The Archimedean Oath highlighted at SEFI 2024 Conference

A bit of history

When in 1990 four physics students took it upon themselves to draft the very first version of the Archimedean Oath, they did so against a unique historical and political background.

While the times leading up to the year 1990 were marked by the Chernobyl disaster and the end of the Cold War, many pundits dub it "the year of energy policy" for Switzerland. During this period, the Swiss were called upon to make a decision regarding nuclear energy while matters of energy regulation were enshrined in the constitution.

In parallel, the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) joined forces with EPFL to organize the "Lausanne Scientific Days", aptly themed "Nuclear Energy, Breeder Reactors, and Engineering Ethics."

The conference objectives as stated in an official communication by the SIA were straightforward: "The engineer as an individual in society faces two types of questions in his scientific and technical activities. On one hand, there is the need to update scientific knowledge, and on the other, ethical questions for which he is often poorly prepared. These questions arise particularly regarding nuclear energy [...] hence, significant attention will be given to ethical aspects with contributions from individuals who have deeply reflected on the connections between science and technology on one hand, and moral and social values on the other."

These concerns were widely shared by students, who did not wait for the school’s newly established ethics committee to formulate their own opinions on the matter. As class of 1990 engineer Nakhle Kattan stated in his address: "Couldn't we, throughout our training, be more awakened to the sense of our future responsibilities, by being taught methods of reflection and decision-making that could form the basis of professional ethics?"

Ethics today

34 years on, young people are more aware and engaged with activism than ever. With a wealth of information at their fingertips, their ability to communicate and mobilize is unprecedented. And it is against a backdrop of social unrest (recession, pandemic, rising violence and inequality, climate crisis, etc.) and rapid technological progress, such as the widespread access to generative AI to the public, that this text is once again finding its way back on the table.

At EPFL, the document remains a reference text and beyond our school, it served as a model for other technical universities to develop their own versions. Fully in line with efforts to integrate sustainability and ethics into the curriculum, this text will be an integral part of the Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) to be held on campus from September 2 to 5, themed "Educating Responsible Engineers."

A working group formed within the conference organizing committee is dedicated to making it an actual tool for ethical reflection, inviting representatives from other European institutions to discuss and adopt the practice.

This working group is composed of Valentina Rossi, a member of the Center LEARN, Ingrid Le Duc, Dean Representative for Organizational Culture at the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), both also Educational Advisors at the Teaching Support Center (CAPE), Gisou van der Goot, Vice President for Responsible Transformation (VPT), Charlotte Vandenberghe, Project Manager at ENAC, as well as Helena Kovacs, Project Manager at the Transversal Skills and Career Center (CCTC), and Philippine Milward, representative of the General Student's Association of EPFL (AGEPoly). The group also benefits from the expertise of Jonathan Truslove from Engineers Without Borders UK (EWB UK) and Mihai Filimon, former President of the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST), as well as the current President of BEST, Katrijn Vanderborne.

SEFI 2024: Spreading the Archimedean Oath beyond our borders

Earlier this year, AGEPoly students began a process to revise the oath. The working group met with them to introduce their project and invite them to join in. "It should be noted that the oath is an entirely student-led initiative. However, it is not well-known. Different sections at EPFL use versions adapted to their discipline; there is no real consensus, and there is no single way to use and disseminate it. Through SEFI, we want to plant a seed and see where it grows," explained Ingrid Le Duc.

Formed a few months ago, the working group is developing an immersive exhibition, an interactive poster session, and a round table. A workshop has also been submitted for the conference. "We wanted to ensure that the Oath would be a key element of this conference because it resonates with many questions students are currently asking themselves. We hope that the Oath will remain as a legacy of this conference," emphasized Valentina Rossi.

The Archimedean Oath can be found here. The entire EPFL community is invited to participate in a related survey here. For more information, please contact Ingrid Leduc and/or Valentina Rossi.