COLLABORATIONS TO ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE & ETHICS

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): UW and the Washington Association for Biomedical Research (WABR) seek three years of funding for 'Collaborations to Advance Understanding Science and Ethics' (CAUSE). The CAUSE partners aim to develop educational resources to support the teaching of bioethics at the secondary science school level, including: three bioethics curriculum units and one modular ethics primer, a series of summer professional inservices for secondary educators related to the classroom use of the units, and additional training and written materials to promote leadership and provide professional development strategies for science teachers. The CAUSE materials will use real-life scenarios and case study approaches in order to teach science content and address the complex and sensitive ethical issues raised by biomedical research. Through integration of science and ethics, teachers will empower their students to develop critical skills needed to question, research, and challenge the information they receive. Proposed curriculum units will focus on the ethics of recombinant DNA research, stem cells and organ transplantation, and human clinical trials. Lastly, the CAUSE program will promote the development of an ethics component to the successful Speakers' Bureau managed by WABR. Together, the CAUSE partners intend to create continuing opportunities for scientists and educators to work together in preparing all students to become thoughtful, responsible, and informed citizens.