Research Stipends in Practical Ethics for Undergraduates

Undergraduate Research Stipend Recipients for 2007-08

The Poynter Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the Undergraduate Research Stipends in Practical Ethics for 2007-2008. Brian Schrag, Acting Director of the Poynter Center, announced the five recipients. Each student will receive reimbursement funds after he or she presents results of the research at the Poynter Center in the spring of 2008.

The presentation schedule is:

• Monday, April 7, 4 p.m., Jamie Gunn
• Wednesday, April 16, 12 noon, A. J. Goldman
• Friday, April 18, 12 noon, M. Tyler King
• Thursday, April 24, 4 p.m., Oliver McGraw
• Friday, April 25, 12 noon, Lisa Koers

The five undergraduates and their project mentors are:

• Aaron Goldman, a senior in Biology and Religious Studies. Goldman researched how faculty members understand the role of ethics in their research. His title was "Professorial Researchers and Ethics Review Boards: Opinions and Experiences." His research project was with Brian Powell in the Department of Sociology.
• Jamie Lee Gunn, a senior with majors in Religious Studies and French. Gunn researched the works of Holmes Rolston III, John Haught, Thomas Berry, Michael Northocott, and James Gufsteson to look at science, nature, environmental ethics, and humans. Her title was "Christianity and the Maintenance of Non-Human Communities." Gunn worked with Lisa Sideris in the Department of Religious Studies.


Jamie Gunn and Lisa Sideris, Religious Studies faculty member

• M. Tyler King, a senior majoring in Philosophy and Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Social Science and Medicine. King compared the current health care system and the health care proposals of Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, and John McCain, the leading presidential candidates in spring 2008. King's title was "The Ethical Implications of Health Care Reform." King's mentor was Sandra Shapshay in the Department of Philosophy.


Tyler King and Sandra Shapshay, Philosophy faculty member

• Lisa Koers, a senior in Entrepreneurship. Koers studied ways to improve pre-natal health care for low income women in the United States, including the possibility of using more midwives in an improved system. Her faculty mentor was Laura Ginger from the Kelley School of Business. Lisa's paper is available at "Benefits of Midwifery for Low-Income Women."


Lisa Koers and Laura Ginger, faculty member in the Kelley School of Business

• Oliver McGraw, a senior in Informatics, has minors in Philosophy and Anthropology. McGraw studyied the methods and concerns of student designers as they develop systems for a larger multi-disciplinary NSF-funded project concerning privacy in home-based computing in the homes of elders. His title was "Work and Duty in Design." He worked with Kalpana Shankar from the School of Informatics.


Oliver McGraw and Kalpana Shankar, faculty member in the School of Informatics

The Undergraduate Research Stipends in Practical Ethics were first offered in 2005-06 and are awarded in a competitive process. Brian Schrag noted, “As the projects suggest, every discipline is rich in ethical issues that researchers need to consider as they study, and the students will be tackling some of the issues in their disciplines. We are pleased to have students from the College of Arts and Sciences and from the Kelley School of Business and the School of Informatics.” The program is funded by the Poynter Center.

The application and selection process for 2008-09 will be similar to the 2007-08 process.

The research stipends in practical ethics are offered annually for undergraduates at IUB. The stipends of up to $200 each will be awarded to as many as ten undergraduates for use in research in the area of practical ethics. Applications for the 2008-09 awards are due September 29. The Poynter Center will announce those selected by October 20.

Projects should address theoretical and applied dimensions of a moral issue in public life. Possible projects might include, but are not limited to, political ethics, environmental policy and ethics, biomedical ethics, research ethics, journalistic ethics, corporate responsibility, sexual ethics, and the like. Professor Miller noted, "We are looking forward to this opportunity to help undergraduates cover expenses for research projects and to get acquainted with students who are doing research in areas of practical ethics. We hope this stipend stimulates new and creative work in ethics across the campus."

Students at IU Bloomington who are conducting research in practical ethics for a class, a capstone course, or honors project in Fall 2008 or who are planning to do so in Spring 2009 may apply for a research stipend. Successful applicants will present a 20 minute presentation (a summary of the paper) at the Poynter Center in fall 2008 or the spring of 2009 as a part of the project. The selected students may also submit the final paper for publication on the Poynter Center web site. Successful applicants will be invited to Poynter Center lectures during the academic year. Payment will be made to the student's Bursar account by the IU Foundation after the presentation at the Poynter Center.

The application process is in the fall semester for fall or spring semester courses/projects.

Contact Glenda Murray by email or call 812 855-0262, if you have questions. The application is available below.

Applicants should send a one-two paragraph description of their project, the name of a research mentor, a brief bibliography, and a list of research expenses to: Glenda Murray, Poynter Center, 618 E. Third St. IUB, either by campus mail or email (with Word attachments), to Glenda Murray.

Application form The applications are due September 29, 2008.