated amount of emissions. These emission regulations exist to protect people and the environment. By creating this system, they were knowingly placing people and the environment at risk. The class consensus on this article was that Volkswagon broke multiple of the IEEE code of ethics, and should be severely punished for it. They knowingly acted in a way that would cause harm to a large number of people, which is inexcusable. This issue was pretty clear-cut, but the next one I’m going to discuss is a little more nuanced.

​ The Big Data Issue is about a computer scientist, Marcus, who is tasked with building a database for workplace injuries to help paramedics respond better. After doing research they decide on including things like breaks and sprains. Marcus knows this falls under the PII Act and is very careful to ensure no identifying information is in his database. It is a right for people not to have their personal medical information shared without their permission. Marcus’ boss then wants to add needle-stick injuries to the database. He sends Marcus the information, but it includes PII and sensitive attributes. Marcus is now conflicted, as it seems his boss is not properly handling PII and wants Marcus to include this information in the database. For this example, the consensus was that Marcus is responsible for speaking with his boss about his concerns and trying to prevent as much harm as possible. His boss is not being mindful of the rights people have to their personal information and is not acting ethically. Marcus either needs to convince his boss to act in a more ethical manner, otherwise, by doing what his boss says, Marcus will be breaching the Code of Ethics.

​ When faced with an ethical situation, I have a fairly simple way to make my decision. I think primarily about the potential for harm. If there is a potential for harm that is known and not addressed, then that would be a breach of ethics. Then, I look for conflicts of interest. This could involve many things, but the common one is profits versus delivering a good or safe product. This can be harder to see during the situation, but in retrospect, it often becomes obvious. I then take everything I learn about the situation and decide if it feels that they acted according to a Code of Ethics.

​ For the Volkswagon situation, the Virtue of Ethics virtues that were most relevant are 1, 2, and 5. 1 is integrity. It is about having strong moral principles and following an ethical path. VW broke this one by acting in obviously unethical ways. the second one is Honesty. VW knowingly lied about the emissions of their cars. Beyond that, they implemented a whole system to facilitate that lie. Finally, the fifth one is responsibility. It has to do with accountability and operating with a moral obligation for the good of others. Volkswagon did not want to take accountability for the situation and acted in a way that put others at risk. The other three also relate to this one, but I feel that the 3 I chose are the ones they violated the most.

​ During the time I’ve been attending Iowa State University, I have taken many classes discussing many subjects. Most of them are related to Computer Engineering in some way, but the general education electives can be whatever subject you choose. These general education electives let me explore subjects I usually wouldn’t study or skills that would be useful as a professional. I also tried to select classes to help me gain a better insight into the world and its people. They allowed me to momentarily step away from engineering and engineers and interact with other majors. The four general education classes that were the most impactful were Introduction to Sociology, Russia Today, Ethnic and Race Relations, and Fundamentals of Public Speaking, which was a transfer credit. These classes taught me valuable things and new perspectives that will help me as a computer engineer.

​ The first two classes I will discuss are Russia Today (RUS 3750) and Intro to Sociology (Soc 134). I put these two classes together because they served a similar purpose of exposing you to new ideas and concepts to explain societies. RUS 3750 taught me about the history of Russia, starting at the beginning of the USSR’s downfall and going through to the present day. It primarily focused on the effects different decisions had on the citizens and the repercussions they caused. Soc 134 taught me how society works and how various groups experience society differently. These classes taught me how to put myself into someone else’s shoes and perceive a situation from a new perspective. This skill will be instrumental as an engineer for creating products that satisfy user needs. If I can look at the problem from their perspective, I will be able to come up with a solution that solves the problem better. Russia Today is also useful given the current political climate. Russia is a mighty country that one man has completely taken over. Understanding how this happened can help prevent it from happening to another country. Another class that taught me new perspectives was Ethnic and Race Relations.

​ The class Ethnic and Race Relations (Soc 330) focused on the relations between different races and ethnicities in the United States. The first part of the class taught us about many different concepts and the historical context required to evaluate various forms of ethnic and race relations. This knowledge gives me tools that I can use to help me in the future. Ethics is vital in engineering, and being able to recognize and correct racial inequalities will help me be more ethical. For the second part of the class, we would focus on different countries and the ethnic and race relations in each of them. This part gave me practice with evaluating complex, current situations and understanding how they came to be, and potential solutions to the problems. However, finding solutions to problems is useless if you can’t communicate them. That’s where my final general education class comes in handy.

​ I received a transfer credit for Fundamentals of Public Speaking, as I took it in high school with dual enrollment. It gave me many valuable skills to become a more effective communicator. It went much deeper than just how to speak publicly. Also, it gave a framework for evaluating other people’s arguments for any fallacies they might be using to try and mislead you. These skills are essential not just as an engineer, but also in everyday life. As an engineer, I need to be able to communicate my ideas to my colleagues and clients effectively. I could have a great idea, but if I can’t explain it properly, then people aren’t as likely to agree with it. People will often try to mislead you for various reasons and use fallacies to try and convince you. This is true both in the workplace and in society as a whole. I now have a framework and tools to recognize these misleading statements and not allow myself to be swayed by them. Given the ever-increasing amount of misinformation, this will become an invaluable tool to possess.

​ Throughout my time at ISU, I have taken classes about many different subjects. Most were based on engineering knowledge and principles. Still, the general education classes I discussed helped give me a much broader education and many skills that will be very useful in my work and everyday life. These classes gave me many tools, from putting myself in other people’s shoes and recognizing the underlying problems to properly communicating my ideas. I will surely come to rely on the skills learned in my general education classes to be successful.