Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-CHAB, D-HEST
Abstract
Research and technologies emerging from the life sciences bring beneficial aspects to our society but also unforeseeable risks regarding the biosafety and biosecurity. In this course, students will learn about the advances in science and technology and their implications for society and international treaties (BWC or CWC) and their social, ethical and legal responsibilities as life scientists.
Learning objective
The rapid developments in the life- and associated sciences have the potential to yield enormous benefits to our society. However, those new and emerging technologies additionally bring along predictable and unforeseeable risks for the biosafety and biosecurity areas. The ability of life and associated scientist professionals to critically assess their own research is a crucial aspect to maintain research integrity against the background of novel security concerns arising from the speed of advancements in this scientific field. In this course, students will learn more about their social, ethical and legal responsibilities as life scientists. With a combination of lectures and a team-based learning model, we want to raise the awareness of researchers towards biosecurity and biosafety risks emerging from research in the life sciences and generate a basic understanding about what scientists can do to minimize a potential misuse in highest-risk research (=“dual use research of concern”). During short lectures, partly prepared by the students themselves, the students will learn about the threat of biological warfare, biological terrorism and the international prohibition regimes; the dual-use dilemma and social responsibilities of scientists; the national implementation of the biological and toxins weapons convention and about efforts to build the web of prevention against misuse of life sciences. To get a better understanding of real world applications of biosecurity and biosafety measures in the scientific and policy communities and to foster future collaborations between these fields we will invite guest speakers actively engaged in scientific research from university and industry, and from the policy world.
