Students have the opportunity to read through a bioethical scenario related to biotechnology, then answer a few discussion questions related to the reading  I have students read one scenario on their own and highlight the FIVE most important ¨facts¨ of that scenario (I tell students there isn´t a wrong answer, they can highlight which ever pieces they feel are the most important from the reading- this allows different viewpoints to be demonstrated when they do the next part)  Then students get into a small group with others that read the same scenario.  They first discuss which items they each highlighted and what they thought about the article.  Next I hand out the discussion questions related to their reading passage and have the students answer the questions as a group.    For the last part of the discussion, I have students regroup so that each new group has ONE person from eaching reading passage.  Students share out a quick summary of their passage and then ask the new group if they think biotechnology should continue related to the information in the article.  If time permits, we have a whole class discussion about the ethics behind biotechnology and the different examples demonstrated in the reading passages.  

Opportunity for individual or group study of advanced topics in Engineering Systems Division not otherwise included in the curriculum at MIT.: This course introduces the theory and the practice of engineering ethics using a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach. Theory includes ethics and philosophy of engineering. Historical cases are taken primarily from the scholarly literatures on engineering ethics, and hypothetical cases are written by students. Each student will write a story by selecting an ancestor or mythic hero as a substitute for a character in a historical case. Students will compare these cases and recommend action.

This course reviews the key genomic technologies and computational approaches that are driving advances in prognostics, diagnostics, and treatment. Throughout the semester, emphasis will return to issues surrounding the context of genomics in medicine including: what does a physician need to know? what sorts of questions will s/he likely encounter from patients? how should s/he respond? Lecturers will guide the student through real world patient-doctor interactions. Outcome considerations and socioeconomic implications of personalized medicine are also discussed. The first part of the course introduces key basic concepts of molecular biology, computational biology, and genomics. Continuing in the informatics applications portion of the course, lecturers begin each lecture block with a scenario, in order to set the stage and engage the student by showing: why is this important to know? how will the information presented be brought to bear on medical practice? The final section presents the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding genomic medicine. A vision of how genomic medicine relates to preventative care and public health is presented in a discussion forum with the students where the following questions are explored: what is your level of preparedness now? what challenges must be met by the healthcare industry to get to where it needs to be?

This course will focus on understanding aspects of modern technology displaying exponential growth curves and the impact on global quality of life through a weekly updated class project integrating knowledge and providing practical tools for political and business decision-making concerning new aspects of bioengineering, personalized medicine, genetically modified organisms, and stem cells. Interplays of economic, ethical, ecological, and biophysical modeling will be explored through multi-disciplinary teams of students, and individual brief reports.

Students will read and evaluate different perspectives related to the Green Revolution and analyze how different perspectives can shape the public´s perception of agriculture and biotechnology.  Students read different articles written about the Green Revolution and answer questions to encourage them to interpret the meaning behind each article.  I use small and large group discussions after students read the articles to also stimuate discussion in my classroom about perceptions of the public.  You can extend this activity by having students conduct surveys or additional reseach about more recent topics related to biotechnology and find other articles that showcase different sides of an issue.  

Discusses social, ethical and clinical issues associated with the development of new biotechnologies and their integration into clinical practice. Basic scientists, clinicians, bioethicists, and social scientists present on four general topics: changing political economy of biotech research; problems associated with the adaption of new biotechnologies and findings from molecular biology for clinical settings; the ethical issues that emerge from clinical research and clinical use of new technologies; and the broader social ethics associated with investigations of population genetics and social problems. Use of cases and recent literature.

This unit focuses on teaching students about the many aspects of biomedical engineering (BME). Students come to see that BME is a broad field that relies on concepts from many engineering disciplines. They also begin to understand some of the special considerations that must be made when dealing with the human body. Activities and class discussions encourage students to think as engineers to come up with their own solutions to some of medical challenges that have been solved throughout the history of BME. Class time iincludes brainstorming and presenting ideas to the class for discussion. Specific activities include examination of the material properties and functions of surgical instruments and prosthetics, a simulation of the training experience of a surgical resident, and an investigation of the properties of fluid flow in vascular tissue.