Tom Pannett Presents Engineering Ethics Program to Dayton Professional Community
Kegler Brown Director Tom Pannett presented “Ethical Engineers Throughout History” at a joint Engineering Luncheon hosted by the Dayton Society of Professional Engineers (DSPE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Tom opened with the rules governing the profession, including Ohio’s continuing education requirements for professional engineers and surveyors, the Ohio Administrative Code’s rules of professional conduct, the ASCE Code of Ethics, and the NSPE Engineer’s Creed. He then traced engineering ethics from Imhotep, Aristotle and Archimedes through da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and John Smeaton to Ohio’s own Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers, and invited the audience to consider how fairly historical figures can be judged by today’s standards.
The program also examined what happens when ethics break down, with case studies including the Challenger disaster, the New Orleans levee failures and the Surfside condominium collapse, before closing with the ethical questions raised by autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence.
As both a registered professional engineer and an attorney, Tom offers a perspective that bridges technical judgment and legal responsibility, helping engineers think through their obligations to clients, communities and the public.
