Pacific Institue for Ethics and Social Policy
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Teaching Genetics: Science, Philosophy, Public Policy
A collaboration between Pacific University, the Hillsboro Police Department, and the National Institute of Health
Some events are paradigmatic. Some events inexorably and irreversibly change the way we think about the world and open vast possibilities for the future. One of the most significant paradigmatic events of the 20th century was the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1952 by James Watson & Francis Crick. So significant was this event that the NIH decided to set aside 5% of its genetics research budget to the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genetic science & technology. Given the enormous gap between advances in genetic technologies and informed public discourse there is a great need for programs which teach the science of genetics together with the social policy questions it raises.
This project, made possible through a grant by the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC), will engage college students and 4th -6th graders in a pilot educational project using information & communications technology (ICT) to effectively teach the science, together with the profound questions that this science raises for individuals and indeed for civilization as a whole. The college students are from Pacific University, all members of a course: Human Genome Project: Science, Philosophy & Public Policy. The 4th - 6th graders are drawn from a special program developed by the Hillsboro Police Department and the Pacific Institute for Ethics & Social Policy for disadvantaged youth in Hillsboro, Oregon.
