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We’re well-positioned for the tough questions of the future, thanks to a history of looking beyond the technical

The rise of generative artificial intelligence has shone a spotlight on the need for responsible technological progress. Happily, the College of Engineering and Applied Science at

CU Boulder has for many years been dedicating time and resources to support ethical engineering.

The Herbst Program

Started in 1989, the Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics and Society has led generations of engineers to think beyond the technical and into the purpose of their creations. 

“Part of our charge is to educate responsible engineers,” said Paul Diduch, a Herbst teaching associate professor. “We have to alert them to the different dimensions of what they’re doing.” 

Diduch, who also leads the Engineering Leadership Program, explained that the common argument for technology as a neutral force being misused ignores the larger effect that some technologies have. 

“Our culture relies on a complex and interconnected stack of technologies. If something goes wrong in the stack, bad things can happen, often in unanticipated ways,” he said. “It’s important for engineers to see our technological pursuits in the light of fundamental questions of ethical concern.”  

This is a thread that carries back to the 1992 Herbst Lecture Series on Technology and Responsibility and up through today, with the Moulakis Lecture Series on Responsible Engineering. 

The Moulakis Lecture Series, made possible by alumnus Lucky Vidmar and his wife, Aubrey Ardema, is named after an influential Herbst faculty member, Athanasios “Thanasi” Moulakis.

Engineering Connections

A new first-year seminar course, spearheaded by Engineering Connections residential community Faculty Director Scot Douglass, is another example of the college’s mission to graduate ethical engineers.  

With 27 separate sections taught by professors across the college, including Dean Keith Molenaar, first-year engineering students were able to connect with one another in a small cohort and consider what it means to be an ethical engineer. 

“Most times when you are doing truly innovative work, things are much messier,” said Assistant Professor Sarah Stanford-McIntyre, who led one of the sections. “Training in engineering ethics sets up engineers to get comfortable with, even embrace, the messiness and come up with real solutions.” 

Ethics for all

College faculty are also committed to engaging with the broader Boulder community and the world.

Last year, a panel of faculty hosted a public event to explain ChatGPT’s capabilities and limitations, exploring how it could be used in an ethical way and what quandaries we need to navigate.

Professor Bobby Schnabel, computer scientist and champion for access to computing, is offering new courses through Coursera that focus on ethics in computing. The massive open online course provider makes course content available to anyone in the world. 

“We have to start early and impress often that what we’re creating — the power that we have — is truly immense,” Schnabel said.