"I address big questions, like how to support the ethical and innovative practice of engineering professionals in business settings within complex social, economic, and political environments."

We asked Dayoung about her research and how she plans to utilize her time at NAE this spring.

AS A PHD CANDIDATE in engineering education with a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering, through my research, I address big questions, like how to support the ethical and innovative practice of engineering professionals in business settings within complex social, economic, and political environments. Throughout my doctoral study, I have studied ethics in engineering practice by actively working with engineers from various industries to bring in insights from the industry to enhance engineering ethics education. In my dissertation study, I studied engineers from various industries including the healthcare industry and beyond. I found that whatever industry they are in, engineers’ practices, especially their ethical practices, are influenced by their own regulatory and policy contexts. Based on the results, I believe that engineering professionals’ innovative and ethical practice can be supported by technology and regulatory policy, but there remains one important question: how?

The Mirzayan Fellowship will significantly further my career goal, which is to be a faculty member of a research university in the U.S. who conducts fundamental research on engineering education and on science and technology policy to support the innovative and ethical practice of engineering professionals. To achieve this goal, I plan to collaborate with various stakeholders in science and technology policy, including scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government. The Mirzayan Fellowship will provide me with excellent opportunities to expand my professional network for future collaboration. The hands-on training opportunities I would gain from the fellowship will also help me to achieve my goal as an engineering educator, which is to help engineering professionals and students develop literacy with regard to science and technology policy.

As a Mirzayan Fellow, I am honored and excited to contribute to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)’s Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility (CESER) program!

Related: NAE CESER 2022 Fellows (PDF)