Volume 2, Issue 1
Charlotte Bronson, professor in plant pathology; Lisa Lorenzen, Biotechnology Industrial Liaison; Mike Thompson, associate professor of agronomy; and Gary Comstock, associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and coordinator of the ISU Bioethics Program, have formed an ethics module course for graduate students (see below). As we already profiled Dr. Bronson in the November 99 issue, the next three issues will profile the other instructors, starting with Lisa Lorenzen.
GEN 565, AGRON 565, or PLP 565 Cr. 0.5 per module. Prereq: Graduate classification or permission of instructor. Professional discourse on the ethical and legal issues facing life science researchers. Offered in modular format. Each module is eight hours in length.
A. Professional Practices in Research. Topics to be covered include good scientific practices and ethical issues facing life scientists; honesty, confidentiality, plagiarism and the exchange of research reagents; objectivity and the impact of self-delusion on experimental design and data interpretation; authorship practices and effective record keeping. Instructor for Section 1 is Charlotte Bronson (cbronson@iastate.edu). Instructor for Section 2 is Michael L. Thompson (mlthomps@iastate.edu).
B. Intellectual Property and Industry Interactions. Topics to be covered include ethical and legal issues facing life scientists involved in research interactions with industry; why and how universities interact with industry; intellectual property, freedom to operate, confidentiality, and right to review; research contracts and license agreements; assistance available for researchers working with industry. Instructor: Lisa Lorenzen (llorenze@iastate.edu).
C. Life Science Ethics. This module will focus on ethical arguments concerning agricultural biotechnology. It will discuss arguments for and against bovine growth hormone, genetically engineered herbicide resistant crops, and transgenic animals. It also will cover global, or intrinsic, arguments against GM foods and the philosophical problems with such arguments. Instructor: Gary Comstock (comstock@iastate.edu).
Graduate students have many choices to consider after graduation, including whether to work for the public or private sector. Either way, a solid working relationship with the other sector of the research world can make all the difference.
As biotechnology industrial liaison at ISU, Lisa Lorenzen works with industry and university researchers to encourage partnerships in research efforts. She facilitates meetings between industry representatives who come to campus and researchers at ISU who have similar research interests. She also works with the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration and ISURF to coordinate collaborative research and material transfer agreements between industry and university researchers.
In the ethics module classroom, Lorenzen uses real-life examples of research and licensing contracts between university and industry researchers to show students how they work and why they are important. Students read the documents and discuss them in class.
"It is important for students to understand both university and industry points of view. If they can understand how both sides think going into collaborative discussions, they will have fewer problems and will agree on terms more quickly," she said.
Another important aspect to Lorenzen's module involves understanding intellectual property issues, both in working with a specific company and in more general terms. Lorenzen exposes students to the philosophies and motivations of both the public and private sectors when working with intellectual property, patents, and licensing so that when students enter the work force, they understand how and why the process works.
Students often ask about the ethics of how and why universities can work with industry without a conflict of interest. She said students want to know how university research can be trusted if it is funded by an industry with a vested interest in the results.
"We spend considerable time in class discussing this issue. One of the mechanisms we consider is that the industry funds the research, but the university is responsible for publishing the results. The question of whether the research itself is biased toward industry is something Dr. Bronson and Dr. Thompson discuss in their module," she said.
Lorenzen's background with university and industry research provides her with an understanding of the philosophy behind both sides. She earned her B.S. and Ph.D. at Iowa State in Genetics. She went on to work as a computational biologist at Pioneer Hi-Bred International in Johnston, Iowa, where part of her job was to interface with Pioneer's genomics technology partners. In 1999, she came back to ISU to work as the biotechnology industrial liaison.
"I hope my experience working in and with industry, as well as with university researchers, provides a basis for helping future researchers understand how to make the best of the opportunities given them as they go through their careers."
Thursday, October 19
12:00 pm, Women's Studies Research Seminar, "Adoption and Feminist Social
Philosophy," Michele Svatos, ISU Philosophy, 353 Catt Hall.
4:00 pm, Forestry, "The Management of a Bioreserve and the Development of Advocacy/Action Coalitions in Ecuador," Cornelia and Jan Flora, ISU Sociology, 210 Bessey Hall.
Friday, October 20
12:00 pm, Sociology, "Emerging Bridges Over Contested Waters: Institutions,
Coalitions, and Water Quality Protection Initiatives," Stephen Gasteyer,
ISU Sociology, 160 Heady Hall
Tuesday, October 24
7:00 pm, Lecture, "Secular Humanism," Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus
of philosophy, State University of New York, Buffalo; and Anthony Pinn, associate
professor of religious studies, Macalester College, Great Hall, Memorial Union
Thursday, October 26
8:00 pm, Lecture Series on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development,
"Biotechnology," Sheila Jasanoff, professor of science and public
policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, Sun Room, Memorial
Union.
For more information on upcoming bioethics-related events, go to our online events list.
The ISU Office of Biotechnology and Bioethics Program are part of a multi-state consortium to address economic, ethical, and social issues of biotechnology. The consortium recently was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Other institutions involved in the consortium are Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Leech Lake Tribal College, North Dakota State University, Si Tanka Tribal College, South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Wisconsin.
Published six 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.
