Promoting Human Subjects Training for Place-Based Communities and Cultural Groups in Environmental Research: Curriculum Approaches for Graduate Student/Faculty Training

• Published in: Science and engineering ethics Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 209 - 226
• Main Author: Quigley, Dianne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bioethics; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Commentary; Communities; Cultural groups; Culture; Curriculum; Design engineering; Education; Engineering; Engineering - ethics; Environment; Environmental research; Environmental studies; Ethics; Ethics, Research - education; Ethnic Groups; Faculty; Graduates; Human subjects; Humans; Medicine/Public Health; New England; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science; Research ethics; Residence Characteristics; Science - ethics; Social Justice; Students; Training; Universities; Human subjects; Cultural competence; Group protections; Research ethics; Community consent; Community-based research
• ISSN: 1353-3452; 1471-5546
• DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9508-6

A collaborative team of environmental sociologists, community psychologists, religious studies scholars, environmental studies/science researchers and engineers has been working together to design and implement new training in research ethics, culture and community-based approaches for place-based communities and cultural groups. The training is designed for short and semester-long graduate courses at several universities in the northeastern US. The team received a 3 year grant from the US National Science Foundation’s Ethics Education in Science and Engineering in 2010. This manuscript details the curriculum topics developed that incorporate ethical principles, particularly for group protections/benefits within the field practices of environmental/engineering researchers.