Article
This article details the life and experiences of Shawn Linam as she struggled to succeed in a male dominated field. The article goes on to discuss contributions that Linam has made in her field and the world at large. This includes her early beginnings as an engineer and her eventual major success as a CEO. She is the CEO of Qwaltec, an engineering consulting firm, and a director of the Girls Rule Foundation. Her business quickly became successful, and she is known and respected in her industry. Through her many trials in the engineering field, she has become a strong advocate of women seeking their dreams regardless of whether those dreams are of careers typically dominated by males or not (Yara, 2016).
Relationship between the story and concepts from class
There are a number of concepts that can be observed in the article, which have been covered in the class. That engineers need to remain socially responsible and make ethical decisions based on research and input from others are just some of the concepts that are relevant to the article. Social responsibility and ethics are core principles which engineers (and individuals in many fields) must adhere to. To be socially responsible as an engineer, one must consider the impacts of one’s decisions and behaviours on the community and world at large as Linam has. Often times this means weighing the pros and cons of participating in a given work project, but sometimes (as in this case) it can mean something more abstract. F. B. Wood (author of “The Social Responsibility of Engineers and Scientists”, an article published by the Association for Computing Machinery) writes that engineers have a responsibility to, “ask questions and urge that appropriate social scientists study the social problems related to their work” (Wood, 1959). This means that not only should the engineer weigh the decision out themselves, but that they should encourage others to participate and add not just their opinions but also their specific knowledge as it relates to the issue in question. However, social responsibility does not just apply to projects and inventions, it also applies to all other decisions that affect the world around you. To behave ethically as an engineer involves being honest and true to one’s principles, just as it does in any other field. Making choices based on what’s “right” rather than “what I want” is a common theme in ethics. Together, these two aspects of engineering lead to engineers weighing the various aspects of a project and then acting in the way that is most beneficial.
Evaluation of the actors in the case
The article itself is an ethical depiction of the ethical actions and decisions of Linam. Linam has become a role model for girls around the world of all ages, and her support of social programs like the Girls Rule Foundation are an excellent example of her social responsibility. Linam is giving back to the community through her participation in this program, demonstrating both her respect of social responsibility in the field of engineering and also her good ethics. She not only survived in this male dominated arena, but has become incredibly successful without giving up any part of herself, least of all her femininity. Hopefully others will be inspired by her success and not be afraid to pursue their dreams no matter how difficult or unlikely they may seem. Without industry leaders like her, it would be easy to feel ostracized as a female in the engineering field. The action and behaviors demonstrated by Linam set the stage for many great women to follow her, in a field that has been and is currently dominated by men.
Works Cited
Yara, Georgann. "In Male-dominated Field, Tempe Engineering Consulting Firm's CEO Aims to Be Role Model." The Arizona Republic (part of the USA Today Network), 21 June 2016. Web. 21 June 2016.
Wood, F. B. (1959). The Social Responsibility of Engineers and Scientists. ACM
