Neuroethics: Ethical and Social Implications of Neuroscience

Neuroethics is a new area of scholarly activity, looking at ethical and social issues raised by the research and clinical applications of new technologies that deliver increasingly detailed information about brains and their activities.

Brian Schrag, the executive secretary of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, and Colin Allen, from the Cognitive Science Program and the History and Philosophy of Science Department at IU, have received a New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities grant from the IU Office of the Vice Provost for Research to explore the ethics issues raised by the new research in neuroscience.

The grant provides funding for four speakers for half-day workshops over the coming year. The second speaker will be Stephanie Bird.

Emerging Issues in Neuroethics: Individual Responsibility and Empathy, December 9, 2009

Dr. Stephanie Bird will address "Emerging Issues in Neuroethics: Individual Responsibility and Empathy" on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at 4 p.m. in Psychology 101.

Dr. Stephanie J. Bird is an independent consultant, internationally-known speaker, and co-editor of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics, an international journal in its fifteenth year of publication that explores ethical issues of direct concern to scientists and engineers. She is a laboratory-trained neuroscientist whose research interests focus on the ethical, legal and social policy implications of scientific research, especially in the area of neuroscience. Her theoretical and laboratory training have been complemented by work in areas of ethical and legal philosophy.

As Special Assistant to the Provost and Vice President for Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1992 to 2003, Dr. Bird worked on the development of educational programs that address ethical issues in science and engineering, professional responsibilities, and ethical issues in research practice and science more generally. She also taught in her areas of expertise at M.I.T. including both courses designed to examine various aspects of the responsible conduct of research, and those that consider the ethical and social policy implications of science and technology. Dr. Bird has written numerous articles on issues in the responsible conduct of research and on mentoring and other responsibilities of science professionals and on various aspects of neuroethics.

Dr. Bird is an active member of the Society for Neuroscience and chaired the Social Issues Committee from 2003-2005. In 1983, she initiated the annual Social Issues Roundtable which examines ethical and policy ramifications of various aspects of neuroscience research. She is an active member and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and has been Secretary of the Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering Section of the AAAS since 1995.

In 1990 and 1991, Dr. Bird served as President of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), a national organization with 5000 members and over 80 chapters across the US. She was Director of the first AWIS Mentoring Project which was designed to encourage and support undergraduate and graduate students in their pursuit of careers in math, science and technology.

Dr. Bird gives talks and workshops at professional societies, conferences, medical schools, and research and teaching institutions on teaching research ethics, on various aspects of professional standards and ethical values in science including mentorship, and on neuroethics.

Spring Lectures 2010

April 9, Adina Roskies, Dartmouth College

April 28, James Blair, National Institutes of Health

Animal Pain and Biomedical Research: Ethics and Practice, June 10, 2009

How are we to approach the ethical issues involved in using animals in biomedical research? Dr. Lida Anestidou, Program Officer at the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research at The National Academies, addressed the issues June 10, 2009. The audiostream of Dr. Anestidou's Lecture is available online at broadcast.iu.edu, using RealPlayer 8 Basic (a free program). Dr. Anestidou, DVM and PhD in Biomedical Sciences, was a research instructor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center prior to coming to The National Academies. She has published numerous articles and presented at many conferences.	Brian Schrag, Colin Allen, Lida Anestidou

Dr. Anestidou’s presentation was supported by a New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities grant from the IU Office of the Vice Provost for Research and by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. The project is directed by Colin Allen, from the department of History and Philosophy of Science and the Cognitive Science Program, and Brian Schrag, the executive secretary of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, an international membership organization housed at the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions.

Dr. Anestidou’s presentation was prior to her participation in a pre-conference workshop on Animal Neuroethics on June 11. The workshop was part of the annual meeting of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, June 12-14. Registration and program information for the conference and workshop can be found at Annual Meeting.