Foster scientist-citizens who can participate effectively in discussions about issues in science and society.
Increase dialogue among experts - particularly scientists - and the public and policymakers.
Promote multidisciplinary interaction among scholars in our community about complex science policy problems.
Provide leadership opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
Act as a clearinghouse of information for individuals interested in science, ethics, and policy.
Seattle is a leader in scientific research. Seattle is one of the top five biotechnology centers in the country. Seattle and Washington are encouraging further growth in the industry. See our "News and Topics" page for links to other local science organizations.With all of our resident experts and broad community interest, Seattle is the ideal place for a discussion about science and its role in society.
The way science is used - or is not used - presents ethical challenges In some instances, regulatory policies are necessary to ensure appropriate use of scientific knowledge. FOSEP will discuss how we have addressed challenges in the past, the challenges we face today, and how current and proposed policies can best use science in the service of society.
Science shouldn't happen in a vacuum except when necessary in a physics lab! Scientists should be able to discuss and evaluate how their science fits into the "big picture", understand how science policy decisions are made and appreciate how those decisions might affect the direction of scientific research.
Scientists should provide a non-technical translation and evaluation of scientific information to the public and policymakers. Although scientific research is funded largely by taxpayer dollars, most scientific findings are published in a "language" of jargon in paid-subscription journals that can only be understood by a handful of experts. FOSEP seminars will help scientists with their "translations" and will help non-scientists understand both the process of scientific research and some helpful "science lingo."
Policies should be based on the best available scientific knowledge and informed by various stakeholders - scientists, bioethicists, legal experts, and the general public. FOSEP will bring these groups together to discuss numerous issues.
FOSEP is not affiliated with, nor does it support, particular political, religious, or other affiliations. We do not support specific viewpoints, pieces of legislation, policies, or political candidates.The views of FOSEP's speakers do not represent the views of FOSEP or its sponsors, nor can individual members' views be assumed as FOSEP's views. FOSEP is committed to promoting multidisciplinary interaction among scholars, policymakers, and the public about issues in science ethics and policy in a balanced manner.
We strive for balance on topics, points of view, and speakers. We believe that balanced can be achieved in a number of different ways:
We have used, and will continue to use, a combination of these approaches to spark thoughtful conversations on variety of topics in science ethics and policy.
We welcome suggestions and questions about our events and organization. Please contact us . If you are a student or post-doc at the UW, hope you will consider joining us.
^topA seminar series brings national science policy and ethics experts to a diverse academic audience to discuss how science fits into the societal framework. Featured topics have included: public reaction to cloning research through history; why genetically modified organisms are so controversial; and how to deal with scientific uncertainty in policy making.
Public Forums feature a panel of experts who discuss the ethical, legal, and social implications of scientific advances with a general audience. 750 people attended the first public forum on "Stem cells: the science, policy, and possibilities" in October 2004. Our second public forum in November 2005 explored the issues surrounding the quality, safety and cost of prescription drugs.
Frequent small group discussions foster interaction among members of the University community, including interested students from many disciplines and world-class experts in our community.
Our website is being developed as a resource on science ethics and science policy for the Seattle community and beyond. We advertise FOSEP and other local activities, maintain resource pages on specific topics, and keep a streaming video library of our events.
We connect scientists with the public, policymakers, and experts in science ethics and policy. For example, we gathered scientists, bioethicists, fertility clinic doctors, business leaders, and state and federal policymakers to discuss stem cell policy in Washington state.
Each year, we compile a report describing FOSEP's accomplishments. Please use the following links to download our recent annual reports.
^topWe publish periodic newsletters to inform others of FOSEP's recent and upcoming events. Please use the following links to download our newsletters.
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