This textbook is intended for ethics courses in engineering and science. It can be used either in a one-credit-hour semester course or as a set of drop-in modules in a core engineering or science course. The text avoids a detailed treatment of the ins and outs of philosophical ethics -- a complex subject not needed for most ethical judgments. The approach to ethical problem solving used is one that focuses on analyzing the consequences rather than ruels to be obeyed in making decisions. An Instructor's Manual will be available; it will offer a set of "cookbook" lectures to greatly reduce preparation time.
The only treatment of ethics from a scientific and engineering perspective The pursuit of science and engineering requires freedom of thought and, in the academic sense, unrestricted communication. It is through the professionalism of the members of these disciplines that world knowledge and technology advances. Yet there are continuous reports of unethical behavior in the forms of data manipulation, cheating, and plagiarism at the highest levels. The motivations for this behavior are varied, such as the need to advance one's career or to obtain research funding. This book gives an account of scientific and engineering disciplines and examines the potential for unethical behavior by professionals. Documented examples are presented to show where the matter could have been halted before it became an unethical issue. The authors also look to the future to see what is in store for professionals in science and engineering and how the potential for unethical behavior can be negated.
Teaches scientists and engineers leadership skills and problem solving to facilitate management of team members, faculty, and staff This textbook introduces readers to open-ended problems focused on interactions between technical and nontechnical colleagues, bosses, and subordinates. It does this through mini case studies that illustrate scenarios where simple, clear, or exact solutions are not evident. By offering examples of dilemmas in technical leadership along with selected analyses of possible ways to address or consider such issues, aspiring or current leaders are made aware of the types of problems they may encounter. This situational approach also allows the development of methodologies to address these issues as well as future variations or new issues that may arise. Leadership by Engineers and Scientists guides and facilitates approaches to solving leadership/people problems encountered by technically trained individuals. Students and practicing engineers will learn leadership by being asked to consider specific situations, debate how to deal with these issues, and then make decisions based on what they have learned. Readers will learn technical leadership fundamentals; ethics and professionalism; time management; building trust and credibility; risk taking; leadership through questions; creating a vision; team building and teamwork; running an effective meeting; conflict management and resolution; communication; and presenting difficult messages. Describes positive traits and characteristics that technically-trained individuals bring to leadership positions, indicates how to use these skills, and describes attitudes and approaches necessary for effectively serving as leaders Covers negative traits and characteristics that can be detrimental when applied to dealing with others in their role as leaders Discusses situations and circumstances routinely encountered by new and experienced leaders of small teams Facilitates successful transitions into leadership and management positions by individuals with technical backgrounds Indicates how decisions can be reached when constraints of different personalities, time frames, economics, and organization politics and culture inhibit consensus Augments technical training by building awareness of the criticality of people skills in effective leadership Leadership by Engineers and Scientists is an excellent text for technically trained individuals who are considering, anticipating, or have recently been promoted to formal leadership positions in industry or academia.
International in scope, this manual provides a clear explanation of the patent system and patent principles. It includes information on the patenting process, obtaining patent protection, and how to recognize patentable inventions and avoid legal problems of infringement.
Recent scandals and controversies, such as data fabrication in federally funded science, data manipulation and distortion in private industry, and human embryonic stem cell research, illustrate the importance of ethics in science. Responsible Conduct of Research, now in a completely updated second edition, provides an introduction to the social, ethical, and legal issues facing scientists today.
Moral problems that engineers may face in their professional lives are discussed, with particular reference to corporate settings. The authors place these issues within a philosophical framework & seek to exhibit the social importance & intellectual challenge of each one.
"This book is divided into three parts-one on the Good Life, another on Doing the Right Thing, and the last on the Status of Morality. You can read these parts in any order. Many will want to begin at the end, for instance, with a discussion of whether morality is a human invention, or is in some way objective. Some will prefer to start in the middle, asking about the supreme principle of morality (and whether there is any such thing). And others may want to begin at the beginning, by thinking about human well-being and the quality of life. Each part can be understood independently of the others, though there are of course many points of connection across the three main branches of moral philosophy. No matter where you begin, there are footnotes in most chapters that provide cross-references to relevant discussions elsewhere in the book. When beginning a new area of study, you're bound to encounter some unfamiliar jargon. I've tried to keep this to a minimum, and I suppose that you can be thankful that we're doing ethics here, rather than physics or anatomy. I define each technical term when I first use it, and have also put together a glossary, which appears at the end of the book. Each specialized term that appears in boldface has an entry there. You may be interested enough in what you read here that you'll want to continue your studies in moral philosophy. There is a natural place to begin-the companion volume to this book, The Ethical Life, described later in this preface. I have also compiled a list of Suggestions for Further Reading for each chapter or pair of chapters. This list appears at the end of the book, just before the glossary. I have selected the readings with an eye to what might be accessible and interesting to those just beginning their study of moral philosophy"--
A guide to the everyday decisions about right and wrong faced by physical scientists and research engineers. This book offers the first comprehensive guide to ethics for physical scientists and engineers who conduct research. Written by a distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering, the book focuses on the everyday decisions about right and wrong faced by scientists as they do research, interact with other people, and work within society. The goal is to nurture readers' ethical intelligence so that they know an ethical issue when they see one, and to give them a way to think about ethical problems. After introductions to the philosophy of ethics and the philosophy of science, the book discusses research integrity, with a unique emphasis on how scientists make mistakes and how they can avoid them. It goes on to cover personal interactions among scientists, including authorship, collaborators, predecessors, reviewers, grantees, mentors, and whistle-blowers. It considers underrepresented groups in science as an ethical issue that matters not only to those groups but also to the development of science, and it examines human participants and animal subjects. Finally, the book examines scientifically relevant social issues, including public policy, weapons research, conflicts of interest, and intellectual property. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and case studies to encourage debate and further exploration of topics. The book can be used in classes and seminars in research ethics and will be an essential reference for scientists in academia, government, and industry.
