Roger Boisjoly had over a quarter century's experience in the aerospace industry in 1985 when he became involved in an improvement effort on the O-rings which connect segments of Morton Thiokol's Solid Rocket Booster, used to bring the Space Shuttle into orbit. For his honesty and integrity leading up to and directly following the shuttle disaster Roger Boisjoly was awarded the Prize for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Originally in IEEE Transactions on Education 40 (4): CD- ROM Supplement. Other keywords for this: computer ethics courses; engineering ethics courses; ethical codes and guidelines; pedagogy; professional societies; technical and scholarly societies.
Relevant Literature on this Topic
Controlling Technology: Ethics and the Responsible Engineer, by Stephen H. Unger. (From the back cover): This valuable guide provides an in-depth treatment of what constitutes ethical behavior on the part of engineers. It carefully examines the various conflicts faced by engineers and offers practical, proven advice on what to do in such situations. Stephen H. Unger, Controlling Technology: Ethics and the Responsible Engineer, Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1994.
Other keywords for this book: code violations, ethical codes and guidelines, conscientious objection, engineering ethics, the media, professional societies, professional responsibility, ethics support, unions, whistleblowing.
Stephen H. Unger, "Role of Engineering Societies in Controlling Hazardous Technology", J. of Professional issues in Engineering, V. 112, No. 3, July, 1986, ASCE. Reprinted in Flores, "Ethics and Risk Management in Engineering", 1989, University Press of America.
Other keywords for this article: engineering ethics, ethics officers, professional societies, worker safety.
Herkert, Joseph R. 1994. "Ethical Risk Assessment: Valuing Public Perceptions." IEEE Technology and Society 13 (1): 4-10.
Other keywords: communication; ethical codes and guidelines from professional societies; professional responsibility; public safety; risk assessment.
Susskind, C. Understanding Technology. San Francisco Press, San Francisco, 1985.
Other keywords for this: preferences vs. values; global environmental issues; design and the environment; professional responsibility.