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Spotlight Event: Synthetic Biology in the Age of Biohacking
Mildred Cho speaks on Feb. 22, 5 p.m. Williman Room, Benson Memorial Center
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Mildred Cho will explore whether “Do It Yourself” biology is science, and whether DIY biologists have role-related moral obligations. Cho is a professor at Stanford Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and associate director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. She will also discuss how existing regulatory frameworks are ill-equipped to handle the new and rapidly evolving reality of biotechnology, while our ability to use genetic modification techniques such as CRISPR outside of traditional institutional settings also reveals cracks in the moral frameworks that guide research. Register |
Sponsored by the Ethics Center in conjunction with the Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship. The Regan Lectures are funded by the New York Life Insurance Company in honor of William Regan III and a gift from Ann and William Regan.
| Evaluating the actions of America’s leaders and institutions solely by core ethical principles will be the focus of Kirk Hanson’s new blog, This Week’s Ethics Fix. The weekly posts will take a nonpartisan look at the American political and social landscape, calling out successes and failures to live up to key ethical ideals such as fairness, truth, and respect. Subscribe to the blog |
| Is there such thing as a "perfect secret,” and what are its ethical implications? Director of Internet Ethics Irina Raicu examines our culture's ambiguous feelings about privacy when balanced with our collective desire for transparency. "Even in a time of seemingly perfect transparency, there would still be gaps, and coded communications that could not be decrypted, and the truth would still be greater than what could be recorded and replayed," she comments. Read More
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| SCU senior and Hackworth Fellow Zipporah Ridley reflects on the state of underrepresented populations in this country, an America that continues to disappoint her. Referencing the Trayvon Martin case, she expresses a diminished sense of hope. The election, she writes, showed her “that i don’t matter, women don’t matter, muslim and black lives don’t matter." The Hackworth Fellowships, awarded to SCU seniors annually, focus on peer-led ethics projects for undergraduates. Read More |
| Do you MOOC? The Ethics Center’s popular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), “Business Ethics for the Real World” and “Ethics for Managers,” are again open for registration. Taught by Executive Director Kirk Hanson, the free MOOCS have attracted a global audience of students from over 100 countries and offer the fundamentals of ethical decision making in business. The courses are self-paced, require about eight hours total to complete, and must be taken before May 28. All finishers receive a letter of completion and a digital badge. More information and registration |
| As an independent studies alternative education teacher for over a decade, Barbara Lowe has not only fulfilled her professional dream, but helped hundreds of students overcome obstacles to realize their own. Lowe attributes much of her success in the classroom to the Center's Character Based Literacy Program, an innovative curriculum that explores ethics through the language arts. “When I see former students several years down the road, they always remember the books they read that made the difference in their lives. That really means something," she says. Read More |
Upcoming Events
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Promoting Ethical Development in College Students
Wiegand Room, Vari Hall, noon
Thomas and Lori Plante will speak on themes from their new book, Graduating with Honor: Best Practices to Promote Ethical Development in College Students, which provides a model for imparting the skills of ethical decision making to college students.
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I Want to Work in Health Care!
Wiegand Room, Vari Hall, 6 p.m.
Reflections on education, careers, and ethics, from SCU alumni working in health care.
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Can We Use Technology to Live Forever—and Should We?
Tech Museum of Innovation, noon
Aubrey de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist and chief science officer of the SENS Research Foundation, explores the question of life extension and its ethical implications as part of a new partnership between the Ethics Center and the Tech Museum.
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I Can Hear You Now: A Privacy Rights Discussion
Williman Room, Benson Memorial Center, 5 p.m.
A two-panel program that brings together experts from industry, government, law firms, and nonprofit groups to discuss privacy rights.
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Living Well, Leaving Well
St. Lucy Parish, Campbell, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Ethics Center Assistant Director of Health Care Ethics Ryan Holmes and Fr. Gerald Coleman speak on end-of-life care and the Catholic tradition. Special event presented by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
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Civility in the Workplace
St. Clare Room, Harrington Learning Commons, 4 p.m.
Georgetown University Associate Professor Christine Porath explores how employees should confront incivility in the workplace and how organizations can address an uncivil work environment. Event includes reception.
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Admiral Eric Olson: Conscientious Leadership Speaker Series
Location TBA, 5:30 p.m.
Eric T. Olson has been a director of Under Armour since July 2012. He retired from the United States Navy in 2011 as a full admiral after 38 years of military service. He served in special operations units throughout his career and was awarded several decorations for leadership and valor including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star.
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Buck v. Bell: Concert and Discussion
Recital Hall, 5-6:30 p.m.
A performance followed by discussion featuring The Santa Clara University Chamber Singers with Scot Hanna-Weir, composer of the work and conductor; Margaret R. McLean, Ethics Center associate director; and Michelle Oberman, SCU professor of law.
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Media Mentions
*In an interview with CNBC Asia, Executive Director Kirk O. Hanson explores Trump's conflicts of interest. Hanson also comments for Voice of America on Silicon Valley's reaction to the president's travel ban.
*In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Director of Government Ethics Hana Callaghan comments on the business interests of Wilbur Ross, commerce secretary nominee. And in an article for the East Bay Times, she writes that in order to maintain the public's trust in government, Trump must avoid all conflicts of interest with his company through absolute divestment.
* In an article for KQED, Director of Bioethics Margaret R. McLean comments on the ethical concerns involved in homemade epinephrine devices.
*An essay, Conscience and a Church for the Poor, by Campus Ethics Director David DeCosse appeared in the Fall 2016 C21 Resources publication Conscience at Work published by the Church in the 21st Century at Boston College. DeCosse's essay first appeared in the book Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism in the United States: The Challenge of Becoming a Church for the Poor (USF Lane Center 2015).
*Ann Skeet, director of Leadership Ethics, published an opinion piece on Trump and business ethics in MarketWatch.
For a full list of Ethics Center staff newsmakers, visit Media Mentions.
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CONTACT US
500 EL CAMINO REAL
SANTA CLARA, CA
95053-06333
ethics@scu.edu
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