Teaching GeoEthics Across the Geoscience Curriculum: Need, Opportunities and Strategies

David Mogk, John Geissman, Susan Kieffer, Monica

Bruckner

http://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/index.html

Credit: Jesús Martínez-Frías, IGC 2012, Brisbane

What is Geoethics?"Geoethics consists of the research and reflection on those values upon which to base appropriate behaviours and practices where human activities intersect the Geosphere. Geoethics deals with the ethical, social and cultural implications of Earth Sciences research and practice, providing a point of intersection for Geosciences, Sociology and Philosophy. Geoethics represents an opportunity for Geoscientists to become more conscious of their social role and responsibilities in conducting their activities. Geoethics is a tool to influence the awareness of society regarding problems related to geo-resources and geo-environment.”

-- IAPG Constitution

Nature of Geoscience• Geosciences encompass the history,

materials, and processes of the complex Earth system

• Earth system is open, heterogeneous, dynamic and complex; “deep time” and spatial scales from atomic to planetary

• A central role in contributing to the safety, health, and economic welfare of humanity.

• Geoscientists must make inferences from an incomplete geologic record, deal with ambiguity and uncertainty in their professional work

GEOSCIENCES PRESENT MANY CHALLENGES THAT CONFRONT ISSUES OF GEOETHICS

Why Teach Geoethics I: Professional

Development• Ethics Education is an increasingly important component of the pre-professional training of (geo)scientists.

• Funding agencies (NSF, NIH) require training of students in the responsible conduct of research,

• Employers are increasingly expecting their workers to have basic training in ethics, and

• The public demands the highest standards of ethical conduct by scientists.

TRUST, CONFIDENCE, RESPONSIBILITY

Why Teach Geoethics II: Pedagogy

• Promotes critical thinking and review • Guides the formation of responsible solutions

to socio-economic problems • Highlights environmental, social, and economic

stewardship • Fosters critical thinking and thoughtful

resource management • Provides a systems-thinking context for

dealing with risks • Encourages thoughtful communication of

scientific findings to different audiences • Establishes relevance for geological content

knowledge outside of the classroom • Stimulates social awareness of nature and

history SUPPORTS A CO-CURRICULUM ON HOW TO “BE” A GEOSCIENTIST

AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct

Where in the geoscience community should these guidelines be taught?

AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct

Who has responsibility for teaching these guidelines? Faculty, mentors, lab supervisors, left to chance?

2014 Teaching Geoethics Workshop• Motivation: few

faculty prepared to teach Geoethics

• Online program; invited presentations, working groups, discussion summaries

• Collection of case studies

• Resource collections• Contributions from

geoscience, engineering, biology, philosophy

This workshop is funded through the National Science Foundation Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (EESE) program, NSF 1338741.

http://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/index.html

This workshop is funded through National Science Foundation Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (EESE) program, grant number NSF 1338741.

http://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/index.html

Many Dimensions of Geoethics

• Geoethics and Self: what are the internal attributes of a geoscientist that establish the ethical values required to successfully prepare for and contribute to a career in the geosciences?

• Geoethics and the geoscience profession: what are the ethical standards expected of geoscientists if they are to contribute responsibly to the community of practice expected of the profession?

• Geoethics and society: what are the responsibilities of geoscientists to effectively and responsibly communicate the results of geoscience research to inform society about issues ranging from geohazards to natural resource utilization in order to protect the health, safety, and economic security of humanity?

• Geoethics and Earth: what are the responsibilities of geoscientists to provide good stewardship of Earth based on their knowledge of Earth's composition, architecture, history, dynamic processes, and complex systems?

Goals of Teaching Geoethics

Prepare students to:

• Recognize ethical dilemmas in the first instance,

• Develop the strategies and skills needed to

responsibly participate in the profession, and

• Gain experience in ethical decision-making

– “What would you do?

– Be prepared, prevent issues, and act responsibly

Micro v. Macro-Ethics• Microethics deals with personal and

professional ethics and can be tied to responsibilities at the personal and intra-professional level (e.g. an environmental consultant's ethical responsibility to providing their client with reliable data).

• Macroethics deals with the ethics of a society or culture and can be tied to personal and professional responsibilities towards society (e.g. environmental consultants' responsibilities - as a profession - to ensure environmental stewardship in their professional conduct).

Guiding Principle: Beneficience: • “Do no harm:

• Who benefits?

• Who are the stakeholders?

• Who are the decision-makers? (Who has

power?)

• Who is impacted?

• What are the risks?

Where to Teach GeoEthics?

• Start early! Ethical issues in Intro courses

• Embedded in courses for majors (landslides in Geomorphology; Asbestos in Mineralogy; Volcanic hazards in Igneous Petrology….

• Consider offering a dedicated course in Geoethics for majors and graduate students

How to Teach Geoethics• Active learning!– T-P-S, Socratic Questioning, Role Playing,

Case Studies, Video…• Clearly defined learning goals, well-aligned

assessments• BE EXPLICIT!• Allow for open-ended discussion (2 minute

challenge)– Who is responsible…– What is the value…– What are the consequences…– Is it OK to….– Should we, or should we not….

–What would you do…

Ethical Decision Making Model

Alternate

Actions

Context / Facts

Stakeholders

Decision Makers

Evaluate impacts / negotiat

e

Pick Optimal Choice

Shaun Taylor, 2014 Geoethics Workshop

Assessing Mastery of Geoethics• Define Goals

– Stimulate moral imagination; Recognize ethical issues; analyze key concepts and principles, elicit sense of responsibility, deal constructively with ambiguity and disagreement

• Assessment Instruments– Homework, exams, essays, role playing

• Ethical Analysis– Stakeholders, identify standards and norms, professional

guidelines, analysis from multiple perspectives• Scoring Rubric

– Recognition of dilemmas, information (facts, evidence), analysis (analogous cases, multiple alternatives), Perspective (singular v. global), resolution (integrity of solution, understands consequences)

http://www.onlineethics.org/Resources/Bibliographies/evaluationbiblio.aspx

Geoethics and Self • Examining the internal attributes of a geoscientist

that establish the ethical values required to successfully prepare for and contribute to a career in the geosciences

• Develop self-monitoring and self-regulating behaviors, according to standards of the profession;

• Ability to identify ethical dilemmas and their implications

• Provide a “toolkit” of strategies and practices to employ ethical decision-making

• Related to – Metacognition: Self-monitoring, Self-regulating

behaviors– Affective Domain: Motivations, fears, barriers,

pre-conceptions,….

Geoethics and the Geoscience Profession

• Identifying ethical standards expected of geoscientists if they are to contribute responsibly to the community of practice;

• Codes of Ethics of Professional Societies• Responsible conduct of research• Interpersonal/Work relations• Are there limits to geoscience research?

(GEO-IRB)• Geoheritage sites, ethics of collecting

samples

Geoethics and Society• Exploring geoscientists’ responsibilities to

effectively and responsibly communicate the results of geoscience research to inform society about issues ranging from geohazards to natural resource utilization in order to protect public health, safety, and economic security

• Effectively communicating geoscience to the community

• Public policy and litigation• Geoscience and underrepresented groups,

Environmental Justice• Impacts on/by Earth and humanity (hazards,

resources)

Geoethics and Earth

• Explicating geoscientists’ responsibilities to provide stewardship towards of the Earth based on their knowledge of Earth’s composition, architecture, history, dynamic processes, and complex systems.

• The Anthropocene, Climate Change, Geoengineering• Environmental ethics• Geodiversity• Water, energy resources

• “Deep Ecology”, Leopold’s “Land Ethic”• “A man is rich in proportion to the

number of things he can afford to leave alone”. –H.D. Thoreau

You are Invited!!!

• Check out the resources on the website

• Encourage your faculty to – use and contribute resources– Embed Geoethics (course and

content) into your curriculumhttp://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/index.html

Additional Slides

Scientists should:1. consider the potential of each research or development project to contribute to societal well-being; 2. consider the risk of adverse consequences associated with their work; 3. publicly disclose risks associated with their work; 4. take steps to minimize anticipated risks associated with their work;5. take steps so that their research, findings, or products are not used inappropriately by others; 6. explain their work to the public; 7. report suspected misconduct they observe by scientists or engineers; 8. serve in advisory roles in the public arena in their area of expertise; 9. participate in public policy deliberations in their area of expertise; and10. engage in public service activities.

Social Responsibility: A Preliminary Inquiry into the Perspectives of Scientists, Engineers and Health Professionals, AAAS in press (Survey Results)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

Overall Responses

Critically ImportantVery ImportantImportantNot Very ImportantNot At All ImportantUnsureNo Response

Likert Questions

AAAS Survey Results, n~2600

• provides a reference and guidelines for behaviour in addressing concrete problems of human life by trying to find socio-economic solutions compatible with the respect for the environment and the protection of Nature and land;

• points out the social role and responsibilities of Geoscientists as well as the ethical, cultural and economic implications that their work may have on society;

• encourages a critical analysis of the use and management of geo-resources like for example water and minerals, promoting their eco-friendly and socio-friendly development;

• deals with problems related to the risk management and the mitigation of georisks;

Geoethics:

--IAPG Constitution

• fosters the proper and correct dissemination of the

results of scientific studies and information on risks;• aims to improve the relationships between the

scientific community, mass media and general public; promotes the development of geoparks and of the geo-tourism, in order to create social awareness about the value of the geological heritage and geodiversity;

• highlights the value and usefulness of geological and geophysical knowledge in daily life by promoting disciplines like Geo-medicine and Forensic Geosciences;

• aims to organize effective teaching tools to develop awareness, values and responsibility, especially amongst young people.

Geoethics:

--IAPG Constitution

Preamble/Introduction (AGI Code of Conduct, in review)

Geoscientists play a critical role in ethical decision-making about stewardship of Earth, the use of its resources, and the interactions between humankind and the planet on which we live. The public must trust and have confidence in the work of individual geoscientists and the geosciences as a profession. The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) expects those in the profession to adhere to the highest ethical standards in all professional activities. Geoscientists should engage responsibly in the conduct and reporting of their work, acknowledging the uncertainties and limits of current understanding inherent in studies of natural systems. Geoscientists should respect the work of colleagues and those who use and rely upon the products of their work.

1. What is the geoethical issue concerning you?

2. What geoethical options can you identify?

3. What are the relevant interests in this situation?

4. What geoethical and scientific guidance can you derive from sources of authority?

5. Are there any broader geoethical considerations that you need to take into account? If yes, what are they?

6. Who have you consulted or discussed this issue with? And what was their advice?

Adapted to Geoethics/Based on the Ethical Deliberation Questionnaire

7. In considering your options for action, what are the likely consequences?

8. What have you decided is the best course of action in this case?

9. In summary, what are your reasons for deciding on this course of action?

Proposed geoethical questionnaire It provides practical assistance, through a step-by-step process of working through a geoethical problem.

Credit: Jesús Martínez-Frías, IGCP 2012, Brisbane

7 Step Guide to Ethical Decision Making (Davis, 1999)

1. State Problem2. Check facts3. Identify relevant factors4. Develop list of options5. Test options: harm test, pubicity test, defensibility test, reversibility test, colleague test, professional test, organizaiton test6. Make a choice7. Review steps 1-6; action, mitigation to prevent future situations

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/emsc302/node/170