Loyola students place 2nd in Lockheed Martin Engineering Ethics Competition

Loyola University Maryland mechanical/material engineering major Emily Hunt, ‘23, and philosophy major Abby Lambert, ‘24, placed second in a two-day Engineering Ethics Competition sponsored by Lockheed Martin. The team was defeated in the final round by the U.S. Air Force Academy and lost by less than half a point. Seventy-one schools competed at Lockheed Martin's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.

“We have now shown what studying engineering in a liberal arts context can do. I look forward to future competitions where we can showcase the caliber of engineers we are educating at Loyola,” said Raenita A. Fenner, Ph.D., chair of Loyola’s Department of Engineering.

Teams were tasked with representing one of two engineering firms locked in an engineering dilemma to manage cost, time, and operationality for a virtual reality training simulator for a Class IV unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed with AI and machine learning.

Loyola’s duo prepared for weeks, dissecting the case, learning fundamentals of computer architecture and AI tool development, and constructing potential solutions for each side of the debate.

“The interdisciplinary backgrounds between Abby and I allowed us to see different perspectives and issues within the case study, which prepared us to consider all stakeholders within the case,” Hunt said. “The competition was also an incredible opportunity to network and apply classroom knowledge to a real application within the case study.”

Unfortunately, Lambert was unable to compete at the last minute and Hunt competed alone. Before squaring off with the U.S. Air Force Academy in the championship, she single-handedly defeated Vanderbilt, American, College of Charleston, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Florida Institute of Technology in successive single-elimination rounds. 

"My hope is that this experience proves the value of studying both humanities and STEM disciplines and empowers this generation of women in STEM,” Lambert said.

Loyola University Maryland’s engineering program provides broad-based instruction in engineering fundamentals, and students specialize in one of four concentration areas: computer engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, or mechanical engineering. Learn more about Loyola’s engineering program.