Science Ethics and Society
Ethics. Science. Society. On their own these three topics are a lot to try and tackle in one semester; but when you put them together the task becomes gargantuan. However, it is vital to understand how science and ethics influence research and its success. Through collaboration with the Department of Philosophy various courses and seminars focusing on science, ethics and society were developed for the SCALE-IT program.
Instead of trying to fit all of these courses and seminars into one semester they will occur throughout the SCALE-IT program. In the first semester of the second year, each graduate student will participate in a Science Ethics and Society seminar, run by
Dr. Glenn Graber and Dr. Heather Douglas of the Philosophy Department. The course will cover such issues as ethical responsibilities towards colleagues and team members in working and writing together, the role of scientists as spokespeople and advocates for their ideas, concerns with the use of human tissue and cells in research, and mitigation of the dangers posed by new technological capabilities that result from computational biology research. The instructors will work with SCALE-IT team members to address the needed range of issues, with case examples to explore the ethical problems that students will likely face.