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Design and Technology Program

FASPE is an intensive, two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership. FASPE is neither a Holocaust studies course, nor a genocide prevention program. Rather, the curriculum is designed to challenge Fellows to critically examine constructs, current developments and issues that raise ethical concerns in their professions in contemporary settings where they study and work.

FASPE Design and Technology (D&T) Fellows examine the motivations and conduct of technologists and designers in enabling and executing Nazi policies. FASPE then draws on these historical examples to help D&T Fellows grasp their role and responsibilities as designers of built environments; and to encourage them to identify and confront ethical issues currently facing architects, engineers, designers, and other technologists today.

This year, FASPE Design and Technology will be awarding fellowships to 13 to 16 graduate students and early-career professionals working in engineering, architecture, computer science, design, and related fields. Fellows will spend two weeks in Germany and Poland, where they will visit key sites of Nazi history and participate in daily seminars led by specialized faculty. The program couples the power of place with academic rigor and many informal opportunities for creative exchange.

FASPE draws on a large pool of applicants, whose diverse background and interests enrich discussions both inside and outside the seminar room. Design and Technology Fellows will travel with the Business and Law Fellows, allowing them to broaden their understanding of the role of professionals over shared meals, activities, and in interdisciplinary seminars. FASPE Fellowships are fully funded so that financial ability does not affect participation.

Eligibility Guidelines

FASPE defines these professionals as those who “build things.”  Thus, Design & Technology applicants must be actively pursuing a career in architecture, design, computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, engineering, or any related or adjacent field. FASPE seeks applicants who fit into one of the following categories: 1) are enrolled in a graduate program in design, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, computer science, artificial intelligence, statistics and applied math, electrical engineering, or a program in a related field at the time of their application; OR 2) have completed an undergraduate degree and be working in a related field,. OR 3) have completed a graduate degree and are working in a related field.

FASPE seeks Design & Technology Fellows who are preparing for or in early stages of their career, with total professional experience generally not exceeding 10 years.

DATES FOR THE 2027 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM:
May 28, 2027 - June 11, 2027

To view photos of the 2026 Design & Technology program and to read about the experience, please go here.

FASPE Design and Technology Fellows will examine topics such as:

• The complicity of German and other technologists in the design and development of the policies of National Socialism
• Whether this profession--Design and Technology--and its professionals can be viewed as morally neutral, i.e., do they have a duty beyond competence and problem solving
• The ethical challenge of ambition in professional development
• Ethics in government, non-profit, and for-profit computing
• Legal ethics in the context of technological innovations
• Tactics to address ethical issues within tech companies, architecture firms, engineering environments, and other institutions