Mohammed Al-Mahmoud Personal Relflection Blogs:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI):
In our group we encouraged everyong to embrace his ideas which helped us alot throught our project. Since each member was from a different country and culture, everyone had different ideas, and one thing i really liked about our group is that everyone’s opinion and idea was respected and taken into consideration. no one was felt left out. It also helped us divide our work and everyone worked on things he felt comfortable with.
Personal Statement of Commitment to Ethical Principles:
My commitment to engineering has been really strong since the start of my study in Swansea University. In my opinion dedication and hard work is key to commitment and a good way to keep yourself committed to engineering. I will apply these rules on my studies to become a better engineer. I believe the guidelines written by the Royal Academy of Engineering represent good principles of how a person should commit to engineering.
Referring to IET’s rules. I should take responsibility to everything i do. which is something i always believed in since my childhood. takes responsibility in success and failure helped me a lot in my life. taking responsibility in failure does not make you worse, it actually helps you acknowledge the errors and how to avoid them next time which makes you better.
Another useful source is Harvard, which in my opinion describes the ethicals in a very useful way and why an engineer should act ethically. it also gives you multiple reasons of how acting ethically would help you in your future.
Statement of ethical principles- https://www.engc.org.uk/standards-guidance/guidance/statement-of-ethical-principles/
Rules of IET- https://www.theiet.org/about/governance/rules-of-conduct
Harvard source- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethics-in-engineering#:~:text=What%20Are%20Engineering%20Ethics%3F,their%20clients%2C%20and%20the%20industry.
Response To The Ethics of Autonomouse Vehicles:
Our team have chose to respond to the ethical dilemma of blowing the whistle, if we realized that one of our members have made an error, we have to take responsibility and raise concern to the IET to take the right actions and follow the rules. the wrong thing would be is to try to hide it which might effect us all as a group in the future. following the rules that has been conducted by the IET is required by all engineers.
Sustainability:
Our plane for the website is to try to keep it up to date and try to keep adding information as much as possible, we will try to keep adding the news page and reply to the any comments regarding our website. we can also try to post more images and videos to the gallery page of our time in Gregynog.
Rhys Washer’s Personal Reflection Blogs:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI):
An Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) agenda allows us to ensure that everybody is treated with equal favour regardless of individual characteristics or beliefs. It is everybody’s responsibility to recognise and celebrate the individual differences between us and foster an environment that allows people in diverse groups to work effectively together. If everyone is made to feel valued and respected, everybody can work to the best of their ability. We have a very diverse group, all four members are from different countries. Each of us have unique skills and experiences that allowed us to take on different roles within the group and support each other more effectively as a team. We all tried to create an environment of respect as we worked together, always welcoming different perspectives and giving each other equal opportunity to solve problems.
Personal Statement of Commitment to Ethical Principles:
I will carry out my commitment to the ethical principles laid out by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council. Both as a student and as a future professional engineer, I will be trustworthy and aware of the way my work and actions affect other people. It is important that I respect the privacy, rights, and reputations of other parties involved in my work. I will reject bribery and declare any potential conflicts of interest. I will ensure that the health and safety of others and myself, and draw attention to any possible hazards. I will protect and improve the quality of built and natural environments in order to uphold the standing of my profession. I will ensure that risks are always mitigated, and keep my knowledge up to date so that I can always accurately review different theory, evidence, and interpretation without bias. It is important that I am aware of the issues raised by engineering and technology to the world, and listen to the concerns of others. I will promote diversity, equality, and inclusion, and promote public awareness of the societal impact of engineering achievements.
I will follow the rules of conduct from the Institute of Engineering and Technology by upholding the standards of the institute and keeping my knowledge up to date throughout my working life. I will not take any responsibility for anything I am not reasonably competent to discharge. I will report any wrongdoings or dangers identified with my professional activities. I shall support colleagues who raise concerns about malpractice or general danger which affects others.
Harvard Business School has published an article about ethics in engineering, where they cover principles also outlined by the IET, RAE and EC. These principles include protecting public safety, only performing tasks when qualified, remaining faithful and trustworthy to employers, and acting with integrity.
https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethics-in-engineering
Response To The Ethics of Autonomouse Vehicles:
The ethical dilemma our team is responding to is blowing the whistle, which we all agree we would do if our employer has performed any wrongdoing according with their own procedures. If there is a flaw in the design of an autonomous vehicle which has a large probability of harming pedestrians, our responsibilites as members of the IET are to follow the bye-laws and rules of conduct of the institute and raise concerns about the danger caused by the design flaw. Failure to do so make us liable to disciplinary action by the IET under their rules of conduct. The IET’s guidance to companies on whistleblowing is that it’s in the public interest to show past, present, and possible future wrongdoing. This will also allow critical information to reach the relevant people in the company who can address the issue.
Sustainabilty:
IR components – £25
Printed PCB – £35
AW60 components – £40
PCB AW60 – £8
Motor and Chassis – £46
Special feature components – £20
Total component costs – £180 approx.
Lab time and cost of overhead resources – £7000 for entire year
Development cost – £20 an hour * 90 contact hours = £1800 per team member
To create a sustainable design we opted to use components in a way that drained as little power as possible. For our special feature we used a speaker, and when choosing which one to order we used one with a low power draw and compact size. It took several attempts to get working white line sensors and sometimes the entire circuit had to be reconstructed, but we decided to recycle components from previous attempts instead of using new ones to not be wasteful.
Our components can be taken to a recycling center at the end of their life, from which they will be taken to a processing plant and seperated into different types of metals and plastics. We used an SD card for our special feature, before being recycled the files on it may need to be backed up. There are companies who will recycle 3D printing filament like that used in our shell. For PCB recycling the metal is seperated from the board, where the seperated materials of the board are then reprocessed for future use.
To maintain the website we will frequently update it with new blog posts and documentation in the form of written documents and media uploads.
Tayef Ahmed’s Personal Reflection Blogs:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI):
In this blog post I will be reflecting on my experience of EDI within the context of my team.
My engineering team’s diverse backgrounds and experiences strengthen our approach and allow us to tackle difficulties more imaginatively. Being Bengali and born in the United Kingdom, my perspective is frequently impacted by a mix of cultures that I bring to our initiatives. This diversity of thought is matched by my teammates: Rhys, who is Welsh; Peter, who gives an international perspective from China; and Mohammed, whose ideas from Qatar add a distinct dimension to our work.
Our team represents the ideals defined in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) EDI Strategy, which focuses on building an inclusive atmosphere in which everyone feels appreciated and can prosper. The Engineering Council also supports this, requiring certified degree programs to produce graduates that have an inclusive approach to engineering practice.
The advantages of this diversified setting are significant. For starters, it promotes a greater understanding and respect among team members, resulting in a more united work atmosphere. Each of us contributes unique solutions and insights, allowing us to develop and solve challenges more effectively. For example, in brainstorming sessions, diverse cultural viewpoints can encourage us to investigate ideas that would not have been considered otherwise.
Furthermore, our varied team structure matches with industry sustainability goals by tackling the skills gap in the UK through inclusive practices. This not only helps us attract a diverse talent pool, but it also improves our team’s adaptability and readiness to face future problems.
In essence, incorporating EDI into our team has provided opportunities for personal growth and greatly increased our productivity and inventiveness. It has taught us the importance of diverse ideas and the power that comes from working in a truly inclusive environment. By embracing EDI, we are actively constructing a better, more fair engineering world, rather than simply complying with a regulation.
Personal Statement of Commitment to Ethical Principles:
In this blog I will give my personal reflection on the Statement of Ethical Principles created by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council in 2005, which was revised in 2017.
The statement of principles has four fundamental principles the first being “Honesty and Integrity”. This is important to have not only in the working environment but in general life as I believe everyone should have an honest mindset. In my opinion I already uphold this principle and will continue to do so throughout my educational, working and general life by telling my colleagues about my work and problems with honesty and treating then the same way I would want to be treated.
Moving on, the second principle is “Respect for Life, Law, the Environment and Public Good”. Again, I agree with this statement as the law brings order and protecting and respecting the living is an essential way of life. I will practise this principle by making sure my projects abide by the conducts of the law and do extensive research on how my projects in both education and in the working field can affect the least number of living beings, whether it is animals, nature or the public good.
Thirdly is “Accuracy and Rigour”. I believe that this principle is the most important to practice because of the fall backs without it. If there is no accuracy or rigour in the workplace especially in the field of engineering someone could get seriously hurt as some engineering professions work with dangerous machinery and materials such as high voltage transformers in terms of electrical engineering or solid reinforced concrete blocks in civil engineering. I will uphold this principle in the educational environment by taking care with my work under competent supervision and present and review theory honestly as well as accurately without any bias.
Finally, the last principle, “Leadership and Communication” is again a very important principle to have as good leadership and communication will not only allow you to be respected in the field you are in but will also allow you to work better in a team and therefore increase working productivity. I will carry out this principle by maintaining a strong link with my colleagues, peers and supervisors and communicating with the respect they deserve and the respect I expect back.
Upon further research in engineering ethics, I had come across the Harvad Business School article titled “Why are Ethics Important in Engineering”. What I liked about this article is that it dwells deeper into the figures of what happens when you do not follow engineering ethics such as, in terms of promoting safety, “employers spend more than $1 billion per week on serious and nonfatal workplace injuries”.
References
Engineering Council, Royal Academy of Engineering, “Statement of Ethical Principles”, 2017 Jul. Avaibale from: https://www.engc.org.uk/standards-guidance/guidance/statement-of-ethical-principles/
E. Han. “Why are Ethics Important in Engineering”, 2023 Feb 16th. Available from: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethics-in-engineering#:~:text=What%20Are%20Engineering%20Ethics%3F,their%20clients%2C%20and%20the%20industry.
Response to The Ethics of Anonomous Vehicles:
Blowing the Whistle
If a vehicle was deemed unsuitable for road use and that the production of these cars would kill at least one person we as a team have responsibilities according to The Institution of Engineering and Technology.
One of the responsibilities we must follow according to their rules is number 6 where it says, “Members shall not undertake professional tasks and responsibilities that they are not reasonably competent to discharge”. This rule essentially means that engineers should not accept or engage in work or tasks for which they do not have the necessary knowledge, skills or experience in. If a product or system is not safe enough for the public, then we do not have enough knowledge to allow it to be used so therefore production should be immediately ceased.
Another responsibility stated is “Members shall not recklessly or maliciously injure or attempt to injure, whether directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects or business of any other person”. This again coincides with the example given and since this production of cars will “attempt to injure” if put in context of the rule, production should be stopped.
If our team does become the whistle blower, then according to rule 31 the members of the team should co-operate with the procedure of disciplinary regulations.
I believe our team would blow the whistle as we all have a sense of duty to the greater population and believe that before the production of any engineered product, our number one priority should be the safety of others.
Sustainability:
107 hours both semesters
Indeed, base hourly rate for electrical engineers: £21.49
https://uk.indeed.com/career/electrical-engineer/salaries
107 hours @ £21.49 = £2,299.43
Gov Min Wage:
https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
Minimum wage: £10.18 till April 1st
New Min Wage: £11.44 after April 1st @ 21 hours
86 hours @ £10.18 = £875.48
21 hours @ £11.44 = £240.24
£875.48 + £240.24 = £1,115.72
Full Micro-mouse Breakdown Cost:
IR components – £25
Printed PCB – £35
AW60 components – £40
PCB AW60 – £8
Motor and Chassis – £46
Special feature components – £20
Total component costs – £180 approx.
Total cost of project;
- Minimum Wage – £1,295.72
- Electrical Engineer Average Hourly Rate – £2,479.43
A sustainable design was made by having a target of using as little power as possible by creating a simple but effective design. The micro-mouse was made to be as compact as possible to ensure little wastage of resources. Furthermore, our special feature was also simple as it was a speaker that drew a low power.
We also become aware of our wastage when creating our white line sensors as it had taken many attempts to create this to make sure we weren’t wasting our resources these failed prototypes were recycled in a sustainable manner by re-using parts that were still viable.
Peter Zheng’s Personal Reflection Blogs:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI):
Embracing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policies has proved to be of immense value for my team. Initially, it was met with enthusiasm mixed with uncertainty, but through structured team-building activities and open forums, we have cultivated an atmosphere where every voice is valued.
Our team has been capable of conceiving innovative ideas, recognizing and valuing each member’s unique contributions, and reinforcing mutual respect, and cooperation. This positive environment has not only improved our collective productivity but has also raised individual job satisfaction.
Moreover, our EDI-focused approach has equipped us with the interpersonal skills and awareness necessary to navigate and succeed in many engineering challenges. It also reflects the diversity and inclusiveness of the society we serve, improving the social responsibility inherent in our profession and enhancing the public’s trust in our work and its outcomes.
In conclusion, the principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion will continue to guide us, ensuring that the field of engineering remains as vibrant and dynamic as the world it aims to improve.
Personal Statement of Commitment to The Ethical Principles:
As a student and someone who aspires to be an engineer, my guiding principles are derived from the ethical guidelines established by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and the Engineering Council (EC), and further reinforced by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
These guidelines, which are based on Honesty and Integrity, Respect for Life, Law, the Environment and Public Good, Accuracy and Rigour, and Leadership and Communication, are not just professional guidelines but are also personal commitments. Honesty and integrity are the foundation of trust in our profession, so I am committed to always being transparent and acting with integrity. I understand the impact of our work on society and therefore aim to create solutions that uphold the law, benefit society, and protect the environment.
Accuracy and rigour are crucial in creating dependable engineering solutions. I am dedicated to meticulousness and continual learning, which underpins every project I undertake, ensuring reliability. Similarly, effective leadership and communication are essential to me, as they foster ethical decision-making and clear, respectful knowledge-sharing within the engineering community.
One resource that has helped to shape my understanding of engineering ethics is the MIT OpenCourseWare on “Engineering Ethics” (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/esd-932-engineering-ethics-spring-2006/). It provides comprehensive insights into the significance of ethics through real-world case studies, demonstrating the complexities and responsibilities inherent in our profession.
In conclusion, my commitment to adhering to these ethical principles is unwavering. They are not merely professional guidelines but are convictions that guide my actions towards contributing positively to both the engineering community and society at large. As I progress in my career, these principles will serve as my ethical compass, guiding my endeavours towards excellence and societal good.
Link to source: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/esd-932-engineering-ethics-spring-2006/
Response to The Ethics of Anonomous Vehicles:
As part of a pioneering team tasked with developing driverless cars for a well-known car-sharing service, I have faced a moral dilemma that challenges my professional integrity. Discovering a critical design flaw that poses a significant risk to pedestrians not only presents a technical challenge but also a moral crisis. Our response to this situation is guided by the IET’s Rules of Conduct and its comprehensive guidance on whistleblowing.
According to the IET’s Rules of Conduct, our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of the public in our professional endeavours. The guidance on whistleblowing further clarifies our duties in situations where public safety is at risk due to professional activities. It emphasizes the ethical obligation to report dangerous practices or significant threats to public safety to relevant authorities when internal channels are insufficient or have been exhausted.
In this dire scenario, our team has an unequivocal responsibility: we must blow the whistle. This decision is not optional, but it is a paramount duty to protect lives. The company, when confronted with these findings, has an ethical duty to respond constructively. The ideal response should involve a thorough review of the identified flaws, halting production immediately, and collaborating with relevant authorities and experts to rectify the issues. Any retaliation against the whistleblowing team would contravene the IET’s guidelines broader ethical principles, and potentially legal standards.
Would we, as a team, blow the whistle? Absolutely. The gravity of potentially causing harm, let alone the loss of life, outweighs any reservations about the potential consequences for our careers or the company’s reputation. Adhering to the IET’s ethical framework, our course of action is clear – ensuring the safety of the public is paramount, and we must advocate for the rectification of these critical design flaws before the cars are released. This stance is not just a professional obligation but a moral imperative to uphold the principles of integrity, honesty, and the protection of human life that are central to the engineering profession.
Sustainability:
As engineers in training, it’s crucial we not only focus on the innovation and functionality of our designs but also carefully consider the sustainability aspect of our projects. Designing our prototype micro mouse offered an invaluable opportunity to weave sustainable development principles into our engineering practice. In this blog post, I will address our plan for recycling the components at their end-of-life and the efficient maintenance of our project website during the assessment period.
A Plan for Recycling Components at End-of-Life
Our micro mouse project, while small in scale, served as a potent reminder of the larger environmental impacts associated with electronic waste. To address this, we adopted a meticulous recycling plan for our prototype’s components once they reached their end-of-life.
- Component Assessment: At the project’s conclusion, each component was evaluated to determine if it could be reused in future projects, thereby extending its lifecycle and reducing waste.
- Local Recycling Partnerships: For components that could not be reused, we aimed to partner with local e-waste recycling facilities that adhered to environmentally responsible recycling practices, ensuring materials like plastics, metals, and electronics were properly processed.
Maintaining the Website During the Assessment Period
Our project website was a critical tool for sharing our journey and insights. Ensuring its reliability and relevance throughout the assessment period involved:
- Regular Content Updates: We uploaded blogs of our project’s progress every month, including milestones achieved and lessons learned, ensure that every team member and visitor could see everyone’s progress.
- Technical Maintenance: To ensure the website’s optimal performance, we performed routine technical checks to make sure every visitor could access the website and visit any section.
- Feedback Mechanism: Incorporating a feedback loop, we invited suggestions from visitors, allowing us to improve the website’s content and usability continually.
By focusing on these sustainable and practical measures, we committed to not just the success of our project but also to the broader goals of environmental responsibility and community engagement. Through our actions, we aimed to demonstrate that even small teams could make significant contributions toward sustainable development in engineering.