Laura Smith (left) and Ritika Bhattacharjee (right) participated in the 2022 Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Case Competition. |
Image: Courtesy of Laura Smith and Ritika Bhattacharjee
The fifth annual Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Case Competition took place on Feb. 28 and March 1. In this competition, students are given a fictional case based primarily on ethical, business and engineering dilemmas and must present their solutions in hopes of advancing to the next round.
In this year's remote event, 24 institutions participated, with two students on each university’s team. Ritika Bhattacharjee, senior in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and Laura Smith senior in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, represented Texas A&M University for this year’s dilemma about two competing satellite companies at risk of collision.
“It was a lot of fun working with Laura to research the solution,” Bhattacharjee said. “Learning so much about a subject that is outside of my typical area of study was really gratifying and inspiring, and I wish everyone had the freedom to pursue knowledge for the sole reason of growing intellect because of how much fun it can be.”
Not only did Bhattacharjee and Smith work together to find their solution, but they also had the help of their faculty advisor, Dr. Shayla Rivera, director of ENGR[x], and faculty co-advisor, Dr. Magda Lagoudas, executive director of industry and nonprofit partnerships, who both feel that participation in this event is a great educational and professional benefit to students.
“Providing students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a challenging case that involves technical, business and ethical issues, where they have to develop a solution, defend the company they represent, and at the same time compromise and reach an agreement that benefits both companies is an amazing way to demonstrate to students the importance of all three in making good decisions as a leader,” said Lagoudas.
Lockheed Martin stresses the importance of a students’ prior knowledge of and experience with ethics before they enter the workforce. Rivera believes this competition directly enhances the education of an engineering student.
“As members of the engineering profession, these students will have a direct impact on the quality of life for people all over the globe,” Rivera said. “This demands professionalism focused on the highest standards of honesty and integrity, and participating in this competition brings these young to-be-engineers the awareness of the importance of their role in society.”
Students of all majors and backgrounds participate in this competition, regardless of experience. This kind of variety offers different perspectives in each case.
“I have never had any debate experience before, and while this was not exactly a debate, it was similar,” Smith said. “This competition has helped me develop my communication skills, and I have practiced writing research papers, but I have never had to pull facts to support my thesis on the fly before.”
Smith and Bhattacharjee were unable to advance to the next round on the following day of the competition. Despite being eliminated early on, both Smith and Bhattacharjee took away very valuable lessons and experiences from the competition.
“We didn’t win this year, but we built new relationships and upheld relationships from previous years,” Bhattacharjee said. “Relationships are so much more important than victory, and that’s a value we Aggies cherish. I feel so grateful to represent a university that has such a strong team mentality and that I got the opportunity to represent our amazing College of Engineering.”
Smith also said that even though she wishes they could have continued Texas A&M’s winning streak, she loved working with Bhattacharjee, Rivera, Lagoudas and everyone else who helped them. The support from Texas A&M and its faculty helped them throughout the entire process.
Smith is preparing for life after graduation and is currently in the middle of job interviews with different companies, including Lockheed Martin. Bhattacharjee plans on moving to Austin after graduation to start her career at a business consulting firm and to continue freelancing as a musician.
Students can complete this survey if interested in participating in the next Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Case Competition.
In this year's remote event, 24 institutions participated, with two students on each university’s team. Ritika Bhattacharjee, senior in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and Laura Smith senior in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, represented Texas A&M University for this year’s dilemma about two competing satellite companies at risk of collision.
“It was a lot of fun working with Laura to research the solution,” Bhattacharjee said. “Learning so much about a subject that is outside of my typical area of study was really gratifying and inspiring, and I wish everyone had the freedom to pursue knowledge for the sole reason of growing intellect because of how much fun it can be.”
Not only did Bhattacharjee and Smith work together to find their solution, but they also had the help of their faculty advisor, Dr. Shayla Rivera, director of ENGR[x], and faculty co-advisor, Dr. Magda Lagoudas, executive director of industry and nonprofit partnerships, who both feel that participation in this event is a great educational and professional benefit to students.
“Providing students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a challenging case that involves technical, business and ethical issues, where they have to develop a solution, defend the company they represent, and at the same time compromise and reach an agreement that benefits both companies is an amazing way to demonstrate to students the importance of all three in making good decisions as a leader,” said Lagoudas.
Lockheed Martin stresses the importance of a students’ prior knowledge of and experience with ethics before they enter the workforce. Rivera believes this competition directly enhances the education of an engineering student.
“As members of the engineering profession, these students will have a direct impact on the quality of life for people all over the globe,” Rivera said. “This demands professionalism focused on the highest standards of honesty and integrity, and participating in this competition brings these young to-be-engineers the awareness of the importance of their role in society.”
Students of all majors and backgrounds participate in this competition, regardless of experience. This kind of variety offers different perspectives in each case.
“I have never had any debate experience before, and while this was not exactly a debate, it was similar,” Smith said. “This competition has helped me develop my communication skills, and I have practiced writing research papers, but I have never had to pull facts to support my thesis on the fly before.”
Smith and Bhattacharjee were unable to advance to the next round on the following day of the competition. Despite being eliminated early on, both Smith and Bhattacharjee took away very valuable lessons and experiences from the competition.
“We didn’t win this year, but we built new relationships and upheld relationships from previous years,” Bhattacharjee said. “Relationships are so much more important than victory, and that’s a value we Aggies cherish. I feel so grateful to represent a university that has such a strong team mentality and that I got the opportunity to represent our amazing College of Engineering.”
Smith also said that even though she wishes they could have continued Texas A&M’s winning streak, she loved working with Bhattacharjee, Rivera, Lagoudas and everyone else who helped them. The support from Texas A&M and its faculty helped them throughout the entire process.
Smith is preparing for life after graduation and is currently in the middle of job interviews with different companies, including Lockheed Martin. Bhattacharjee plans on moving to Austin after graduation to start her career at a business consulting firm and to continue freelancing as a musician.
Students can complete this survey if interested in participating in the next Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Case Competition.