When talking about engineering, people would probably have pictures in their mind of engineers using machines producing parts, drawing and sketching designs, or even doing some mathematical calculations. A more general answer to what engineers actually do would be that they solve social problems through the use of machines, devices, systems, materials and processes. They are all absolutely correct. But in reality, both the job and the role of an engineer are more complicated. They do not only have to work with machines and designs. Engineers are often involved in communications and negotiations. They have to work with different people and the responsibility that they have is massive. Important decisions are made by them and they have to use their own judgement. And very often, ethical considerations are already built into the decisions they make. In order to make the best decisions, they have to be understood in the context of their role in society and, moreover, they need to develop good ethical awareness and be able to deal with the dilemmas that they have to face every day. As mentioned above, it is very important for engineers to understand their own responsibilities. In 1960, the Conference of Engineering Societies of Western Europe and the United States of America defined "professional engineer" as follows:1 “A professional engineer is competent by virtue of his/her fundamental education and training to apply the scientific method and outlook to the analysis
Ethics are of a special importance to practicing professionals. Professions such as lawyers, teachers, doctors and engineers have a bigger responsibility as to making sure there jobs are done right and ethically. Though in order to achieve this goal individuals must understand what ethics really means. Ethics is basically the rules of conduct which is recognized in respect to a particular group, culture, or class of human actions. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one.
When deciding what to do with the rest of your life there are tons to consider. Where to arrive, what is ultimately enjoyable, and will all the time and effort be worth it? One of the finest questions that beg an answer is that of enjoying oneself. A career is not a short-term commitment; it is something that one will partake in for much of their life. Therefore, while making the decision of what to do with the rest of my young life, what is most enjoyable was on the mind. Math and science have always been the easy answer to that question. Most of the classes I took in high school involved math or science in a certain way including advanced placement level courses. Overall it made the highest sense to pursue a field of engineering.
There are no engineers in my family to persuade me into becoming one. It was my own interest and curiosity that drove me into analyzing how things work. Over the years I have developed a passion for solving complex problems that involve technical challenges. I have learnt that an engineering problem does not have a standard solution to it and that an engineer has to choose the best from amongst the various options. The process of applying scientific methods to solve real-life problems continued to intrigue me throughout my years of study, initially in the context of my own behavior, and later to observe and investigate its impact on an increasing affinity towards Engineering.
Field Engineer Internship at Schlumberger I had my training with Schlumberger as a Field Engineer intern, in the department of Fracturing and Matrix stimulation. The main objective of my training program was to get, as much exposure as possible to the operations in my department understand the opportunities available there for me as a potential field engineer after graduation. A field engineer is an engineer who works routinely in the rig site, to deliver services to the customer by executing, supervising, and managing field deployments. The intern filed engineer reports directly to the location or field service manager.
Engineering is the application of science and mathematics which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people (Engineering, n.d). The key concept in this definition is the basis of humanity is the underlining tone throughout engineering. The entire purpose of the profession is to drive innovation in the scientific community and create a more peaceful coexistence with nature and technology. The code of ethics here in Canada holds emphasis on the overall safety of the people and environment. However, even with the collaboration of the world’s greatest minds there is a margin of error. The error comes from a fault in mechanical or human negligence. The lines of truth become blurred and it is difficult to
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” -Henry Ford
This guide is available as an abridged published document, and as a full set of case studies available online, including an in-depth discussion of the place of ethics in engineering. It is our intention to update and add to the case studies over time, reflecting the changes in technology and society that affect engineering ethics. Ethics, like engineering, is a practical subject, and its exercise is in debate and discussion. We hope that these case studies are used to stimulate discussion between engineers, to help individuals, and the profession as a whole, to advance their understanding of the ethical issues in engineering. How to use this guide The purpose of this guide is to supplement the SEP with discussions, clarifications and illustrative personal experiences that will bring the ethical issues in engineering to life. The guide is also intended to
The major reason why ethics is an important part of engineering is because it helps to enact safety measures. Humanity relies on engineering for transportation, production of food materials, consumer electronics and many more things. Virtually, engineers design and create all human made things in the world. The probability of accidents that result from overlooking manufacturing flaws in consumer products could be reduced by observing ethics in engineering. One good example that illustrates how the neglect of ethics in engineering could be hazardous to humanity is the well-known case of Columbia Shuttle (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum). The air space travelling bus exploded during re-entry because of a flaw in its O-rings that was ignored by its engineers during test flights. The result was the loss of seven astronauts, the spacecraft and billions of money that had been invested towards the completion of the project by the United States government.
Several cases have led to an awareness of the importance of ethics within the engineering profession as engineers realize how their technical work has far-reaching impacts on society. The work of engineers can affect public health and safety and can influence business practices and even politics.’’(Fledderman,2004)
The need to optimise efficiency in energy consumption is one of the greatest challenges opposing the modern day engineer. Not only does increasing energy efficiency have a positive effect on the environment, but also yields high cost benefits for the consumer. With the increasing threat of climate change, it is critical that given the building industry accounts for 40% of global carbon-dioxide emissions (UNEP , 2009), all houses minimise their energy losses. This is particularly important in sub-tropical locations such as South-East Queensland (SEQ) where high energy demanding appliances including air-conditioners and heaters are a requirement for a comfortable life.
Engineering Ethics come from two words, which is engineering and ethics. Engineering is one of the applications of science to meet human needs and desires. Combines engineering science, mathematics, and experience to design an object or process. Professional engineering practice called engineers. The word engineering came from Latin word which is ingenium meaning ‘contrive, design’. In this 21st century, engineering had been use widely surround human life. The word ethics derived from the Greek word which is “ethos”. Ethos means morality or custom character. Synonymous with the word moral comes from other word “Mos” to the plural “Mores” which means custom or way of life. Therefore, engineering ethics is a set of scientific discipline that applies to the profession of engineering.
Many engineers work in laboratories, industrial plants, or construction sites where they inspect, supervise, or solve onsite problems. (Britannica 244) Engineering itself has a sort of chain of command in the way a project is handled. It follows in the
In manufacturing sector, simulation is one of the powerful solution for problem solving purpose. Simulation used in the modelling and analysis of manufacturing systems are the one of largest application areas. Simulation become increasingly important in the two of decades previously. The benefit attribute of simulation can be divided into two categories where quantitative benefit and qualitative benefit.
Automobiles works on the fuel in which chemical energy is stored. This chemical energy is converted in mechanical energy by combustion of fuel in engine of cars. But most of energy is wasted in the exhaust of the automobile hence the efficiency of the vehicle also decreases. By using this major amount of exhaust energy we can improve the efficiency of vehicle. Experimental study states that 35% of total heat is wasted in exhaust. Therefore an attempt is made to use this waste for production of electrical energy to charge the battery used in automobiles that is the unavailable energy is used to convert into usable energy. This leads to increase the overall efficiency of engine. Hence an experimental set-up of Thermo-Electric Generator (TEG) consisting thermo-electric modules is designed to convert this thermal energy to electrical energy. With help of temperature difference and TEG’s electrical energy is produced by accounting working principle of Seebeck and petlier effect.
There exists an ethical issue in whether it is morally acceptable for engineers to participate in the research, design, and manufacture of weapons. Weapons by nature are designed to hurt if not kill another individual. As such, the development of weapons by engineers seems to be contradictory to one of the fundamental canons of the NSPE code of ethics to “hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public”. As an aspiring Aerospace engineer, I will be entering a field that has a sizeable contribution to the development of weapons of war. I will analyze the topic using different ethical theories to determine if engineers should continue to contribute to the development weapons that’s will affect the safety of the public.