Many ethical challenges arise not from clear misconduct, but from uncertainty about how and when to raise concerns, and how to communicate risk responsibly once concerns emerge. Engineers, architects, and technical professionals may hesitate to speak up about potential risks when those risks develop gradually, involve past assumptions, or feel personally or professionally exposing. Even when concerns are communicated, careful technical language intended to be accurate and responsible can sometimes be misunderstood by the public or appear misleading in hindsight.

This latest version of the ethics workshop examines the ethical dimensions of both reluctance to speak up and risk communication in professional practice. Through scenario based discussion, participants will explore how professional judgment, organizational norms, and communication choices influence public understanding of risk. The session is designed as a shared learning experience for engineers, architects, and other technical professionals at different career stages, emphasizing ethical judgment, responsible communication, and the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.

• Licensed Professional Engineers seeking to meet ethics training requirements.
• Architects and technical professionals involved in procurement, contracting, or project oversight.
• Public and private sector professionals navigating complex stakeholder relationships.

• Discuss and examine the ethical dimensions of both reluctance to speak up and risk communication.
• Explain how professional judgment, organizational norms, and communication choices influence public understanding of risk.
• Apply professional codes of ethics to real-world dilemmas and evaluate appropriate responses.

During this ethics workshop you will:

• Discuss and examine the ethical dimensions of both reluctance to speak up and risk communication
• Explain how professional judgment, organizational norms, and communication choices influence public understanding of risk
• Examine professional codes of ethics and how these guiding documents provide greater clarity when facing ethical dilemmas
• Evaluate real case examples of ethics problems

Laura Grossenbacher

Laura Grossenbacher, PhD, is the Director of the Technical Communication Program in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been teaching courses in engineering communication for over twenty years. Dr. Grossenbacher has been an active member of the Association for Practical and Profession Ethics, serving as a judge at the National Ethics Bowl Intercollegiate Competition for several years. She has served a three-year rotation as an NSF proposal reviewer for the Ethics in Engineering and Science Education panel, and actively develops cases for her undergraduate capstone course, Contemporary Issues in International Engineering.