Engineers often make challenging decisions that can sometimes affect thousands of people. To help them to make good decisions, many engineering organizations have created guidelines for professional behavior or "codes of ethics". Most engineering codes of ethics state that engineers must consider the safety, health, and general well-being of the people that are or may be affected by their work. Many of these codes also state that engineers must also consider how their work can sustainably protect the environment.
The Contest Challenge
Imagine yourself as an engineer working on a promising new technology. Write an essay briefly describing the technology and what improvements you think it can provide in at least one of the four main areas of engineering responsibility: Safety, Health, Well-being, and Environmental sustainability. Discuss any challenges to safety, health, well-being, and sustainability that this technology might present, and describe what you, as an engineer, would do or consider to be sure that your responsibilities are fully addressed. Read more contest details.
Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
Sofie Fenstermacher
Grade 4 - Puesta Del Sol Elementary (Bellevue, WA)
Sleeping Bag Incubator
Honorable Mention
Other Finalists
Building our Future with Microscale-3D Printing by Riya Dutta
Grade 5 - Leonard Elementary School (Troy, MI)
3D Printed Organs by Julia Fritz
Grade 4 - Puesta Del Sol Elementary School (Bellevue, WA)
Self-Driving School Bus by Anika Herce-Duchini
Grade 5 - Hillendale Elementary School (Chadds Ford, PA)
Google Cardboard as a Virtual Reality Headset by Julia Rafferty
Grade 5 - Lake Tract School (Deptford, NJ)
The Sun Oven by Sadie Stewart
Grade 3 - Homelife Academy (Thompsons Station, TN)
Robots to Recover Offshore Oil Spills by Asmithaa Vinukonda
Grade 4 - Brunson Elementary School (Winston Salem, NC)
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Other Finalists
Virtually Life-Changing Technology by Taylor Beatty
Grade 8 - Briar Middle School (Sandusky, OH)
The Robot of the Future by Sangita Kunapuli
Grade 8 - Kennedy Middle School (Cupertino, CA)
Technology In Sports by Annabella Lucente
Grade 7 - Hamlin School for Girls (San Francisco, CA)
The Talking Lifesaver by Sneha Muthe
Grade 8 - Cresthill Middle school (HighLands Ranch, CO)
3D-Printed Limbs and Organs: Coming To A Body Near You by Somya Pandey
Grade 8 - Triangle Math and Science Academy (Cary, NC)
High School (Grades 9-12)
Other Finalists
Economical Solar Energy: Today's Vision, Tomorrow's Reality by Chinmaya Andukuri
Grade 9 - Westwood High School (Austin, TX)
The Future of Bionics by Lyz Erlandson
Grade 11 - Mount Vernon High School (Mount Vernon, IA)
Making Solar Panels More Efficient and Economical by Jack Finnegan
Grade 12 - Savannah Arts Academy (Savannah, GA)
CRISPR/Cas9: The Science Fiction Dream That is Now a Reality by Nicholas Fotopoulos
Grade 11 - Biotechnology High School (Shrewsbury, NJ)
Shine the Laser, Drop the Procedure: Optical Pacemakers by Melina Joseph
Grade 9 - Engineering and Science University Magnet School (West Haven, CT)
PanDocs: Working today, to create a better tomorrow by Pranavi Nara
Grade 11 - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Fairfax, VA)
Brain Like a Sieve? Don't Worry; You'll Live. by Amelia Nicot
Grade 11 - Gonzalo Garza Independence High School (Austin, TX)
Providing Clean Water to the World: Solar-Powered Desalination Plants by Amirah Rashed
Grade 10 - J. P. Taravella High School (Coral Springs, FL)
Solely Solar: An Investigation into the Economical Considerations of Solar Technology by Sahana Srinivasan
Grade 10 - The Harker School (Saratoga, CA)