Ethics in engineering

Every engineering student takes an ethics course, but applying those principles under real-world pressure is an entirely different challenge. In this episode of The Control Room, Design World Senior Editor Miles Budimir joins Rachael Pasini to explore why ethical engineering deserves more than a checkbox in a curriculum. We cover the foundational obligation that sits at the top of every major engineering society's code of conduct — public safety — and examine the gap between knowing that principle and actually living it when organizational pressure builds. Miles draws on more than 25 years of experience and his background in both electrical engineering and philosophy to explain common misconceptions engineers bring into ethics instruction. We also revisit the Challenger disaster, what it reveals about what happens when institutional momentum overrides individual engineering judgment, and why that dynamic is far from unique to 1986. And perhaps most practically: ethics isn't just for catastrophic failures. Miles walks us through what ethical decision-making actually looks like on an ordinary design project, and why the small calls matter just as much as the big ones. Keep the conversation going on LinkedIn: Rachael Pasini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelpasini Miles Budimir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milenko-budimir-3364a32 Visit https://www.designworldonline.com for more content like this. Subscribe to the Engineer's Edge to receive content directly to your inbox: https://www.designworldonline.com/sign-up-for-design-world-email-newsletter.