A pair of Embry‑Riddle students grapple with the merger of two wildfire management companies whose chief engineers disagree on the role AI should play in decision-making.

The hypothetical scenario was presented to the students at the , where teams offered solutions to challenges related to wildfire management.

“Our approach focused on addressing the ethical dilemmas stalling the project and affecting morale,” said student Michael Tellez, who competed alongside undergraduate Konnor Barnes. “We also tackled rumors about teams withholding crucial information by proposing a full transparency policy, so everyone was working with the same information,” he said.

The annual competition — held over two days in February in Bethesda, Maryland, this year —challenges teams of two students and a faculty mentor to tackle complex ethical dilemmas in engineering.

At this year’s competition, each team had five minutes to present solutions to a business ethics case study involving firefighting intelligence, data collection and reconnaissance activities used to make informed decisions about deploying aerial and ground-based resources to combat fires.

“The competition tested their ability to make strong ethical arguments supported by evidence,” said Dr. Caroline Koons, associate professor of , who mentored the team of Tellez and Barnes.

Their team advanced to the competition's semifinals, placing among the top four of the 67 participating teams. A second Prescott Campus team — comprising students Alima Bagdat and Hamim Vali and mentored by Dr. Chetan Date, associate professor of — also performed well in the competition. Both Prescott teams were supported by the .

The Daytona Beach Campus fielded a team that included students Emma Ruedlinger and Wyatt Pagan, who were joined by SGA Student Advisor Sophia Fleeger and faculty mentor Dr. Jennifer Hinebaugh, assistant professor of at the .

“Their performance highlights Embry‑Riddle’s emphasis on ethics in engineering,” Koons said.

Koons said engineering students at Embry‑Riddle receive foundational training in ethical reasoning by exploring moral conflicts, professional responsibility and the impact of ethical decisions in diverse professional settings.

“Engineers need a sense of ethics — theoretical and practical — because their work is inherently involved in public safety and wellbeing,” Koons said. “Knowing when and how to use their technical skills to help others is inherent to their jobs as engineers.”

Barnes, of Meridian, Idaho, said that the competition provided “invaluable experiences in networking, resume building and professional development — particularly in refining our communication skills.”

For Tellez, the competition was a reminder of the critical role ethics plays in engineering projects, especially when collaborating with large teams. “Creating designs and seeing a project through its lifecycle is important, but retaining a safe environment for your co-workers is just as important,” he said.

“The experience made me a lot more confident,” he added. “When I am talking with another engineer, and we disagree, I need to listen and ensure they feel understood. I also learned to be assertive in a professional manner so that my concerns are addressed as well.”