José Rojas

2. It is hard to know where to
start when
detailing the negative effects
the petroleum industryhas on
the environment, because the
entire planet has suffered
such degradationasa result of
humanity’s overuse of fossi l
fuels. Petroleum, which we
know better as oil, is actually
toxic to all forms of life.
The by-products of oil
produce a multitude of
products including plastic, cleaning materials and pharmaceuticals.
How petroleum works
Fossil fuels were formed many millions of years ago from plants and animals that
lived at the time. Oncethis living matter died, their remainsweredeposited. There is
carbon left over from this living matter and it’s this carbon that is now used to
produce energy.
The danger of oil to the planet
As mentioned, petroleum is
highly toxic. Oil is absolutely
lethal to fish, so the various
oil spills that occur frequently
causeirreparableharm to the
oceans.
Air pollution from
petroleumproducts
Crude oil can’t be used in its
naturalstate, so it needs to be
refined. Thisreleases toxins
into theatmospherethat
damagetheecosphereand impact humanhealth. Thereafter, thewaythat oil is used
is usually by burning it.
Environmental impact of
the petroleum industry

3. How important is
English language fluency
for Engineers?
English is one of the widely spoken languagesaround theworld. For an engineer and
an engineering student, English languagefluenncy is important both instudiesand
career. Engineering isone of thelargest fields of study and manyof the works of
research and academicsarerecorded inEnglish. Without fluencyin English,
engineering studentsmayfind it difficult to understand theconcept being conveyed
by the authors. Also, many modules in engineering requirewritingacademicreports.
Hence, a good fluency and grasp of English languageisnecessary.
Basic reasons why an Engineer
should be fluent in English are
as follows:
 In a student'ssociallife,
English languageis most
important. It helps to
build strong relationship
and better
understanding among
fellow studentsand peers.
 For success in any field, one has to know, understand
and communicateeffectively. In the era of
liberalisation, privatisationand globalisation,
communicationskillsis the key to success.
The English languageis now a bridgelanguageof
internationalbusiness, technology, research and aviation.
About 1.8 billion speak English and thenumber is still rising.

4. Ethics in Engineering
One of the most powerful giftsof engineering ishow it improveslives. But, in the
wrong hands, it canbe the opposite. William Marcy, executivedirector ofthe
Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism/NationalInstitutefor
Engineering Ethics, teachesa course on engineering ethicsto roughly 600 students
per year at TexasTech University. He advises them to look at all the angles and
encouragesprofessionalengineersto do the same. “It’s about looking past what
people would know about and understanding what your obligationis,” he says.
One examplehe uses involves a
fastening attachment. “Let’ssay
you project intothefuturewhat
the consequencesmight be,” he
says. “If an outsideinspector
said a certainfastening
attachmentisn’t at the level of
qualityrequired, who’s
responsiblefor fixing this?
Should the one who did it in
2001be even though the
standardsmight havebeen
different? If you put something inthat no longer is up to code, is your company
obligated tosay something if that outsideinspector wasnever involved and no one
brought it up? Making anethicaldecisionisthinking about thelifecycle of a project
or product or design, not just assuming everything is fine. What maybe OK in 2001
may not be fine in 2013because
technology, policies, and design
methodscan all change.”
An examplehe had studentslook at
is the Tesla electric car. “It’s very
interesting becauseyou would think
about theresponsibilityof the safety
of thecar—but what about the
batteries?” hesays. “Someday that car will go to a landfill and how is that battery
for the environment? If you think of the life cycle, does the companyhave a
responsibilitytoproperly disposeof the car—should that bepart of the offering to a
customer when they buy? After all, it maynot be a factor for more thana decade.”

5. Marcysays offering up these examplesand teaching thecoursegetsstudentsto
visualize their careersahead. Therewill be momentsfor advancement that could
pull at their conscience. Decisionscanbe madethat could literally decidelives. “It
gets them thinking about whothey want to be,” he says. “Theworking world can put
pressureon anyone.”
It also allows them to consider what
assumptionsthey’ve alwaysmade.
“Wetalked about thetechnological
concept of offering Wi-Fi for free
through the government,” he says. “So
many thought it wasa great idea.
Then we talked about thefact our
taxespay for the government. Is it fair someone else will have to, in the end, pay for
the Wi-Fi? Is it fair to ever call something offered from the government free?
Suddenly, [fewer] people thought it was a great idea or that it should be presented
as free.”
Marcyfindsmany students
are most engaged by ethical
decisionsthat aren’t easy
choicesbut requiremaking
decisionsthat canbe seen in
many ways. “Ethicsare
opportunitiesfor a healthy
debate,” he says. “It’s a
chanceto really see different
ways to look at a problem. You do that whenyou createsomething but alsowhen
you look at the moralimplicationsof that creation. Being ethicalisn’t alwaysabout
cut and dry answersbut getting yourselfto actuallyconsider the possibilities. By
doing that, you’re already ahead of many people.”
Eric Buttermanisan independent writer.

6. Produced byJosé Rojas
C.I. 26.872.970