March 28, 2014: The Accountability of Science and Engineering

With the exciting advancements in modern technology opening doors to greater scientific and engineering opportunities, it's easy for one to get lost in the research and development and forget about how that work is actually being applied to society. "Many biology students these days see the genetic engineering of existing life forms and the creation of new ones as the cutting edge of the field. Whether they are competing in science fairs or carrying out experiments, they have little time for debate surrounding dual-use research; they are simply plowing ahead" (Garrett, p. 36-37). What these biology students overlook is the significant economic, social, and political impact that their research can have on the world. Scientists and engineers ought to be more aware and practice more responsibility in order to maintain an ethical and progressive mindset in their work environments, where progressive is defined as making progress toward better conditions. Only this way can technologists hope to direct (or redirect) their research and protect against 'dual-use research of concern' (DURC) or unethical practices.

As mentioned by Garrett above, practitioners of science and engineering become blinded by the cutting edge of technology and willingly submit to the veil of ignorance placed over them by their employers. As a result, these practitioners never question the application of their work once it leaves their lab, they simply move on to the next task. Martha Crouch was the lead of a research team in plant molecular biology when she realized the veil of ignorance that covered the eyes of her colleagues. This discovery motivated her to uncover the effect her research had on society, only to discover that botanical research is as disruptive to social and ecological systems as any human practice yet devised, including war (Crouch, 1991). Research such as high-yielding crops do not necessarily solve world hunger, but rather create more opportunities for bankers and multinational corporations to grow and prosper. High-yielding crops require certain kinds of plantations, which must be maintained by specialized skilled labor and use specific fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that only wealthy farmers can afford. She realized that the way she was applying her passion for nature was actually undercutting Third World economies through the production of more uniform oil plants. She has since cut ties with her previous employers to raise awareness on her concerns regarding the use of her work and technology to harm others. Her efforts to bring her misguided/misapplied research to the attention of other scientists actually yielded a great deal of feedback, which demonstrates the magnitude of people in technological positions that have chosen to hide behind the veil and wait for a whistleblower to save them.

History has shown accounts in which whistleblowers were not present to prevent drastic misuse of technology. These include Fritz Haber's discovery on how to mass-produce ammonia as well as Einstein's revolutionary theories of relativity, gravity, mass, and energy (Garrett, p. 31-32). Haber's research eventually contributed to the creation for German chemical weapons during World War I. Einstein's work led to the atom bomb and nuclear energy, which has since still been abused and developed in such a way that there exists an excess of nuclear waste that scientists do not know how to properly dispose (Meador, 2013). J. Craig Venter carried out significant research on synthetic biology and was the first to construct nucleotides (Garrett, p. 28). During this effort, he took the initiative to commission a large analysis of the implications of synthetic genomics on public health and national security. Although the legislative and government bodies are slow to react to his concerns, the important message to draw is that governing entities cannot act without information. As the creator of a new type of technology, Venter is holding himself accountable and taking steps to understand the potential consequences of this biological development. He states himself that, "There's not a single aspect of human life that doesn't have the potential to be totally transformed by these technologies in the future" (Garrett, p. 29). His understanding of the conceivable ramifications is an important step to helping protect society as a whole.

Scientists and engineers must make the effort to take responsibility for the work they do and not allow themselves to be enticed by the shear concept of developing of technology such that they forget to consider the effect of their work after fruition. If our technological leaders do not exercise caution over their own work, there will be little to no protection against society for the potential consequences.

References

Crouch, Martha. “Confessions of a Botanist.” New Internationalist Magazine. March 1991. Web. 28 March 2014.

Garrett, Laurie. “Biology’s Brave New World: The Promise and Perils of the Synbio Revolution.” Foreign Affairs. Nov./Dec. (2013): 28-46. Web. 27 March 2014.

Meador, Ron. "Two nuclear-waste-disposal reports raise doubts this problem can be solved." MinnPost. 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.