7th SEFI Ethics Spring Symposium Brings Scholars and Educators Together on Empathy, Care, and Attention

The SEFI Ethics SIG held its 7th Spring Symposium from 20–24 April 2026 at the National Ethnographic Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bringing together scholars and educators from across engineering ethics, philosophy, pedagogy, design, and sustainability, the symposium explored the theme of empathy, care, and attention in engineering education and practice. The symposium was organised by the SEFI SIG Ethics co-chairs Mircea Toboșaru and Diana Martin, the SEFI Ethics SIG Assistant Rozali Badaoui, and the local host Diana Bairaktarova.

The symposium created a reflective and interdisciplinary space for examining relational ethics in engineering education, with a programme that combined keynote lectures, panels, workshops, dialogue circles, and informal community-building activities. The event was designed as an embodied space for connection, attentiveness, and reflection.

The programme featured three keynote lectures addressing the symposium’s central themes:

• “Empathy” by Inês Direito (University of Aveiro)
• “Care” by Vladislav Krivoshchekov (EPFL)
• “Attention” by Kim Johnston (University of Ottawa).

Across five days, participants engaged in discussions on topics including empathy in teamwork, ethics of care, epistemic justice, inclusive pedagogies, sustainability, mindfulness, AI ethics, emotional responsibility, curriculum transformation, and more-than-human perspectives in engineering education. The symposium also included workshops, journaling circles, collaborative dialogue sessions, poetry reading, an online call with the ethics group of the Japanese Society for Engineering Education, and a day dedicated to mindful presence and connection. We are particularly glad that after hosting the SEFI Ethics SIG Symposium, Bulgaria will be hosting next year also the Eurovision 🙂

The symposium welcomed participants from 14 countries and brought together representatives from 23 institutions: Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria), National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest (Romania), University College London (The UK), University of St Andrews (The UK), University of the Arts London (The UK),  Arizona State University London (The UK), Virginia Tech (The US), Purdue University (The US), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), University of Aveiro (Portugal), University of Minho (Portugal), KU Leuven (Belgium), UC Louvain(Belgium), Maastricht University (The Netherlands), Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), Technological University Dublin (Ireland), Atlantic Technological University (Ireland), Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), Technical University of Madrid (Spain), University of Cape Town (South Africa), University of Toronto (Canada), University of Ottawa (Canada), and National Institute of Technology Nara College (Japan). 

The symposium concluded with a collaborative SEFI SIG Ethics activity focused on developing the annual SIG conference workshop, followed by a final reflection circle inviting participants to share stories, insights, and creative responses emerging from the week. We also thought fondly of our community members who could not attend, some based in geographical regions affected by war.

The SEFI SIG Ethics Spring Symposium continues to grow as an important international space for critical and relational conversations on engineering ethics education, bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives while fostering a strong sense of intellectual and human community.

Schedule

Monday 20 April 2026

09:00 – Welcome Plenary: Diana Bairaktarova
09:45 – Keynote “Empathy” Inês Direito
10:30 – Coffee Break
11:00 – Session “Mapping our stories: empathy in our classrooms and institutions”

Speakers:

• Aristides P. Carrillo-Fernandez – “Empathy in Teamwork”
• Mario Bison – “Teaching Empathy as a Mature Virtue”
• Nelia Jurado Pontes – “Exploring Professional Empathy and Care About Sustainability Through a Multi-Team Dynamic Roleplay”

12:30 – Lunch Break
14:00 – Panel: Foundations & Contexts – Global and Historical Perspectives on Relational Ethics (Moderator: Diana Adela Martin)

Panel speakers:

• Ivaylo Peev – “Think Human First – European Values Empowering Technologies”
• Daniela Cotoară – “What Role Do European Values Play in Engineering Education?”
• Mircea Toboșaru – “Expanding the Moral Circle”

15:15 – Workshop “Empathy, Epistemic Justice and Injustice”
Facilitators: Kaitlyn Thomas, Alexandros Nikolaidis
16:15 – Coffee Break
16:30 – Session “Attention as (Pedagogical) Practice: Slowing Down, Listening, Noticing

Speakers:

• Lam Cheah – “Rethinking Engineering Assessment: Inclusive Alternatives Shaped by Attentive Pedagogy”
• Corrine Shaw

17:30 – Day’s Wrap-Up: Creative Prompts for Journaling
Facilitator: Diana Bairaktarova – “Slowing Down to Learn: Mindfulness, Attention, and the Pedagogy of Presence”
19:00 – Welcoming Dinner at Lampata Restaurant – Crystal Garden

Tuesday 21 April 2026

09:00 – Morning Circle
09:30 – Keynote “Care”: Vladislav Krivoshchekov
10:15 – Coffee Break
10:30 – Session “Human-Centered Educational Design and Teaching”

Speakers:

• Ana Voichița Tebeanu – “A Narrative-Based Psychological Intervention to Foster Empathy, Care, and Reflexivity in Engineering Education”
• Ester Gimenez-Carbo – “University Resilience: Models of Support and Community Cooperation”
• Shinya Takehara – “Educational Games and Inclusive Design for Engineering Ethics Education”

12:30 – Lunch Break
14:00 – Workshop “The Caring Classroom Project”
Facilitators: Robert Irish, Lisa Romkey, Mary Nolan
15:30 – Coffee Break
15:45 – Panel: Multidisciplinary Voices on Attention, Care, Empathy (Moderator: Mircea Toboșaru)

Panel speakers:

• Dani Shanley
• Mymoon Bhuiyan
• Nosipho Gumede – “Making the Unpopular Choice: Prioritising Social Sustainability in Curriculum Design and Renewal – Lessons from South Africa”
• Corrinne Shaw
• Beatrice Balgiu – “Creativity as an Emotional-Cognitive Competence in Engineering Students”

17:00 – Day’s Wrap-Up: Dialogue and Journaling Circle
17:30 – Optional Art Gallery Visit / Sightseeing

Wednesday 22 April 2026 – Earth Day

Theme: The day is designed to create embodied space for care, connection, and mindful presence.

Activities:

• Guided visit of the National Archeological Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Introduction to the Bulgarian rose experience
• Community-building and shared exploration in Sofia
• Informal reflective activities

Thursday 23 April 2026

09:00 – Morning Circle
09:30 – Session: Designing with Care: Curriculum Change, Student Partnerships, Ethical Innovation

Speakers:

• Celina P. Leão – “Z-Tec: Designing with Care – Empowering Generation Z Engineers for Inclusive Innovation”
• Celia Fernández-Aller – “Ethics of Care at UPM, Spain: An Example from the Research Level – SkincAIr Proposal”
• Sepp Mondelaers – “Care as the Missing Link? Tensions Between Policy and Practice in ESG Integration in the Engineering Curriculum”

11:00 – Coffee Break
11:10 – Workshop Session “Designing for Truth – Pluralist Frameworks and Ethical AI Practice”
Facilitators: Paula Tomi, Mircea Toboșaru, Mihaly Heder
12:30 – Lunch Break
13:30 – Workshop Session “(At)tending to the More-Than-Human World: Interactive Nature-Based Story Sharing in Higher Education”
Facilitators: Jan Van Maele, Katrien Mertens
14:50 – Coffee Break
15:00 – Keynote “Attention” Kim Johnston
15:45 – Coffee Break
16:00 – Workshop Session “Empathy in Teamwork”
Facilitator: Aristides P. Carrillo-Fernandez

Friday 24 April 2026

09:00 – SEFI SIG Ethics Activity “Developing the Annual SIG Conference Workshop”
Facilitators: Diana Martin, Mircea Toboșaru
10:00 – Final Circle
Open floor for stories, reflections, creative responses, and closing dialogue
Facilitators: Diana Martin, Mircea Toboșaru, Diana Bairaktarova