PROGRAM COURSES - ETHICAL CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

A Minicourse Sponsored by the CBI Program

January 2008

Chem 797J (1 credit)

This course was designed to provide graduate students working at the interface of chemistry and biology with a solid background in research ethics.  The course is arranged in four two-hour sessions (see below for content).  Each session will be structured as follows: (1) introduction/background for the topics to be discussed; (2) discussion groups and analysis of relevant case studies illustrating ethical dilemmas encountered by laboratory researchers; and (3) concluding summary and wrap-up.  Case studies will be distributed to students in advance and students are expected to read assigned material before the beginning of each session.  During each session, discussion groups will be asked to come to a consensus for each case study on the ethical issue at hand and to suggest an appropriate course of action to address the situation.  Each group will present their case study followed by a class-wide discussion.  Students should eamil Carrie Penland, CBI Program Assistant, at mpenland@chem.umass.edu to obtain the case studies to be discussed.  Grades will be based on attendance (mandatory for all four sessions) and completion of the online computer-based training for researchers and research staff at the NIH Office of Human Subjects Research. This training can be accessed at http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/cbt/index, and the certificate will be required for the successful completion of this course.

January 2008 Schedule: