May 8th, 2026: Dr. Andrew Brightman: CAN YOU TEACH ENGINEERS TO BE ETHICAL?

On May 8, 2026, Andrew Brightman will speak about the challenges of teaching ethics to engineers. He will draw on the findings of his research team’s investigations of experiences of engineers working in the health products industry and of experiences of engineering faculty members engaged in research in biomedical engineering programs across the country. His research, sponsored by the National Science Foundation for over a decade, has deeply informed his teaching practice. He will describe the pedagogical framework, Reflexive Principlism, as well as current practices of ethics education, developed by his team and others to prepare engineers to face the challenges of rapidly emerging technological and societal change.

Andrew Brightman is Professor of Engineering Practice in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He earned a B.S. at North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. from Purdue. For over two decades, he has served various roles in developing the academic programs of the School. His educational achievements have drawn on his experiences in the pharmaceutical industry, as a contributor to novel technology licensed by a successful start-up, and as an independent biotechnology consultant. Professor Brightman’s research in engineering ethics education was selected as a national exemplar by the National Academy of Engineering in 2016. He is a Fellow of the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science and has developed an online Community of Practice that supports developing and disseminating best practices for ethics training for Biomedical Engineering.

Professor Brightman also serves as the Purdue representative on the Bioethics and Subjects Advocacy Program (BSAP) of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. BSAP is run by the Center for Bioethics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN