Friday, June 4, 2004

Meeting Topic:

"Software Engineering, Professionalism & Liability"

Presenter: John Cosgrove, P.E. CDP
Cosgrove Computer Systems Inc.

Abstract

Is the current debate about licensing software engineering among computer science and software engineering professionals being framed correctly? The ACM has taken a policy position against the concept of licensing as it is being proposed. The IEEE recently featured an article* arguing in favor of licensing based largely on process and cultural issues described as shortcomings in both academia and industry. This talk is an adaptation of a lecture that the speaker has given as part of an upper-division course in engineering ethics at UCLA for several years. It argues that the real issue is professional ethics, reasoning that ethical responsibilities need the formality of explicit qualification standards of education and practice in order to enforce true quality objectives in the face of economic pressures. It follows that if our profession does not create this licensing framework on its own, the harsh realities of litigation will create one for us. The talk also references articles in the special issue of ACM Communications, 11/2002, Should Software Engineering be Licensed, and Watts Humphrey’s, The Future of Software Engineering, http://Interactive.sei.cmu.edu.

* Poore, Jesse H., A Tale of Three Disciplines … and a Revolution, IEEE Computer, January 2004

Your Presenter: John Cosgrove, P.E. CDP, Cosgrove Computer Systems Inc., has over forty-five years experience in software engineering and has been a self-employed, consulting engineer in the Los Angeles area since 1970. He is a charter member of the LASPIN Steering Committee, a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and member of ACM, NSPE and American College of Forensic Examiners. Recently, his consulting business has seen the demand for forensic services increase significantly. He recently testified before the California Board of Registration for Engineers, arguing that software engineering should be added as an engineering specialty under the professional engineering laws. Additional publications and background information can be found at www.CosgroveComputer.com.

If you wish to receive email flyers of future meetings please send a blank email, with a subject line of "subscribe" to: spin@uces.csulb.edu

SoCal SPIN is sponsored by: