Joseph R. Herkert

Technology choice for sustainable development

At the heart of the concept of sustainable development is the concern that human interactions with the environment are becoming, or have already become, impossible to maintain in the long run. Eventually, these interactions could lead to an inability of the global biosphere to provide essential amenities and services for further human development. Thus, sustainable development is first a concern about environmental degradation, at least as understood by most observers in the industrial world. We adopt the Brundtland Report definition of sustainable development, and also recognize that in this terminology, development clearly represents more than material consumption and economic growth. It includes, among other things, education, cultural and social activity, health, justice, peace, and security. One of the critical elements of sustainable development lies in understanding the role that technological innovation plays in this process. Recognizing that technology is a critical ingredient in the sustainable development recipe, we devise an operational knowledge based tool that can help determine which technologies are best suited to the needs of a sustainable society. Our purpose is to present and explore this decision support tool in order to assist researchers and technology policy makers in structuring and making decisions in light of sustainable development goals.

Societal implications of the emerging smart grid

Seeking solutions to concerns that go beyond the engineering of the smart grid.

Special session — Henry's Daughters: A new Engineering Ethics movie

The National Institute for Engineering Ethics has produced a new movie, Henrys Daughters, to aid in teaching professional ethics in engineering. The movie highlights ethical issues at both individual and societal levels. In this special session, participants will learn how to use two cooperative learning strategies together with the new movie. Participants will also learn a classroom assessment technique.

Confessions of a Shoveler: STS Subcultures and Engineering Ethics

Mainstream science, technology, and society scholars have shown little interest in engineering ethics, one going so far as to label engineering ethics activists as “shit shovelers.” Detachment from engineering ethics on the part of most STS scholars is related to a broader and long-standing split between the scholar-oriented and activist-oriented wings of STS. This article discusses the various STS “subcultures” and argues that the much-maligned activist STS subculture is far more likely than the mainstream scholar subculture to have a significant impact on engineering ethics education and practice.

Assessing the impact of shift to electronic communication and information dissemination by a professional organization: An analysis of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Abstract Large, decentralized scientific and engineering organizations based in North America and Europe have identified electronic media as a strategic technology for communication and information dissemination to their members and other stakeholders. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the largest technical society in the world, recognized its increasing dependence on electronic media and commissioned a study to assess the social, organizational, and economic impacts of this shift on its members and other stakeholders. Results of the study are reported herein. The Delphi research method was chosen to gather expert opinion from 30 IEEE members and other stakeholders regarding their predictions of the range and depth of impacts, types of benefits, and undesirable effects. The purpose of this research is to provide a series of recommendations as to how scientific and technical organizations may take full advantage of electronic media technology, while taking actions to avoid the negative consequences of this technological change.

Engineering Ethics: Looking Back, Looking Forward

The eight pieces constituting this Meeting Report are summaries of presentations made during a panel session at the 2011 Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) annual meeting held between March 3rd and 6th in Cincinnati. Lisa Newton organized the session and served as chair. The panel of eight consisted both of pioneers in the field and more recent arrivals. It covered a range of topics from how the field has developed to where it should be going, from identification of issues needing further study to problems of training the next generation of engineers and engineering-ethics scholars.

Volunteerism and Humanitarian Engineering - Part II [Guest Editors' Introduction]

This Part II of the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine Special Issue on Volunteerism and Humanitarian Engineering focuses on perspectives from and about activities conducted outside of the United States.

Sustainable development and engineering: ethical and public policy implications

The paper explores the concept of sustainable development and its ethical and public policy implications for engineering. Sustainable development involves achieving objectives in three realms: ecological (sustainable scale), economic (efficient allocation) and social (just distribution). The success of public policy to promote sustainable development is dependent upon achieving all three objectives of a sustainable society. However, questions of just distribution and other questions of equity are often left off the table when engineers (and others) consider sustainable development policies and issues. Indeed, almost all the effort of engineers and engineering organizations on the issue of sustainable development has been focused on the need to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection. Such a cost benefit approach, which is well entrenched in the engineering culture, leaves little room for consideration of the social objective of sustainable development. There have been some efforts aimed at incorporating environmental and social equity concepts into engineering ethics. Here again, however, social concerns have been secondary to environmental issues. The incongruity between the ideal of sustainable development and the way it which it is typically characterized by the engineering community has significant implications for engineering and public policy, engineering ethics, and the potential role of engineers as facilitators of a transition to a sustainable society.

Engineering and humanities: bridging the gap

The Benjamin Franklin Scholars (BFS) Program at North Carolina State University (NCSU) offers selected engineering students an opportunity to earn both a BS in one of our ten academic departments in engineering or computer science and a BA or BS in Multidisciplinary Studies. The BA/BS in Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) includes a concentrated course of study focused on a student-defined area of interest. The course of study is designed to impart knowledge and skills that enhance both the ability and desire to become a leader in an area of national need. Scholars have developed concentrations in diverse areas such as leadership, environmental ethics and policy, theories of human behavior, health care policies, business organization and communications, and cross-cultural communications. A three course core sequence is now in place: Technology and Values (first year), Ethical Dimensions of Progress (second or third year), and the Franklin Capstone (fourth or fifth year). The capstone experience is a course in technology assessment and public policy that stresses team work and cooperative learning strategies and is centered on multidisciplinary problem identification, definition, assessment, and communication.

Self-Driving Cars and Engineering Ethics: The Need for a System Level Analysis

The literature on self-driving cars and ethics continues to grow. Yet much of it focuses on ethical complexities emerging from an individual vehicle. That is an important but insufficient step towards determining how the technology will impact human lives and society more generally. What must complement ongoing discussions is a broader, system level of analysis that engages with the interactions and effects that these cars will have on one another and on the socio-technical systems in which they are embedded. To bring the conversation of self-driving cars to the system level, we make use of two traffic scenarios which highlight some of the complexities that designers, policymakers, and others should consider related to the technology. We then describe three approaches that could be used to address such complexities and their associated shortcomings. We conclude by bringing attention to the “Moral Responsibility for Computing Artifacts: The Rules”, a framework that can provide insight into how to approach ethical issues related to self-driving cars.