Session: 09-04-01: Sustainability, Efficiency, Competencies for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, Learning Factories, Ethical Dimensions, Safety and Complexity Issues

Paper Number: 143449

143449 - Engineering Ethics Principles and Design Justice Principles: Are They the Same or Different? 

When we are designing solutions to challenging design questions, we quite often do not consider the possibilities of the harms that it may cause, and we often exclude the voices of the very people who are affected by our design.   The Design Justice movement is a network of design practitioners, design instructors and others from a variety of different backgrounds who want to change the design landscape into a more inclusive ecosystem [1,2,3].  The design justice movement was started by artists, musicians, architects, and engineers.  

Design Justice is an emerging field that seeks to address the ways in which design practices and decisions can perpetuate or challenge systemic injustices. It is a lens through which we can examine the ways in which design shapes our built environment and the systems that govern it, and how those systems in turn shape our communities and individuals.  This approach to design focuses on creating equitable outcomes for marginalized communities and centers the voices and perspectives of those who have been traditionally underrepresented in design decision-making. Design Justice practitioners work to ensure that design is accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all. 

The principles of design justice are a very useful tool for infusing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concepts into the undergraduate curriculum.  To some the design justice principles may seem similar or the same as the ethical principles (as approved by National Society of Professional Engineers and accepted by engineering societies) that are taught to and followed by all engineers.   In this paper we examine the two sets of principles and try to find out the similarities and differences between the two.  This is done by first comparing the two sets of statements side by side and analyzing the message they convey.  Also, a case study using a real-life problem is used to explore the same question.  Students in multiple classes are tasked to analyze the case using the two sets of principles to determine an appropriate course of action.  After that, they are asked to reflect on how their action decisions are similar or different when one set of principles are used versus the other.   Through these reflections and the action decisions conclusions are drawn about the two sets of principles.   We find that the students’ action decisions are quite different when they are using one set of principles versus the other.  This case study is used in multiple courses and with multiple audiences and the results are reported and discussed in this paper.   

References

1.     https://designjustice.org

2.     https://designjustice.org/read-the-principles

3.     Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design justice: Community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press. 

Presenting Author: Shuvra Das Univ Of Detroit

Presenting Author Biography: Shuvra Das, Ph.D.

Dr. Shuvra Das started working at University of Detroit Mercy in January 1994 and is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Over this time, he served in a variety of administrative roles such as Mechanical Engineering Department Chair, Associate Dean for Research and Outreach, and Director of International Programs in the college of Engineering and Science. He has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and Master’s and Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University. He was a post-doctoral researcher at University of Notre Dame and worked in industry for several years prior to joining Detroit Mercy.

Dr. Das has taught a variety of courses ranging from freshmen to advanced graduate level such as Mechanics of Materials, Introductory and Advanced Finite Element Method, Engineering Design, Introduction to Mechatronics, Mechatronic Modeling and Simulation, Mathematics for Engineers, Electric Drives and Electromechanical Energy Conversion. He led the effort in the college to start several successful programs: an undergraduate major in Robotics and Mechatronic Systems Engineering, a graduate certificate in Advanced Electric Vehicles, and a thriving partnership for student recruitment with several universities in China. He has also been the dissertation advisor for and graduated many Ph.D. students.

Dr. Das’s areas of research interests are modeling and simulation of multi-disciplinary engineering problems, modeling multi-physics problems in manufacturing, engineering education, and curriculum reform. He has worked in areas ranging from mechatronics system simulation to multi-physics process simulation using CAE tools such as Finite Elements and Boundary Elements. He has authored or co-authored five books on these topics.

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