A scientific study of the problems of digital
engineering for space flight systems,
with a view to their practical solution.
2001 MAPLD International Conference
Kossiakoff Conference Center
The Johns Hopkins University- Applied Physics Laboratory
11100 Johns Hopkins Road
Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099
September 11-13, 2001
Invited Ethics Talk
"Recipe for Disaster: Engineering without Ethics"
Abstract
Practicing engineers are more apt to get into trouble as a result of a failure to properly anticipate and handle ethical problems rather than as a result of traditional engineering problems. This talk will examine engineering as a profession involved with decision making around special knowledge and advanced technologies that pervade a dependent society. The combination of highly intelligent engineers and scientists who might make unethical decisions regarding the implementation of advanced technologies with far-reaching consequences is truly a 21st century recipe for disaster. Avoiding this problem by applying codes of professional practice, strong personal ethics, and skills in ethics analysis will be described.
Biography
C. Dianne Martin is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, the Special Assistant to the Dean and the Director of the Cyberspace Policy Institute in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University. She received a B.A. in economics and mathematics education from Western Maryland College, an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, and an Ed.D. in teacher education from the George Washington University. She was Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Society (SIGCAS) from 1993-2001, served as a member of the Task Force to revise the ACM Code of Professional Ethics, and was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSAC), an organization that has developed an objective content labeling system to address parental concerns about inappropriate material on the internet. Her current research interests include development and evaluation of multimedia applications, ethical and social implications of computers, and internet policy issues related to content regulation, standards, e-commerce, and e-government. She is a Fellow of the ACM.
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