The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) organized a weeklong celebration called Ethics Week. This year, programming ran from September 12-20. The goal was to showcase the depth and broad spectrum of IEEE’s engagement with ethical issues in engineering, research, and technology practice. Through a series of webinars, panels, talks, seminars, and roundtables, many ideas were discussed among professors and professionals. NIEE participation included co-sponsorship of a talk by Andrew McAninch titled ‘But What Can I Do About It?’: Navigating Collective Action Problems in the Engineering Ethics Classroom. To engage students in Ethics Week programming, the Ecuador section chapter, E25, held a competition during which teams prepared an ethical analysis and presentation for the chance to win a cash prize: Student and Young Professional Ethics Competition Ecuador 2026. Additionally, the Lebanon section chapter, COM19, held a Hackathon that focused on accessibility and ethical design: Designing Hope in Action: Digital Solutions That Help Us Bloom. These events and more can be found on the Ethics Week website.

NIEE proudly served as a technical cosponsor for the IEEE ETHICS-2023 conference, held May 18-20, 2023 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. For those wishing to discover (or rediscover) some of the excellent scholarship presented and discussed at this event, you can find the conference proceedings on the IEEE Xplore platform. Additionally, the IEEE TechEthics group recorded a panel session during the conference, which is now available on the IEEE.tv platform: 4 + 1: The Impacts of Academia, Economics, Government and Civil Society on Sustainable Development. We hope you will explore these resources, and also keep an eye on this space for future event and initiative announcements!

A recent poll carried out by Gallup, Inc. found notable declines in public perceptions of “honesty and ethical standards” across 23 professions. In 2019, 66% of respondents rated engineers as high or very high on the scale, falling to 60% in 2023. Engineers maintained their position as the second most trusted group on the list, second only to nurses (falling from 85% to 78% over the same period) and just ahead of dentists, medical doctors, and pharmacists. Ratings for college teachers took a larger dip, falling from 49% (2019) to 42% (2023). The results also show notable differences in ratings based on the educational attainment and political orientation of survey respondents. For more details, see Gallup’s summary: Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S.