Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Pictured: Latisha Dotson

This summer, two Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) engineering teachers traded in their classrooms for research labs at Texas A&M University—driven by a shared passion to help students see science and engineering through the lens of ethics and character.

High school teacher Ruthelen Robinson and middle school teacher Latisha Dotson spent weeks exploring how to weave ethical decision-making into STEM education long before students ever step foot on a college campus. Their goal? To make sure tomorrow’s engineers and scientists aren’t just smart—they’re responsible.

For Robinson, that meant creating lessons that connect the NSPE Code of Ethics to real-world engineering challenges. She wants her students to think beyond blueprints and equations, asking instead: How will this impact people, the environment, and society?

“Ethical thinking must be part of an engineer’s psyche from day one,” Robinson said. Her projects encourage students to treat ethics not as a side note, but as a core part of problem-solving.

Dotson, meanwhile, is bringing ethics alive for younger learners. She uses real-world case studies, asking her middle school students to role-play as engineers, community members, and industry leaders. In doing so, they see firsthand how technical failures and poor decisions can ripple through entire communities.

“Middle school is the perfect place to get students to realize that science and technology aren’t neutral,” Dotson explained. “They’re shaped by choices, values, and people.”

Both teachers returned to SBISD with new, replicable models to share with colleagues—tools that make ethics and character part of everyday STEM lessons.

Pictured: Ruthelen Robinson

At the heart of their work is a simple but powerful idea: students should see themselves not only as future scientists and engineers, but as ethical ones. It’s a natural extension of SBISD’s Core Characteristics of a T-2-4 Ready Graduate—preparing students to think critically, act responsibly, and lead with integrity in whatever path they choose.

#SBISDProud