2004 in Review

Programs and Projects

2004 was an active year of programs and projects.

Poynter Center Interdisciplinary Faculty Fellowships

Our first group of faculty fellows met five times in the spring semester, continuing the study of Democracy and Dissent they started in the fall. We will be publishing some of their research as monographs soon. To further enrich the seminar, the Poynter Center hosted Arthur Applbaum from Harvard University' Kennedy School of Government on April 1.

The topic for the 2004-05 academic year is the Ethics and Politics of Childhood. The six faculty fellows met five times in the fall. See Poynter Center Fellows for more details.

Teaching Research Ethics

Kenneth D. Pimple, Director of Teaching Research Ethics Programs, directed the eleventh annual Teaching Research Ethics workshop May 19-22, with 39 participants. See Teaching Research Ethics for details.

Scientists and Subjects

This innovative, Web-based seminar on the ethics of research with human subjects is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Project director Kenneth D. Pimple offered the online course January 19-March 14, 2004. See Scientists and Subjects for details.

Moral Issues and Motivations in Medical Philanthropy

The Poynter Center began a study to explore moral issues and motivations in medical philanthropy, thanks to a grant from the IU Center on Philanthropy. Richard Miller and Byron Bangert are leading the study, which will explore questions of altruism, social justice, and professional commitment in the world of health care. The first interviews were completed in 2004, with completion of the project projected for June of 2005. Results will be disseminated through publication, cases and commentary, presentation at professional meetings, and a workshop.

Lectures and Seminars

Matthew Vandivier Sims Memorial Lecture

When Matthew Vandivier Sims died in infancy, his family and their friends created a fund to open a discussion of issues in responsible communication among patients, families, professional care givers, and counselors. The Poynter Center coordinates the guest lecture each year for the Matthew Vandivier Sims Memorial Lecture. LeRoy Walters, from Georgetown University, spoke March 11, on "Five Policy Options for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research." The lecture was audio-streamed by IU. Learn more about the Sims Lecture.

Health Care Ethics Seminars

The Health Care Ethics Seminars provide interaction between the campus and the community. Jennifer Girod, Research Associate, coordinated the series in the spring of 2004. Byron Bangert, Research Associate, coordinated the fall series. Learn morea about the Health Care Ethics Seminars.

Association for Practical and Professional Ethics

The Poynter Center continued to host the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. See APPE for more information about their work.

Ethics Bowl Team

The Poynter Center annually hosts an Ethics Bowl team to compete in the national event, which is held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics in February. In 2004 the Poynter Center team won first place. See more information for the Ethics Bowl.

IU Center on Philanthropy

The Poynter Center serves as the Bloomington office of the IU Center on Philanthropy. In 2004 we hosted two guest speakers and the graduation lunch for the Bloomington students in the Center on Philanthropy programs. For more information about the Center on Philanthropy, see the IU Center on Philanthropy.

Other Programs and Projects

Professor Daniel Conkle, the Robert H. McKinney Professor of Law, IU School of Law in Bloomington, spoke at the Poynter Center on Friday, October 1. Professor Conkle emphasized that religious preference of the voters could have a strong impact on the 2004 presidential election. The presentation was offered in cooperation with the IU Alumni Association and the Law School's Alumni Weekend.

The Poynter Center hosted a discussion as a part of the One Book One Bloomington program in the spring. On March 30, Richard Miller led a discussion at the Monroe County Public Library on the selected book, Reading Lolita in Tehran.

>Paul Haupt from South Africa spoke April 5 on "Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa."

In summer of 2004, the Poynter Center was selected as one of four institutional teams to develop digital resources for teaching and research in practical ethics. Funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources and the Mellow Foundation, this Scholarly Communication Institute project includes teams from Duke University, University of Minnesota, and the University of Virginia as well as IU's team.

Richard Miller appeared on Noon Edition, a one-hour call-in program on WFIU, on July 23, to discuss the Poynter Center's mission and projects. Miller also appeared on a JobTraks (an IU program of career information and contemporary music for high school students), speaking on career opportunities in Bioethics. The program was broadcast the week of November 29-December 4, 2004).

On October 20 the Poynter Center, the US Office for Human Research Protections and the IU Office of the Vice-President for Research co-sponsored a one-day seminar, "Exploring Risks and Rights in Non-Biomedical Research with Human Subjects." Ken Pimple from the Poynter Center gave the keynote address. For a copy of his presentation, see Kenneth Pimple.

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