Biology 540  Fall 2007   

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS:    Science and Ethics

Instructor: Dr. E. E. Serrano updated 10/15/07

  Sept. 11

   Sept. 18  

  Sept 25  

 Oct 2  

 Oct 9   

  Oct 16  

   Oct 23 

Oct 30 

Nov 6

Nov 13 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CASE STUDIES AND JOURNAL

DATE

REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS (Note journal and case study entries)

Weekly

  Access the webpage and complete assignments listed below

Sept 11

 

Introduction

Morals Inventory (HInman) http://ethics.sandiego.edu/

 

Resources

Ethics Updates 

Aplied Ethics Resources on the WWW

AAAS Bioethics

 

Sept 18 
 

Analyzing ethical dilemmas

  • Browse the website of the Centre for Applied Ethics: Ethical and Moral Decision Making. Use the posted info to develop a method for critically evaluating ethical dilemmas.
  • Read Ch 1-4 in Fundamentals of Ethics
  • Prepare case studies for class discussion:
    • 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, 2.4, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2

Research Integrity and Scientific Misconduct

Scientific Record Keeping

  • Read Scientific Integrity Ch 11 Scientific Record Keeping
  • Prepare case studies 11.1, 11.3, 11.7, 11.9

Sept 25 

Historical perspectives

  • Read Scientific Integrity Ch 1 (Methods, Manners and Mandates) &  2 (Ethics and the Scientist)
    • Prepare a brief outline of the different ethical schools of thought that have influenced western science
    • According to Macrina, why is there a need for research ethics training? 
  • Read and come prepared to comment on “The Social Foundations of Science”, in On Being A Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research

Ethics in the classroom

Mentoring of Students

  • Read Scientific Integrity Ch 3 Mentoring
  • Prepare case studies 3.3, 3.5, 3.7, 3.9, 3.10

Oct 2 

Professional Conduct 

  • Codes of Conduct 
    • Bring the code of conduct for your professional society to class.
    • What is your opinion of the code?

Oct 9 

Competing Interests

  • Read Scientific Integrity Ch 7 Competing Interests
  • Prepare case studies 7.3, 7.5, 7.8

Collaborative Research

  • Read Scientific Integrity Ch 8 Collaborative Research
  • Prepare case studies 8.1, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.9
  • Introduction to Eugenics: Lynchburg Colony

Oct 16

Ownership of Data and Intellectual Property

  • Read Ch. 8 Collaborative research           
  • Read Ch. 9 Ownership of data and intellectual property
  • Prepare case studies 8.5, 8.9, 9.8, 9.11

Funding for research

Prepare 20 minute presentations

Group 1: Government funding and public policy development 

·         Go to the US budget website  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/index.html and browse the pdf file of federal government spending (Historical Tables, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2008 http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/pdf/hist.pdf ). What information is posted on this report? 

·         Use information in Tables 3.2 and 4.1 for the years 1966, 1986 and 2006 to answer the following in TABLE form:

o        which top 5 functions  received the highest budget allocation?

o         which 5 subfunctions?

o        how much were they?

·         Use information in Table 9 the years 1966, 1986 and 2006 to answer the following in TABLE form:

o         how much of the fiscal year budget for 1966, 1986 and 2006 was allocated for defense research? 

o        for health and human services?

o        to the national science foundation? 

o        to general science space and technology? 

o        To natural resources

·         What was the biggest source of revenue for government spending in 1966, 1986 and 2006? who pays for federally funded research in universities? 

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

o        when was the last guide issued? Bring the table of contents to class for the most recent guide and for 2000.

o        how is budget allocation determined?

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

Group 2. Policy, organizations, and federal funding of research

·         Scientific organizations and public policy. Selling the line:

Access these web sites. What is their purpose?

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=government\index.html

http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=GuideToPublicAdvocacy_main&section=publications

http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=GuideToPublicAdvocacy_priorities

http://www.aip.org/gov/

·         NMSU and public policy

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

How much revenue did NMSU garner in 2006 and where did it come from?  What were the top 3 sources of income?

·         NIH and NSF funds

  • Go to this website for NSF http://dellweb.bfa.nsf.gov/
    • Which were the top three states in 2006 for NSF dollars and how much did they receive? The bottom three states? For these six states, what was the amount of NSF dollars per state resident (use population data for award year if possible)
    • Which were the top 10 institutions funded and how much did they receive?
    • How much did NMSU receive?
  • Go to this website for NIH http://grants.nih.gov/grants/award/awardtr.htm
    • Which were the top three states in 2005 for NIH dollars and how much did they receive? The bottom three states? For these six states, what was the amount of NIH dollars per state resident (use population data for award year if possible)
    • Which were the top 10 institutions funded and how much did they receive?
    • How much did NMSU receive?

 

Group 3: An industry case study: Lucrative drugs.

Pharma industry. Summarize key findings from these websites

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/25157.php 

http://www.amsa.org/hp/pharmstructure.cfm

http://www.drugs.com/top200.html

Your team should prepare a presentation that provides 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:

1.        Prozac,

2.        Nexium

3.        Zoloft

4.        Viagra

5.        Lipitor

6.        Singulair

7.        Depo-provera

8.        Ritalin

9.        Methadone

10.     Tetrahydrogestrinone

 

Resource links

Medline Plus:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html  http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Steroids/anabolicsteroids2.html

Oct 23

Break

Oct 30
ASSIGNMENT

Read the following chapters in Scientific Integrity  and prepare a summary of the key points of the chapter

1.       Ch. 5 Humans in Experimentation

·         What is the Declaration of Helsinki?

2.       Ch. 6 Animals in Experimentation

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

3.      Ch.10 Genetic Technology

·         What is the Human Genome Project?

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

1.       5.2, 5.3, 5.8, 5.10

2.      6.1, 6.3, 6.8, 6.10

3.      10.1, 10.3, 10.5, 10.10

Prepare for discussion

  • Read The Destruction of Lives not Worth Living (in Racial Hygiene, Proctor)
  • What is Unit 731 ? Operation Whitecoat ? Who was Joseph Mengele?
  • What is social Darwinism and how is it related to the Holocaust?
  • What was the Tuskegee syphilis experiment?
  • Historically, what groups in society have been vulnerable to experimentation?
  • What is ELSI and how does this relate to the HGP?
  • What is genetic discrimination and what are the legislative issues associated with this topic?
  • Useful links ·        
    1. http://www.genome.gov/Pages/About/vision.pdf
    2. http://www.genome.gov/10002328