University of Iowa engineering students won first place in an ethics case competition at a top engineering conference designed to promote research, entrepreneurship, and professional ethics.

The team of Tayla Lovan, Lydia Pauley, and Eva Singh participated in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Nexus Region 4 conference earlier this month in Chicago. More than 100 attendees came from nine states, two countries, and numerous universities.

Teams were presented with a complex, real-world ethical dilemma on-site with no advance preparation.

The UI student team, which called themselves LEThics, grappled with IP ownership, professional transparency, and conflict of interest. They built a structured, professional defense anchored in the IEEE Code of Ethics and presented their case before judges, fellow competitors, and attendees.

“This conference was truly an experience that we will never forget,” Lovan relayed in a message to supporters, including the IEEE Iowa chapter advisor Ananya Sen Gupta, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Along with a trophy, they won a $750 prize.

Lovan is a third-year student from Altoona, majoring in electrical engineering. Pauley is a graduating senior from Des Moines, majoring in biomedical engineering. Singh is a third-year student from New Delhi, India, majoring in computer science and engineering.