’82 Commander, U.S. Navy

I would say that underlying most every one of my STS courses was a sense of ethical responsibility. As a student, I was compelled to fully and fairly investigate and evaluate technology and its relationship to man—how it influences and how it is influenced, how scientific discoveries impart changes to the application of technology, and how these applications carry moral and ethical considerations, whether society realizes them or not.

I am a Commander in the United States Navy, currently working in the field of Aerospace Engineering/Maintenance and Logistics requirements analysis/resourcing at the Pentagon. I believe that STS made me globally and socially conscious and much more responsible in my decision-making, as a citizen and as a military leader, particularly in my relationship with industry and in my interactions with foreign cultures. Many departments at Vassar helped me to be a better thinker, but for me, STS was a hub for connecting disciplines and studying subjects in a forum that always asked “why?” and “should?” in a context that seemed to extend well beyond the classroom.