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Responsible Conduct of Research Day

A video of this event is now available.

"Responsible Conduct of Research Day", June 4, 2010, provides training that satisfies University of Maryland requirements for all Joint Quantum Institute, Physics and Chemical Physics students and postdoctoral scholars whose work is supported by National Science Foundation grants. Those interested in attending should register with Denise Abu-Laban at dabulaba@umd.edu. Space is limited to 65 registrants. The course takes place in 1201 Physics, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., with lunch served in the Toll Room at noon.

The primary goal of Responsible Conduct of Research Day is to inculcate critical thinking about the intersection of ethics with the actual practice of scientific research. This is far more important than rote learning of particular rules that are in force at any given place and time, because:

  • Critical thinking is of lasting and cumulative value. It provides a basis for making decisions in circumstances that one has never faced before.
  • Critical thinking about ethics and science is far more interesting than memorizing particular rules. It provides a perspective that gives much insight into the history and current practice of science, presents paradoxes, and deflates many commonly-held assumptions.

Required advance readings for the course:

  • Federal Policy on Research Misconduct, free at http://bit.ly/cSVNv9, 4 pages.
  • On Fact and Fraud: Cautionary Tales from the Front Lines of Science, David Goodstein (Princeton University Press, 2010). 168 pages, commercial publication, some copies available on loan from Denise Abu-Laban, dabulaba@umd.edu.
  • On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition (National Academies Press, 2009), free at http://bit.ly/a3ONsP, 82 pages.

This course is an updated and condensed version of Case Studies in Scientific Ethics (CHPH 714), which was presented during Winter Term, 2010. Materials from that course are available at http://ipst.umd.edu/ethics. In developing that course, I was informed by advice contributed by Malcolm Beasley, Michael Fisher, Eugenie Reich, Subir Sachdev and others. Scientific ethics is entirely a journey of personal discovery.

Instructor: Charles W. Clark, Fellow, Joint Quantum Institute