ALS 503
Current Topics in Applied Life Sciences & Ethics, and Responsible Conduct of Research

One objective is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about various topics in applied life sciences by attending talks at KGI from industry professionals, research faculty, and graduate students. This part of the course will be referred to as “Current Topics” and coordinated by Prof. Schlappi. Another objective of this course is to engage researchers in reading about, considering, and discussing the responsible conduct of science. Ph.D. students are required to take the online ethics course as one of the requirements to pass this course (https://nationalethicscenter.org/cmditr-rcr-modules/how-to-use-these-rcrmodules). The following topics will be discussed in class: data acquisition and management, mentoring and collaboration, collaboration between Academia and private industry, authorship, publication and peer review, misconduct in research, conflicts of Interest and scientific Objectivity, animal and human subjects, and whistleblowing. The course is designed as an option for meeting current NIH and NSF requirements for training in the responsible conduct of research. This part of the course will be referred to as “Ethics” and coordinated by Prof. Hernandez.

Must be enrolled in the PhD program

Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify a variety of industrial and academic research topics in applied life sciences
2. Think critically about presented topics, understanding applications or postulating future research directions
3. Describe and apply rules, issues, options, and resources for research ethics
4. Value and utilize ethical decision-making frameworks and tool
5. Appreciate and develop continued learning about research ethics