These were the 2023 prompts for the YIWC. You can check out the winning articles here.
Biology
Genetic engineering has become popular over recent years. It is the technology that allows scientists to alter genes through insertion of DNA into the genome of organisms, including, but not limited to, plants, animals, or even human beings. Scientists have altered genes from allowing certain crops to grow in unforeseen conditions to engineering the production of human insulin.
What are the ethical concerns of genetic engineering?
You may consider these guiding questions:
- What are some benefits of genetic engineering?
- How does genetic engineering differ from its usage in crops to its usage in humans?
- Have there been any successful cases of genetic engineering?
- Have there been any unsuccessful attempts, if so what kinds?
- What future impact do you see genetic engineering will have on our world?
Environmental Science
As technology advances, labor demands have shifted onto digitalization and automation. Technology’s aid in the industrial and manufacturing process has led to the mass production of solid waste byproducts that pollute our air and contaminate our water. The exposure, and even possible consumption, of these toxins lead to respiratory, reproductive, and other health issues. Despite regular public awareness, these conditions escalate.
What should be done regarding industrial waste?
You may consider these guiding questions:
- What legislation is currently in place to address this issue?
- Why is it so difficult to enact change?
- What is the level of danger posed by industrial waste?
Computer Science
The advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning has facilitated the realization of self-driving vehicles, including trucks. While self-driving technology was once projected to take over 50 years to come to fruition, it has already been successfully implemented in today’s world. The components of a self-driving vehicle include LIDAR, radars, onboard computers, brake systems, and batteries, which are powered by software that carefully analyzes data and sends instructions back to these components. However, the implementation of self-driving trucks by freight companies poses ethical and social concerns, particularly regarding the potential threat to truck drivers’ jobs and the issue of trust in machines driving large vehicles.
What are the ethical ramifications and the social concerns of the implementation of self-driving vehicles?
You may consider these guiding questions:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-driving vehicles?
- Should a test, similar to the one necessary to acquire a driving license, be established for self-driving software? If so, how should it be designed?
- How would self-driving vehicles impact the economy?
Psychology
Biases play a prominent role in audience perception and reception, influencing actions and decisions taken. Affected by individual experiences and by the experiences of others, we all carry biases. In the context of research, objectivity plays a pertinent role in how trustworthy information is. The common person may believe that any peer-reviewed paper is automatically accurate; however, the innate “human” influence of writing brings objectivity into question, regardless of the credentials of the writer.
Is there such a thing as objective research?
You may consider these guiding questions:
- Who/what companies sponsor certain fields of research and why?
- How can moral biases influence the way research is conducted?
- Is anything ever objective?
- What other parallels in history can you draw of inaccuracies (ex: erasure oppressed groups’ history by victorious groups)
Young Investigators Writing Competition 