Introduction of role playing to a research ethics module for the undergraduate

Abstract

As part of the NSF supported SUMMIT (San Jose State University/IBM Almaden Research Center collaboration) REU and CPIMA (Stanford University/Almaden) SURE undergraduate internship programs we have developed a workshop that emphasizes the scientific community's dependence on ethical behavior for its success and advancement at this nascent stage of a scientific career. We have successfully introduced open-ended role playing based on recent real life ethics cases as reported in the scientific news to a foundation presentation based on the APS Ethics and Professional Conduct Guidelines for Physicists. The goal is to foster discussion of complex cases and their effects not only on the protagonists but on the scientific community. © 2010 Materials Research Society.