Volume 4, Issue 1
After a successful spring semester, Iowa's first online course in bioethics will be taught again this summer. Interest in the spring semester class was higher than space allowed, resulting in the repeat of the class this summer.
The course is designed for high school teachers, extension personnel, and others who educate youth and adult audiences about biotechnology. It looks at the ethical implications of biotechnology, including such developments as Bt corn, transgenic animals, and vitamin A rice.
Participants are introduced to moral philosophy and influential moral theories as tools to evaluate biotechnology arguments, both pro and con. Case studies are provided for participants to experience, evaluate, and use in their own classrooms. Extensive online discussion with other educators is also a part of the course, which requires a minimum of 15 hours online and an additional 30 hours of reading, writing, research, and taking exams.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to discuss critically and teach others about some moral issues surrounding particular biotechnology topics. The ethics background learned also can be applied to other topics in the curriculum.
The course is offered to teachers statewide for one staff development credit from Area Education Agency 11 or for one graduate credit from Drake University in Des Moines. It was developed as part of a four-year, $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to nine land-grant universities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The consortium of institutions is studying the social, economic, and ethical aspects of biotechnology.
For more information, contact Lori Miller, 515-294-9818 or e-mail biotech@iastate.edu.
During the winter months, a hot topic has been the center of three events on campus, organized by the Bioethics Program.
Stem cells have been a worldwide controversy for several years, sparking debates in industry, the medical profession, and even governments. The cells are the basic building block for all kinds of specialty cells in the body. Stem cells taken from and adult generally are acceptable for research by most individuals. The controversy arises when stem cells are taken from human embryos.
The source of embryonic stem cells has been leftover embryos from in vitro fertilization conducted for couples in fertility clinics. The ethical and theological debates center on the use of cells that destroy an organism with the potential for human life.
The annual Bioethics Faculty Retreat at Iowa State University focused on the scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cell research, featuring lectures by three experts on the technology.
Robert Streiffer, an assistant professor of philosophy and medical history and ethics at the University of Wisconsin, gave the keynote lecture at the retreat. He provided an in-depth analysis of positions that support or oppose stem cell research. A copy of his PowerPoint presentation is available online at: www.biotech.iastate.edu/Bioethics/retreat_2002/followup.html.
Donald Sakaguchi, associate professor of zoology and genetics at Iowa State, discussed his experience with stem cell research. Sakaguchi has been working on a project to clone adult human and animal stem cells to fight certain neural diseases. Sakaguchi has not used embryonic stem cells in his research project.
The third speaker at the event was Adah Leshem-Ackerman, adjunct instructor of zoology and genetics at Iowa State. Leshem-Ackerman teaches introductory life science courses for non-science majors. At the retreat, she presented a case study she developed on ethical issues of stem cells. Her case study is available online at: www.biotech.iastate.edu/Bioethics/case/whoseproperty.html.
Gary Comstock, coordinator of the Bioethics Program, said the retreat topic was well received by the faculty audience. "I thought the retreat was a huge success. The ISU faculty who presented and participated were perceptive and insightful. I'm certain the students in their classes will benefit from their professors' dedication."
The success, in fact, led to additional presentations for the entire campus community. Sakaguchi and Surya Mallapragada, associate professor of chemical engineering, gave a panel discussion on their work with stem cell research on February 5. On February 11, Streiffer returned to Iowa State to present a similar lecture on the stem cell debate.
by Kristen Hessler
[Note: Kristen Hessler, postdoctoral teaching fellow, works with the Office of Biotechnology and Bioethics Program to bring ethical issues surrounding biotechnology to the public. Her efforts are part of a USDA consortium grant with nine land-grant institutions that are examining the social, economic, and ethical aspects of biotechnology. In each issue of Bioethics in Brief, she will provide an update on the various projects and issues she is working on.]
On February 14-16, I had the opportunity to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend an interdisciplinary conference on "Environmental Justice and Global Citizenship" that focused on issues of how environmental risks and benefits should be and are distributed.
Lawyers, anthropologists, business people, political scientists, sociologists, architects, and philosophers presented lectures on a variety of global environmental issues. I gave a lecture called "Human Rights and Biotechnology", but mine was not the only presentation that focused on biotechnology. Another researcher from Harvard University presented the results of his research on "Stakeholder Attitudes on Agricultural Bio-Technology in Developing Countries."
In addition to biotechnology, educators discussed possibilities for developing environmentally sound curricula, and lawyers educated us on the current state of international environmental law. Two presentations examined current international practices for locating nuclear waste disposal sites.
Aside from the opportunity to explore Denmark, the most valuable benefit of attending the conference was meeting people working on many fascinating and important projects similar to mine. I met several educators who are working with online courses with whom I will be in contact for assistance in my own venture into the online classroom experience. In addition, several researchers in other fields have offered to share with me their ideas on teaching and research, providing new resources for my own work that I will value immensely.
If you are interested in more details about the conference, the full conference program, with abstracts for all presentations, is on the web at www.inter-disciplinary.net/e1dl.htm. All papers from the conference eventually will be available on the web.
There is more than one way to access bioethics information and resources on the Iowa State web site.
The Bioethics Program website (http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/Bioethics.html) provides informative sources for teachers and professors, researchers, and the general public on various issues surrounding biotechnology and bioethics. Links to various web sites, case studies, and events on and off campus are provided.
Gary Comstock, coordinator of the bioethics program, and post-doctoral ethicist Kristen Hessler, are part of a five-state consortium funded by the USDA and involving nine land-grant institutions in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The consortium examines the social, economic, and ethical aspects of agricultural biotechnology through research and outreach within the communities. Comstock, as a regular contributor to the bioethics portion of the consortium, has provided copies of lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations from speeches given within and beyond the scope of the consortium activities. These presentations are posted online at www.biotech.iastate.edu/publications/IFAFS/SpecialReports-Ethics.html. Papers by other professors that are related to the ethical portion of the grant are also included on the site as well.
Comstock's personal page, www.public.iastate.edu/~comstock/ contains additional links to lectures, books, and other ethics-related resources. As with the Bioethics Program site, Comstock's page provides links to Bioethics Institutes and other events coordinated by the program.
Wednesday, March 27; 4:10 p.m., Animal science, "Safety and Benefits of Biotechnology Crops," James Astwood, Monsanto, St. Louis, Memorial Union, 515-294-1427.
Monday, April 29; 4:10 p.m., Toxicology/Entomology, "Natural Products as Insect Control Agents - Does Mother Nature Know Best? The "Evolution" of Spinosyns to Spinosoids," Thomas C. Sparks, Dow Agrosciences, Indianpolis , E164 Lagomarcino, 515-294-7697.
Published four times per year
by the ISU Office of Biotechnology
and the Bioethics Program.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to: bioethics@iastate.edu
or call 515-294-7356.
Editor: Dena Huisman
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 318 Beardshear Hall, 515-294-7612.
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Last Update 05/23/03
