Honors 306V

Science, Ethics,  & Society

New Mexico State University

 

 

Spring 2011 

Course ASSIGNMENTS

Dr. Elba Serrano


 

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES  AND ASSIGNMENTS

 

JAN

18

25

FEB

1

8

15

22

MAR

1

8

15

22

29

APR

5

12

19

26

MAY

5



 

DATE AND TOPIC

 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

 

Jan 18

INTRODUCTION
ETHICAL REASONING

Course overview

In class case studies

Lynchburg Colony

Questions and Resources:

 

*    Aplied Ethics Resources on the WWW

*    AAAS Bioethics

*    Case Studies in Bioethics

*    Online Ethics-CWRU

*    Online Ethics Center for Engineering

*    National Academy of Sciences: On Being a Scientist

*    Ethics Updates 

Jan 25

ETHICAL REASONING
PERSONAL ETHICS

Read  Fundamentals of Ethics Ch 1-5 

BRIEFLY Prepare case studies 1- identify the ethical dilemma(s), 2) answer questions

1.0, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 5.0, 5.4

 

Academic Integrity Print, read, and come prepared to discuss

NMSU policies for academic misconduct by students:

http://www.nmsu.edu/~vpsa/SCOC/misconduct.html

 

RCR Scientific Integrity

Print, read, and come prepared to discuss

Conduct and Misconduct in Science
by David Goodstein

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~dg/conduct_art.html

 

NMSU guidelines for Ethics in Research

http://research.nmsu.edu/ethics.html

 

1.        What constitutes scientific misconduct at NMSU? 

2.        What procedures should be followed to report misconduct?

3.        What protection is afforded the whistleblower and the accused? 

 

Read Scientific Integrity Ch 1 (Methods, Manners and Mandates) &  2 (Ethics and the Scientist)

1.        Prepare a brief outline of the different ethical schools of thought that have influenced western science

2.        According to Macrina, why is there a need for research ethics training? 

3.        Complete case studies 1.2, 1.4

Resources:

 

ORI Responsible Conduct of Research(RCR)

ORI supports several programs designed to promote education and training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) that covers the following nine instructional areas:

 

*    Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership

*    Conflict of Interest and Commitment

*    Human Subjects

*    Animal Welfare

*    Research Misconduct

*    Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship

*    Mentor / Trainee Responsibilities

*    Peer Review

*    Collaborative Science”

Feb 1

SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Science as a Human Endeavor. Access the website On Being A Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research maintained by the National Academy of Sciences and read

The Social Foundations of Science

Values in Science

1.        Are these perspectives new or familiar?

2.        Do you agree or disagree with the author?

 

Consequences for Misconduct. Access the Office of Research Integrity  web site. 

1.        What is the purpose of this web site? 

2.        What are the definitions of misconduct and plagiarism?

3.        Do you agree with the views in this article: Prevention Techniques

4.        Go to the ORI case summaries site.  Download and summarize the findings for ONE case to discuss in class. 

 

Historical Perspectives on Misconduct. The following online articles provide overviews of important cases of scientific misconduct in biology and physics. 

1.        Read and come prepared to discuss.

Baltimore case

Lawrence Livermore lab case

Bell labs case

 

Codes of Ethics: Comparisons of student disciplines. 

1.        Bring the code of conduct for your professional society to class.

2.        What is your opinion of the code?

 

RCR Read Chapters 3 (Mentoring), 11 (Scientific Record Keeping) in Scientific Integrity and make a note of the information that is new to you. 

1.       For each chapter, write down what you thought were the five  most important points made by the author. Come prepared to discuss the chapters. 

2.       Bring your written responses to the following case studies to class for small group discussion

3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.10 

11.2, 11.5, 11.9, 11.10

http://onlineethics.org/cms/16141.aspx

http://onlineethics.org/cms/16208.aspx

http://onlineethics.org/cms/16207.aspx

MENTORS

1.        What are the responsibilities of a mentor? Of a student?

2.        Are codes of conduct effective at preventive misconduct? Why or why not?

3.        Browse this site for questions to think about

http://onlineethics.org/cms/16143.aspx

Writing Skills. Visit the Elie Wiesel Essay winners page and identify the essay that you most admire.

http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/2010prizewinners.aspx

Resources:

Codes of conduct

*    Codes of Ethics Online  http://ethics.iit.edu/codes/coe.html

*    Online Ethics Center http://temp.onlineethics.org/codes/index.html

 

Philosophers....

*    The Value of Knowledge: A Miniature Library of Philosophy

http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/index.htm

 

Ethics classics....

http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/index.htm

 

Engineering Ethics

*    Online Ethics, National Academy of Engineering

http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources.aspx

Feb 8

SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

RCR. Read the following chapters in Macrina and prepare 10 minute streamlined summaries with the key points of the chapter

1.        Ch. 4 Authorship and peer review Gp 1

2.        Ch. 7 Managing Competing Interests Gp 2

3.        Ch. 8 Collaborative research Gp 3

4.        Ch. 9 Ownership of data and intellectual property Gp 4


RCR. Case Studies. Bring your written responses to the following case studies to class for small group discussion. 

1.        4.5, 4.9

2.        7.7, 7.12

3.        8.5, 8.9

4.        9.8, 9.10

Resources:

 

Copyright

*         http://www.piercelaw.edu/tfield/copynet.htm

*         http://www.pitt.edu/~skvarka/education/copyright/

*         http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/fair-use/fair-use-checklist/

*         Copyright Essentials: http://nmsu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=60019&sid=441190

*         Copyright Fair Use: http://nmsu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=60019&sid=449716

 

Intellectual Property and University Industry Partnerships

http://www.ipfrontline.com/depts/article.asp?id=7061&deptid=3

Feb 15

 

USE OF ORGANISMS IN RESEARCH

Humans in experimentation

 

RCR. Access and read the mandate of the Office of Compliance and read the NMSU policy on intellectual property

http://research.nmsu.edu/compliance.html

http://research.nmsu.edu/docs/IP/intelPropPP.html

1.        What units are overseen by the Office of Compliance? (links on left of page)? What are their charges?

2.        To whom does the Office of Compliance report?

3.        What are your rights and obligations as a student researcher? any surprises here?

4.        Who are the ‘Originators’?

5.        Do you have concerns about how technology transfer activities may affect students engaged in research? If so, what are they?

 

Science on the Internet:

1.        Ownership, publishing, veracity of information on the net. Who ‘owns’ the information on a website (eg Facebook, NMSU? How do we validate the veracity of what is posted on the internet?

2.        Database development and global sharing of knowledge.

Browse TWO of these Public database websites and answer. What is available on the site? Who establishes, posts, and pays for these sites? Who contributes data? Are there student internship or research opportunities posted on the site?

*     NASA http://www.nasa.gov/

*     Earth Observatory

*     http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Observatory/datasets.html

*     NCBI  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

*     GENOMES http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=Genome

*     Human genome http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/guide/human/

*     Jornada LTER NMSU  http://jornada-www.nmsu.edu/  

*     Center for  Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/

*     Clinical Trials http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

*     USDA plants http://plants.usda.gov/

*     Endangered species http://www.cites.org/

*     NM Spaceport http://spaceportamerica.com/news.html

 

Theme Assignment. Begin to develop ideas for your individual research theme. Visit these websites for inspiration. Bring one example of a provocative topic new to you.

*    Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes http://www.cspo.org/

*    AAAS Science and Policy http://www.aaas.org/spp/

*    Pugwash http://www.pugwash.org/

*    International Council for Science http://www.icsu.org/5_abouticsu/INTRO.php4

*    Institute of Medicine http://www.iom.edu/

*    Genes to Cognition http://www.g2conline.org/

NeuroEthics Journal http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/applied+ethics/journal/12152#realtime RCR.

Read the following chapters in Scientific Integrity and write down the five key points of the chapters

Ch. 5 Humans in Experimentation

Ch. 6 Animals in Experimentation

 

RCR Case Studies.

Bring your written responses to the following case studies to class for small group discussion. 

5.2, 5.8, 5.10

 

HUMANS IN RESEARCH

WRITE brief answers and bring a copy of your work at the beginning of class. Be prepared to make a brief presentation on your findings to the class. Be sure to cite your sources

1.        What was the Stanford prison experiment?

2.        What was unit 731? What ethical issues regarding humans in research are raised by Unit 731?

3.        What was Operation Whitecoat? What ethical issues regarding humans in research are raised by Operation Whitecoat?

4.        Who was Josef Mengele and what did he do?

5.        What was the Tuskegee experiment? What ethical issues regarding humans in research are raised by the Tuskegee experiment?

6.        What was the Lynchburg colony? What ethical issues regarding humans in research are raised by the Lynchburg colony?

7.        Is there evidence for organ trafficking? What ethical concerns are raised by this practice?

8.        What is the Declaration of Helsinki? Who does it affect and what are its basic principles? How many times has it been revised?

9.        Is there an accepted global standard for human rights? If so, what is it? If not, should there be one and if so, how should it be enforced?

 

Resources:

 

 

Lucifer effect: How good people turn evil

PBS: The Living Weapon

Biological weapons Timeline

Lynchburg Colony

*         Human Weeds

*         Virginia, Eugenics and Buck vs Bell

Tuskegee Syphilis

*         Timeline

*         The Experiment

*         Bad Blood

*         Feldshuh: Ms Evers boys

US Holocaust Museum-Deadly Medicine, Creating the master race

Cold Spring Harbor: Genes to Cognition

Unit 731 human experimentation

US Natl Archives Unit Japanese War crimes

 

Feb 22

 

USE OF ORGANISMS IN RESEARCH

Animals  in experimentation

 

 

 

 

RCR Case Studies.

Bring your written responses to the following case studies to class for small group discussion. 

6.1, 6.4, 6.10

ANIMALS IN RESEARCH

1.        Browse the following websites. Be able to state their purpose.

a.        NIH RCR Education / Animals

http://ori.dhhs.gov/education/products/rcr_animals.shtml

b.        USDA Govt and Professional Resources

c.        Website dedicated to Peter Singer

d.        AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia print and bring pages 3-6 to class

e.        Animal Welfare Act: History and Legislation

f.         Do Animals Feel Pain? Excerpted from Animal Liberation. 2nd edition, New York, 1990.

2.        Print and read the NMSU IACUC protocol and bring it to class:

http://research.nmsu.edu/compliance/IACUC/iacuc.html

3.        Who is Peter Singer and what is his contribution to the ethics of animals in research?

4.        List key arguments against the use of animals in research.

5.        Write a brief statement with your position on ONE of the following:

a.        Does animal research provide results that are applicable to humans? What are the alternatives?

b.        Are there relevant differences between animal species, such as turtles, mice, rabbits, cats, dogs, humans, frogs, rats, worms and monkeys? If so, what is the nature of these differences?

c.        What can cause pain, distress, and harm in an animal during an experiment?

d.        Do animals and humans have a common experience of pain and distress? Explain.

e.        Do you have concerns about genetically modified animals? If so, what are they, if not, why not?

Resources:

 

Peter Singer on You Tube (Part 1; Part 2)

Articles that argue against the use of animals in research.

*         Equality for Animals? Excerpted from Practical Ethics. Cambridge, 1979.

*         The Animal Liberation Movement. Nottingham, 1985.

*         All Animals are Equal. Excerpted from Animal Rights and Human Obligations. 2nd edition, New Jersey, 1989.

*         Taking Life: Humans. Excerpted from Practical Ethics. 2nd edition, Cambridge, 1993.

*         The Forgotten Animal Issue. Excerpted from Ethics into Action. Oxford, 1998.

 

MAR 1

 

BUSINESS OF SCIENCE

 

PORTFOLIO 1 DUE

(150 PTS)

DOWNLOAD

 

Government funding and public policy development 

Go to the US budget website  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/index.html

1.        What information is available?

2.        browse the interactive budget for  federal government spending  Fiscal Year 2012

3.        browse the fact sheets http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget_factsheets_departments

4.        Use information in the tables :

1.        which top 5 functions  received the highest budget allocation?

2.         which 5 subfunctions?

3.        how much were they?

4.        how much of the fiscal year budget for 1970, 1995 and 2010 was allocated

5.        for defense research? 

6.        for health and human services?

7.        to the national science foundation? 

8.        to general science space and technology? 

9.        To natural resources

5.        What was the biggest source of revenue for government spending in 1970, 1995 and 2010? who pays for federally funded research in universities? 

6.        Go to the Citizens guide to the US Budget website.  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/citizensguide.html .

1.        when was the last guide issued?

2.        What is in the table of contents for the most recent guide and for 2000.

3.        how is budget allocation determined?

7.        Check out the Mystery site:  http://thomas.loc.gov/ what can you find here related to budget for federal funding of research?

Policy, organizations, and an industry case study

 

·         Scientific organizations and public policy. Selling the line:

Access these web sites. What is their purpose?

1.        http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_POLICY&node_id=135&use_sec=false&__uuid=0c06ca6d-05a0-4bc3-95ab-be59e6b525fb

2.        http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=policy_advocacy

3.        http://www.aip.org/gov/

 

·         NMSU and public policy

What are NMSU legislative priorities? http://www.nmsu.edu/~legislat/

What are the legislative allocations for 2012?

What types of research initiatives are funded at NMSU? http://research.nmsu.edu/

 

·         Drugs

Visit this website. What kinds of information can you find about drugs? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/videosandcooltools.html

 

·         Privatization:  Pharmaceutical Industry

Browse http://www.pharmacy.org/company.html  

·         What information is posted on this site?

·         How much revenue do these companies generate?

 Quicken and Motley Fool offer tools to look at stocks but you may need to register.

Visit this website and report interesting findings about drug development

·         http://www.pharmexec.com/pharmexec/
 

Lucrative drugs. Just for fun:

For a drug of choice from the list,  find information about the following drugs or medications: 

1.        what is the chemical formula?

2.        what are the modes of action and contraindications of the product?

3.        who makes the drug and how much are yearly sales?

 

Drugs:

Prozac,

Zoloft

Viagra

Lipitor

Depo-provera

Ritalin

Anabolic steroids.  key points found on this NIDA website 

http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Steroids/anabolicsteroids2.html

 

MAR 8

 

GENETICS

Genetic Engineering

Read Ch 10 in Scientific Integrity Genetic Technology

Prepare BREF ANSWERS to discussion question 1-3 and case studies 10.1, 10.3, 10.5, 10.6,  10.10

Human Genome Project

Print, read and bring to class:

*         www.genome.gov/Pages/About/Planning/2011NHGRIStrategicPlan.pdf

1.        What ethical and social issues are raised by this article?

2.        What are the five main points of the article?

Genetic Anthropology

Print, read and bring to class:

*         http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/humanmigration.shtml

1.        What ethical and social issues are raised by this article?

2.        What are the five main points of the article?

Complete the human sorting exercise

*         http://www.pbs.org/race/002_SortingPeople/002_00-home.htm

Genetically Modified Food

*         Print, read and bring to class http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml

1.        What ethical and social issues are raised by this article?

2.        What are the pros and cons of genetically modified food?

Genetic Testing

Print, read and bring to class:

*         http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetest.shtml

1.        What ethical and social issues are raised by this article?

2.        What are the pros and cons of genetic testing?

ResourceS

Genetics glossary  http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm

Fact Sheets About Genomic Science

MAR 15

 

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

 

Chemical Warfare

*         Visit the chemical weapons tutorial on this website and present the history of chemical weapons and other items of your choice http://www.nti.org/h_learnmore/cwtutorial/chapter02_01.html

*         Visit the US Chemical Weapons Convention site

http://www.cwc.gov/index.html

*         what is the purpose of this website?

*         visit links in the window on the bottom right and provide a summary of the Quick guide

*         Summarize the chemicals in the different schedules

Terrorism.

*         Nuclear

*         Visit the website http://www.nti.org/e_research/cnwm/overview/cnwm_home.asp . read  the executive summary and identify 5 key points  http://www.nti.org/e_research/exsummary_stb07.pdf

*         Cyber

*         Visit the website http://www.dhs.gov/files/cybersecurity.shtm . read  the comprehensive report and identify 5 key points http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/cybersecurity.pdf

*         What is the mission of the NSA? the Special Activities Division (SAD)

 

Mystery Sites

*         visit and briefly summarize what is posted on these links 

*         https://www.cia.gov/news-information/index.html 

*         http://www.bt.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/overview.asp

MAR 29

 

INTRODUCTION TO NEUROETHICS

 

Neuroscience

 

Visit the SFN Brain briefings site and print  three articles that address a neuroscience  topic of interest to you:  http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=brainbriefings_main

 

 

Resources

·         http://www.discoverychannel.ca/Article.aspx?aid=15516

·         http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=SearchingforAnswers_FamiliesandBrainDisorders

APR 5

 

NEUROIMAGING

NEUROGENETICS

 

PORTFOLIO 2 DUE

(150 PTS)

 

DOWNLOAD

 

Defining Right and Wrong in Brain Science

 

Independently read and prepare the assigned chapter for presentation.  You will have time to work on a 10 minute team presentation in class.

*         Group 1,  Ch 9, 10, 11, pp 99-133 Ashley, Ramona, Lindsey, Jessica

*         Group 2,  Ch 12, 13, pp 134-162 James,  Amanda, Kellie

*         Group 3,  Ch  14, 15, 16 pp 163-182 Jack, Kelly,  Anne

*         Group 4,  Ch 17, 18,  pp 183-205 Daniel, Katelyn, Allison

APR 5

 

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY NEUROTECHNOLOGY

 

Read the online modules on NeuroPharmacology and Neurotechnology

  1. http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/neuroethics/module3/foundationtext/index.html
  2. http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/neuroethics/module4/foundationtext/index.html

You will be doing  a lot of in class writing next Tuesday- be sure to bring your book(s) for reference.

Have a great weekend and catch some of the Border Book Festival if you can!

http://www.borderbookfestival.org/the_festival.php