SEng's mission is to provide a national focus and leadership within the engineering profession for the implementation of sustainability for the benefit of the Australian society. If you’ve received this newsletter, you're an SEng member or you’ve probably attended one of the seminars organised by the QLD chapter of SSEE. As well as organising and running the technical sessions, SEng provides comment on sustainability issues for EA QLD and runs a student night to encourage participation and awareness of sustainability issues.
SSEE is run by volunteers. The QLD chapter is currently run by a small core group of committee members, but always welcomes new members. This is a call for anyone who is interested in joining the committee to come along to a meeting and see how things are run. The work load is relatively small, especially if more people come and help.
If you have enjoyed our technical sessions in the past and have time to come along to the meetings and help to organise some sessions, please consider coming to our next committee meeting, or contact any of the Qld committee, to find out more. Alternatively, go ahead and fill out a nomination form! We look forward to seeing you.
A notice of the Qld AGM committee information and Nomination forms are provided here for downloading.
FYI the QLD Chapter AGM for 2010/2011 was held on Tuesday 26 July, 2011. Minutes can be accessed here.
6:15 pm Seminar
Ethics and Sustainability in Engineering
Issues and approaches to doing the right thing
Engineers build high-speed rail networks, power stations, motor vehicles, air transport systems and many other forms of critical infrastructure upon which society relies. The design and construction of these undertakings, and their subsequent operation, offer numerous ways in which ethical boundaries can be subverted.
Do engineers have a particular obligation of care? To check their designs, so that bridges do not collapse, as happened with the West Gate bridge in Melbourne? Or that motor vehicles they design are safe, and do not cause deaths in an accident, as did the Ford Pinto?
Of particularly concern are those boundaries that stipulate that we take into consideration the needs of succeeding generations as well as today’s. Engineers affect the lives of millions of people through their undertakings – through the nation’s infrastructure that they build, the water it drinks, the energy it uses, and the ways in which it moves people - now, and for many future generations.
Please join SEng and presenter Dr Peter Bowden, (Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney).
Dr Peter Bowden's presentation can be viewed via Engineers Australia's webcast sessions.