QUESTION

Western Tech is anxious to upgrade its status as a first-rate research institution. therefore the Office of Research has just announced a summer faculty fellowship program. Faculty may currently submit proposals for research projects they wish to undertake. Fellowship awards are $6000 for two months of research in the summer. This program is open only to qualified engineers who wish to submit their project. You are an engineer teaching in the department of Engineering Technology at Western Tech. Though you are well known nationally for your research, your heavy teaching load has prevented you from undertaking a major project you have been interested in for some time. So, you begin working on a proposal. As you are working on the proposal in your office, the phone rings. It is David Jackson, an engineer and Vice-President for Research at Western Tech. He says: "I'm calling to ask you to serve on the review panel for our new faculty fellowship program. It's significant to have people on the panel who are highly respected and know good research when they see it. Therefore I'd really like you to be on the panel of engineers." You describe to Vice-President Jackson that you are working on a research proposal yourself. He replies, "Since this is a fresh program, we haven't worked out all the tiny details yet. But it doesn't seem fair that our best people--the ones we want on the panel--should not have a chance at the fellowships. You are able to still apply. All we require is that you not be involved in evaluating your own proposal. Just leave the room when your proposal is being considered. The other panelists will rank your proposal in your absence, and you won't know where yours ranks until the entire process is complete." You accept this offer on the condition that your name does not appear on the list of candidates which is on the main notice board and in the waiting room before presentation. On the day of presentation of research projects, while assessing other candidates, you cannot stop thinking about your project which you chose to be the last one to be presented so that you are aware of and assess all the other projects.

(i) What are the ethical issues which arise?

(ii) List the five relevant guidelines from the Code of Ethics for Registered Professional Engineers which are applicable