Presenting controversial issues in engineering education

The author shows how he introduced a controversial issue, namely that involving cancer and electromagnetic fields from power lines, into a graduate course on Simulation of Biomedical Systems. The students are presented arguments on both sides of the issue as to whether or not electromagnetic fields from power lines can cause cancer. As part of the option in writing their final report, they are told they can write on either side of the argument, as long as they present clear results substantiating their point of view. The students have found the course to be interesting and the introduction of some form of controversy into an engineering course novel