Welcome!

This page is a construction zone that will soon evolve into a collection of resources related to one of the Richard H. Jahns Lectures for 2022-23. Please revisit this site as its content evolves.

Geoethics is at the heart of engineering geoscience

Description

This talk will focus on the ethical foundations of applied geoscience. There is no reason for engineering geology to exist as a profession if we do not provide society with useful and reliable information about the Earth. The ethical practice of engineering geology requires a firm commitment to the responsible conduct of geoscience in the public interest. Vince will present three of the "primacy principles" that are foundational to the practice of engineering geology, related to protecting the public interest (health, safety, well-being), the conduct of science as a truth-seeking process, and environmental stewardship.

This will be similar to presentations about geoethics that Vince gives in support of various requirements for annual ethics training. A brief example is an invited contribution to the IAPG Short Course on Geoethics that was presented at the 2021 European Geoscience Union Meeting (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhyXb6WxyOw).

Resources

• Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG) Code of Conduct, accessible via
  https://aeg.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33:codeofconduct&catid=20:site-content
  https://aeg.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/MemberResources/code_of_conduct.pdf
• Geological Society of America (GSA) Ethics Home. accessible via
  https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/About/Ethics/GSA/About/ethics/home.aspx
• American Geophysical Union (AGU) Ethics and Equity Center. accessible via
  https://ethicsandequitycenter.org
• International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) home page. accessible via
  https://www.geoethics.org
  • List of codes of ethics/conduct from prominent geoscience organizations worldwide, accessible via https://www.geoethics.org/codes

References and Selected Bibliography

Bobrowsky, P.T., Cronin, V.S., Di Capua, G., Kieffer, S.W., Peppoloni, S., 2017, The emerging field of geoethics, in Gunderson, L.C., [editor], Scientific integrity and ethics in the geosciences: American Geophysical Union, chapter 11, p. 175-212, Published Online: 20 October 2017, DOI: 10.1002/9781119067825.ch11

Cronin, V.S., 1993, A perspective on professional ethics in engineering geosciences, in Hoose, S., [editor], Proceedings of Symposium on Ethical Considerations in the Environmental Practice of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology: Association of Engineering Geologists National Meeting, San Antonio, p. 21-28.

Cronin, V.S., 2017, Facilitating a geoscience student's ethical development, in Gunderson, L.C., [editor], Scientific integrity and ethics in the geosciences: American Geophysical Union, chapter 14, p. 267-291, Published Online: 20 October 2017, DOI: 10.1002/9781119067825.ch14

Cronin, V.S., 2021a, Geoethics as a common thread that can bind a geoscience department together, in Di Capua, G., [editor], Geoethics—Status and Future Perspectives: Geological Society of London Special Publication SP508, p. 55-65.

Cronin, V.S., 2021b, Geoethics in natural hazards from the perspective of an engineering geologist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhyXb6WxyOw), in Short Course on Geoethics, presented at the 2021 European Geoscience Union Meeting and available online at https://www.geoethics.org/geoethics-school

Cronin, V.S., Slosson, J.E., and Slosson, T.L., 1991, Method of multiple working hypotheses: A chimera or a necessity for ethical practice in engineering geosciences: Proceedings, Association of Engineering Geologists National Meeting, p. 137-143.

Slosson, J.E., Williams, J.W., and Cronin, V.S., 1991, Current and future difficulties in the practice of engineering geology: Engineering Geology, v. 30, p. 3-12.

If you have any questions or comments about this site or its contents, drop an email to Vince Cronin.