7:00 pm, Thursday, April 25, 2002 at the Family Museum of Arts
and Science Agricultural biotechnology is ethically controversial because people perceive it as having great potential to impact our commonly held values, for good or ill. As with all new technologies, it cannot be certain in advance what all the consequences will be of the use of biotechnology in agriculture. Moreover, biotechnology is fraught with significance, as it seems to many people to tinker dangerously with the "natural." In order to facilitate a more complete understanding of the ethical debate about agricultural biotechnology, Dr. Hessler will review some important distinctions in ethics--for example, why ethical evaluation is distinct from legal or religious evaluation--and then present some arguments made for and against the use of biotechnology in agriculture. She will conclude with a discussion of possibilities for resolving the ethical controversy over agricultural biotechnology. Dr. Hessler's academic specialty is agricultural bioethics. She also works with educators across Iowa to provide resources for teaching bioethics through the Biotechnology Outreach Extension Center. Her B.A. is from Gettysburg College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. are from the University of Arizona. More details on her background are available in her C.V. An Iowa State newspaper article written shortly after she arrived in Ames provides further information on her research and outreach activity. The Mission of the Iowa State University Bioethics Program is "to support research, learning, and engagement in the area of life science ethics," which means "bioethical issues pertaining to agriculture, food, animals, and the environment." This cross-disciplinary program offers a variety of activities to further its mission. It also participates in a five-state consortium grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to study ethical, economic, and social effects of agricultural biotechnology. The John Deere Chapter of Sigma Xi is proud to bring you this program, consistent with the national Sigma Xi thrust to consider ethical questions as they relate to scientific issues. Members will recall that we began this theme with our November 2001 program by Dr. Keith Miller of the University of Illinois - Springfield, who spoke on "Science, Computer Science, and Ethics: Searching for the Truth in a Make-Believe World". Note: If you are coming to the museum via I-74, just follow the signs pointing to the Family Museum of Arts and Science. Their parking lot is just south of the building. Here is a map and detailed directions. Questions: Contact Dr. Herb Lyon, John Deere Chapter Program Chair, at 796-5377. |
