APPLIED SCIENCE 450

Professional Engineering Practice

Course Introduction
Fariborz Taghipour & P. Dawn Mills
Spring 2014

Course Outline

What is a profession?
Ethical issues in engineering practice
Legal aspects of engineering practice
How engineering professionals work

Lectures can be roughly divided into these four

categories.
Some lectures will be given by practicing Professional
Engineers, or by Professionals who work with
Engineers, who themselves may be
Professional Engineers

What Veresk Bridge story tell us?

Fear that the train wouldnt be able to pass!

The engineer and his family stood under it when the
first train passed!!!

Engineering Ethicswhy needed?

Obligations by engineers to
society, to their clients, & to
the profession.

It is important to know the

rules of the game

Engineering related issues

Engineering related accidents:
The Bhopal disaster. +
500,000 were exposed to gas 8,000
died in 2W & +8,000 later
Canada:
Bridge collapse QC 1907: 75 deaths
Ocean Ranger NF 1982: 84 deaths

Engineering related concerns:

Global warming, internet & privacy,
pipeline, mining, food engineering

Engineering..is it all technology?

Technology is not
necessarily or always
good
Examples: Automobile; cellphone

There is more to Eng. than

technology alone
elements of law, business, safety,
psychology, philosophy, etc.

Expected Outcomes
An understanding of the principles of law as it
applies to engineering practice
Just the principles details are for lawyers

Some ideas about how to recognize ethical issues

and how to deal with them
One never solves an ethical problem.

What it means to be a professional and to work in a

profession
Engineers are the youngest professionals graduated from
this university.

The Rules
Arrive on time
If you must leave before the lecture ends, do it
quietly
Sit near the exits if you plan to leave early
Be careful not to bang the outside doors

Whispering allowed during lectures, but not

conversations
Sleep at home, not here
Be prepared to answer questions

The Most Important Rule

TURN OFF CELL PHONES OR ANY OTHER DEVICE OR A
TOY THAT COULD MAKE A NOISE DURING A LECTURE!
They have a lovely No cell phone policy here

Schedule Winter 2014

January
8 Overview of Course: Fariborz Taghipour/Dawn Mills
10 Michael Isaacson: Overview & Engineering as a Professionalism
15 Dawn Mills: Introduction to Law
17 Sarah Pivnick: Enforcement and Discipline
22 Scott Dunbar: Choice Ethics
24 Dawn Mills: Dispute Resolution
29 Claudio Arato: Professional Engineering Practice
31 Greg Miller: Torts

Schedule Winter 2014

February
5 Dawn Mills: Contracts
7 Dawn Mills: Corporate Structures
12 Dawn Mills: Employment Law in BC
12 Assignment One Due
14 Mario Kasapi: Intellectual Property Law
Feb 17 to 12: Spring Break
26 Greg Miller: How Things Go Wrong
28 Sharroz Nabavi and Tarqi Ahmed, Gaming Lecture:
Corporate, Employment & Intellectual Property

Schedule Winter 2014

March/April
5 Closed Book Quiz #1
7 Dawn Mills: Environmental and Aboriginal Law
12 Scott Dunbar: More on Ethics
14 DVD: Amazay Lake : A Film about Water
19 John Grace: Ethics and Engineering
17, 18 & 19 Group Presentations and Assignment #2 Due
21 John Grace: Conflicts of Interest, Environmental Ethics
26 John Grace: Whistle-Blowing, Working outside of Canada
28 Closed Book Quiz #2
Apr. 2 Brian Hutchinson: Ethics, Bribery and Engineering
Apr. 4 Fariborz Taghipour & Dawn Mills: Course Review
Final Exam: During Examination Period

Final Grade Expectations

Assignment One: Group Mark 15 points
Assignment Two: Group Mark 15 points
Closed Book Quizzes:
Quiz No. One: 10 points (Closed Book)
Quiz No. Two: 10 points (Closed Book)
Final Exam:
Five Essay Questions each worth 10 points
One Take Home Question
During the Final Exam Period (Open Book)
50 points

Two Non-negotiable Conditions

You write the final exam to pass the course.
Marks will be deducted for late Assignment.
Exceptions made for Documented Medical Conditions
Documented Family Emergencies

Student and Faculty Safety

Please familiarize yourself with the Fire Exists and act
accordingly in case of this type of emergency
Be aware of the your surrounding (ceilings etc. in
case of an earthquake)
In the event of a Lock-down Emergency you will be
required to follow University Protocol as outlined in
the video at this link: www.emergency.ubc.ca

Lockdown Procedures Aug, 2010.pdf(209KB)

Cheating in a Law and Ethics Course

Is the height of irony
Is unethical
Could have legal implications
See the following UBC web calendar links:
Academic Misconduct
http://www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959
Disciplinary Measures
http://www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,960

TAs and Contact Information

Marzieh Ebrahimi
mebrahimi@chbe.ubc.ca

827 3413

CHBE 619

827-3238

CHBE 509

827-3194

CHBE 603

Joyleene YU
joyleeneyu@chbe.ubc.ca

Yiughui Zhang
yhzhang@chbe.ubc.ca

Web Site and Office Hours

All course material can be obtained via
www.connect.ubc.ca
Click on login link if you have a CWL id and password
Your Course: APSC 450
Any email correspondence will be through Faculty Service
Centre - FSC
After Class both Drs Taghipour and Mills are available for
questions. We will make appointments at that time if necessary.