The Online Ethics Center 1999 International Conference on Ethics in Engineering and Computer Science

Conference Schedule

All papers are copyrighted by and are property of their respective authors.

Sunday, March 21

Opening Reception and Initial Formation of Working Groups

6 PM The Glidden House Inn, 1901 Ford Drive on the Case Western Reserve University campus.

Evening unscheduled. Working and Interest Groups may wish to meet.

All remaining conference sessions will be held in the George S. Dively Building at the corner of Bellflower and Ford Drive on the Case Western Reserve University campus.

Monday, March 22

9:00-11:00 Opening Session Plenary in Room, 202

9:00 Welcome and Introduction to the Conference

9:30 -11:00 Chaired by Robert Lawry, Case Western Reserve University

ABET's Engineering Criteria 2000 and Engineering Ethics: Where Do We Go From Here?: Joseph R. Herkert, North Carolina State University
EC2000 and the Engineering Ethics Dilemma: Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher, University of Wisconsin-Madison

11-11:30 Break with opportunity for Working Group mini-meeting

11:30-1:30 Concurrent Sessions in Rooms, 202 and 213

11:30-12:20, 202 Chaired by Helen Nissenbaum, Princeton University

Teaching Ethics across the Engineering Curriculum: Michael Davis, Illinois Institute of Technology

12:30-1:20, 202

Role-playing in Teaching Ethics to Engineers: Michael C. Loui, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Demonstration of the use of role-playing in teaching engineering ethics with three or four speaking parts. Each student who does not have a speaking part will serve as a coach for a speaker. The students will caucus for 20 minutes to prepare the role-play. During this time, observers will discuss the case in small groups. The role-playing session will run for 20 minutes, and the remaining time will be allocated for general discussion of the case.

11:30-1:20, 213 Chaired by Carl Mitcham, Pennsylvania State University

Engineering Ethics in Europe: Bertrand Hériard, Université catholique de Lille (France)
The Neglect of the Subject of Engineering Ethics in France: An Historical Interpretation: Christelle Didier, Université catholique de Lille
Engineering Ethics in Engineering Education: a Portuguese Experience: Paulo T. de Castro, Faculdade de Engenharia de Universidade do Porto

1:20-2:30 Lunch and Lecture

A New Frontier in Engineering Ethics: Ethics and Design, Clive Dym, Clive L. Dym, Director, Center for Design Education, Harvey Mudd College

2:30-4:20 Concurrent Sessions in Rooms, 202 and 214

2:30-4:20 214 Chaired by Caroline Whitbeck, Case Western Reserve University

Recent efforts of Some Japanese Engineering Societies to Establish Codes of Ethics: Jun Fudano, Kanazawa Institute of Technology

This lecture reviews the recent history of the efforts of the Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Japanese Societies of Civil Engineers to establish codes. This history is viewed in relation to the Development of the engineering profession and engineering education in Japan.

Two Cases of Engineering Errors That Led to Accidents in Japan: Hiroshi Iino, Kanazawa Institute of Technology

These two accidents (in a fast breeder reactor and in a fuel recycle plant) highlight both similarities and differences between accident case histories in Japan and the United States.

International Engineering Ethics: Vivian Weil, Illinois Institute of Technology

This lecture explores the possibilities of developing international ethical standards.

2:30-3:20 213

Ethics and the Engineer as Expert Witness: An Active learning Method Using Role-Play: Dr. Joesph Wujek, University of California at Berkeley

3:30-4:20 213

Development of Engineering Ethics in the Capstone Design Experience: Steven P. Nichols, University of Texas at Austin

4:20-4:30 Break

4:30-6:00 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 213 and 214

4:30-5:20 214

Major Issues in Computer Ethics in 1999: Helen Nissenbaum, Princeton University

4:30-5:45 213 Chaired by Joseph R. Herkert, North Carolina State University

Some Recent Engineering Ethics Cases that have come to the IEEE: Stephen H. Unger, Columbia University
An Update on Professional Ethics and the NCEES: R. L. Greene, The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying

6:30 Conference Banquet

Evening unscheduled. Working and Interest Groups may meet.

Tuesday, March 23

8:30-10:00 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 202 and 214

8:30-10:00 214 Chaired by Robert Lawry, Case Western Reserve University

Selecting Materials from the Online Ethics Center for Engineering & Science for Use in the Engineering Curriculum: Caroline Whitbeck, Case.
Using the Web for Teaching Engineering Ethics across the Curriculum: Nicholas H. Steneck, University of Michigan

This lecture describes how web resources are used as a "co-instructor" for both faculty and students to introduce ethics across the curriculum in a large engineering school (4000 undergraduates).

9:00-10:00 202

Ethical vs. Legal Considerations in Software Testing: Joseph Wujek, the University of California at Berkeley

Role-playing considering courses of action in a realistic scenario In addition to the role-play, the instructor has the option of several assignments that call on engineering judgment, ethical reasoning, and communications skills.

10-10:30 Break with opportunity for Working Group mini-meeting

10:30-11:20 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 213 and 214

10:30-11:20 213

Presuppositions, Expectations, and Experiences: An Ethics Survey of Stanford Engineering Students and Practicing Engineers,: Robert E. McGinn, Stanford University

based on replies from several hundred engineering students and about a hundred practicing engineers to an engineering ethics questionnaire he administers each year at the outset of his engineering ethics class.

10:30-11:20 214

The Construction of a Multi-Purpose Ethics Digital Library and Website for the Teaching of Computer Ethics and Social Impact: J. A. N. Lee, Department of Computer Science, Center for the Study of Science in Society, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

11:30-1:00 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 202 and 214

11:30-12:20 214

Active Learning in an Online Learning Environment: Web Censorship: Keith Miller, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Springfield

Web pages on this subject are now available and students should review them in advance.

12:00- 1:00, 202

Moral Change: C E. Harris, Texas A&M University (Co-sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities)

Moral beliefs on many topics have changed: slavery, the use of torture, contraception, usury, religious liberty, and many others. What are the factors involved in moral change? Can we use them to identify issues presently undergoing moral change?

12:30-2:00 Box lunches to allow for Working group and interest group meetings

2:00-3:30 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 202 and 214

2:00-3:30 202

Fieldwork and Cooperative Learning in Professional Ethics: Michael C. Loui, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Service-Learning As a Vehicle for Learning Engineering Ethics: Michael Pritchard, Western Michigan University

2:00-3:30 214 Chaired by Joseph Wujek, the University of California at Berkeley

Representation and Misrepresentation: Tufte and the Morton-Thiokol Engineers on the Challenger: Wade Robison, David Hoeker, and Stefan Young, Rochester Institute of Technology

This lecture discusses and evaluates the charge made by Edward Tufte, in his major work on visual representations, Visual Explanations, that Morton-Thiokol engineers were at fault for not using more convincing graphical representations of the risk in arguing against the launch of the ill-fated Challenger Space Shuttle.

Engineering Failures and the Standard of Care in Engineering: Joshua B. Kardon, S.E., University of California, Berkeley

This lecture discusses the concept of the standard of care in engineering. It briefly describes several engineering failures that the author studied in twenty-five years of practice as a consultant and expert in construction-defects lawsuits.

3:30-4:00 Break with opportunity for Working Group mini-meeting

4:00-5:00 Concurrent Sessions in rooms 213 and 214

4:00-5:30 213 Panel Discussion

Ethics and Design, Design and Ethics - Is there a place for ethics within the design process itself?: Carl Mitcham, Pennsylvania State University, Michael Loui, University of Illinois and Richard Devon, Pennsylvania State University

4:00-5:30 214 Chaired by Paul G. La Forge, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan

Invention and Social Context: Michael Gorman, University of Virginia
Exigent Decision Making in Engineering: Taft Broome, Civil Engineering, Howard University

Evening unscheduled. Working and Interest Groups may meet.

Wednesday, March 24

8:30-12:30 103

The Third Annual IEEE Roundtable: Chaired by editors of the IEEE Spectrum will take place in conjunction with the conference. This year's topic is "Ethics, Intellectual Property, and the New Information Technologies." The participants whom the IEEE has invited will interact with one another in a roundtable format. The first two hours will address the topic of who owns intellectual property created in corporations or universities. The second will address the topic of electronic publishing. Conferees with nametags who wish to observe the discussions are welcome to sit in a surrounding ring of seats are welcome to do so.

Observers may not participate in the roundtable discussion, but may pursue discussion with the participants at lunch afterwards.

8:30-9:20 214 Students' Teleconference Discussion with Roger Boisjoly

Students coming to this session should read beforehand the story of Roger Boisjoly's efforts to avert the Challenger disaster at http://onlineethics.org/moral/boisjoly/RB-intro.html, and, if possible, should attend Representation and Misrepresentation: Tufte and the Morton-Thiokol Engineers on the Challenger on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

9:30-10:00 214 Chaired by Carl Mitcham, Pennsylvania State University

Cultivating Moral Imagination through Meditation: Paul G. La Forge, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan

This lecture is about cultivating the moral imagination.

10-10:30 Break

10:30-11:20 214

Value Definition: An Engaging Classroom Activity: Rush M. Kidder, Steven E. Benzley, Val D. Hawks and Ronald E. Terry, Brigham Young University

This learning activity was developed by the Institute of Global Ethics as part of its Ethical FitnessTM seminar and then adapted to the university classroom. It helps students identify values that are shared by individuals from diverse backgrounds.

11:30-12:20 214

Ethical Deliberations About a Code of Ethics for Software Engineers: Donald Gotterbarn, Director of the Software Engineering Research Institute, Computer and Information Science Department, East Tennessee State University, Keith Miller, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Springfield

The authors were members of the three-person Executive Committee in charge of creating and revising an ethics code for software engineers. Both the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society, the two leading scholarly organizations for computing, recently adopted this code. This session will illuminate the process of developing such a code. If you'd like to participate in their concomitant demonstration, we invite you prepare by doing some reading and some thinking.

Required reading materials are available at the following link:
http://www.uis.edu/~miller/code.html

12:30-2:00 Lunch, Reports from the Working Groups, and Plans for the Future

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