Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education

TIE 2017: EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education pp 79–94Cite as

Educating Responsible Innovators-to-Be: Hands-on Participation with Biotechnology

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering ((LNEE,volume 532))

Abstract

How does one go about educating responsible innovators? What are the skills and sensitivities that we wish to sharpen in our students, the responsible innovators of the future, so that they can respond to the needs of a complex and ever-conflicting society? And how do we do so in an engaging and effective manner? This paper advocates a humanities-informed approach to responsible innovation education and contributes a pedagogic stance that emphasizes experiential learning and hands-on participation. Given the domain of biotechnology, a booming industry defined by rapid technological developments and pending moral challenges, we examine DIY biology and contemporary art as a means to an embodied engagement with the ethical and societal concerns surrounding biotechnology. The paper documents educational activities and observations from a specific educational module, namely the course “Ethics, culture and biotechnology”, organized and taught by the authors as part of the higher education program Responsible Innovation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    For a brief history of the major developments in engineering ethics education, see [7].

  2. 2.

    While strictly speaking an artist workshop (cf Sect. 4.2), we classify this activity as a DIY exercise due to the staging of the workshop, the form of participation assumed by the students and the straightforward nature of the activity.

  3. 3.

    For a short commentary on this activity, see [33] (in Dutch only).

  4. 4.

    While we have no means to specify which (out of the multiple) interactive activities are most appreciated, our informal evaluations suggest that both the DIY biology activities and the artist workshops make a lasting impression to the students.

References

  1. R. Owen, J. Bessant, M. Heintz, Responsible Innovation: Managing the Responsible Emergence of Science and Innovation in Society (Wiley, Chichester, 2013)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. X. Pavie, V. Scholten, D. Carthy, Responsible Innovation Within Research and Education (World Scientific, London, 2014)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. R. Von Schomberg, A vision of responsible research and innovation, in Responsible Innovation: Managing the Responsible Emergence of Science and Innovation in Society (Wiley, Chichester, 2013), pp. 51–74

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. B.J. Koops, The Concepts, Approaches, and Applications of Responsible Innovation (Springer, New York, 2015), pp. 1–15

    Google Scholar 

  5. R. Owen, P. Macnaghten, J. Stilgoe, Responsible research and innovation: from science in society to science for society, with society. Sci. Public Policy 39(6), 751–760 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. H. Etzkowitz, The Triple Helix: University-Industry-Government Innovation in Action (Routledge, London, 2008)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  7. C. Mitcham, E.E. Englehardt, Ethics across the curriculum: prospects for broader (and deeper) teaching and learning in research and engineering ethics. Sci. Eng. Ethics 1–28 (2016), https://link.springer.com/journal/11948/onlineFirst/page/5

  8. H. Zandvoort, I. VanDePoel, M. Brumsen, Ethics in the engineering curricula: topics, trends and challenges for the future. Eur. J. Eng. Educ. 25(4), 291–302 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. E. Conlon, H. Zandvoort, Broadening ethics teaching in engineering: beyond the individualistic approach. Sci. Eng. Ethics 17(2), 217–232 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. A. Colby, W.M. Sullivan, Ethics teaching in undergraduate engineering education. J. Eng. Educ. 97(3), 327 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  11. J.R. Herkert, Ways of thinking about and teaching ethical problem solving: microethics and macroethics in engineering. Sci. Eng. Ethics 11(3), 373–385 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. G. Palsson, B. Szerszynski, S. Sörlin, J. Marks, B. Avril, C. Crumley, H. Hackmann, P. Holm, J. Ingram, A. Kirman, Reconceptualizing the ‘anthropos’ in the anthropocene: integrating the social sciences and humanities in global environmental change research. Environ. Sci. Pol. 28, 3–13 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. S. Sörlin, Environmental humanities: why should biologists interested in the environment take the humanities seriously? BioScience 62(9), 788–789 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. J. Stilgoe, R. Owen, P. Macnaghten, Developing a framework for responsible innovation. Res. Policy 42(9), 1568–1580 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. R.D. Hollander, C.R. Arenberg, National Academy of Engineering. Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society, Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (National Academies Press, Washington, 2009)

    Google Scholar 

  16. A. Delgado, DIYbio: making things and making futures. Futures 48(0), 65–73 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. J. Keulartz, H. van den Belt, DIY-bio – economic, epistemological and ethical implications and ambivalences. Life Sci. Soc. Policy 12(1), 1–19 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. G. Seyfried, L. Pei, M. Schmidt, European do-it-yourself (DIY) biology: beyond the hope, hype and horror. Bioessays 36(6), 548–551 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. T. Landrain, M. Meyer, A.M. Perez, R. Sussan, Do-it-yourself biology: challenges and promises for an open science and technology movement. Syst. Synth. Biol. 7(3), 115–126 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. D. Grushkin, T. Kuiken, P. Millet, Seven myths and realities about do-it-yourself biology. Report, Woodrow Wilson International Center For Scholars (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  21. J. Hauser, Bioart-taxonomy of an etymological monster, in Hybrid: Living in Paradox (Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2005), pp. 182–187

    Google Scholar 

  22. A. Kallergi, Bioart on display: Challenges and opportunities of exhibiting bioart. http://kallergia.com/bioart/docs/kallergi_bioartOnDisplay.pdf (2008). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  23. R. Zwijnenberg, Preface, in Art, the Life Science, and the Humanities: In Search of a Relationship (Springer, New York, 2009), pp. xiii–xxix

    Google Scholar 

  24. M. De Menezes, The Laboratory as an Art Studio. The Aesthetics of Care, pp. 53–58 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  25. S. Wilson, Information Arts: Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology (MIT Press, London, 2002)

    Google Scholar 

  26. R.E. Mitchell, Bioart and the Vitality of Media (University of Washington Press, Seattle, 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Leiden University, Responsible innovation, 2016–2017, e-prospectus, Leiden University. http://studiegids.leidenuniv.nl/en/studies/show/4903/responsible-innovation (2016). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  28. Leiden University, Who owns life? Ethical, juridical, and artistic encounters with biotechnology, 2016–2017, e-prospectus, Leiden University. http://studiegids.leidenuniv.nl/en/courses/show/65703/who-owns-life-ethical-juridical-and-artistic-encounters-with-biotechnology (2016). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  29. S.K.V.R. Edwards, J.H. Bauer, M. Olianas, P. Onali, High-velocity microprojectiles for delivering nucleic acids into living cells. Nature 327, 7 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Helios gene gun systems, life science research, Bio-Rad. http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/product/helios-gene-gun-system (2017). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  31. A. Zaretsky, Mutafelch – methods of transgenesis: Genegun (biolistics). http://www.kapelica.org/index_en.html#event=993 (2016). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  32. J. Zylinska, Bioethics in the Age of New Media, vol. 1 (MIT Press, Cambridge, 2009)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  33. M. Groot, Nano supermarket, vaghurt en moedermelk. Article Food for Thought. Blikken op kunst en eten(15), 10–14 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  34. A. Vandeleur-Boorer, Vaghurt. http://www.alicevandeleur-boorer.co.uk/vaghurt_2013-2015.html (2013–2015). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

  35. A. Vandeleur-Boorer, Alice and heath school. http://www.alicevandeleur-boorer.co.uk/alice_and_heath_school2014-ongoing.html (2014). Last accessed: 22 Aug. 2017

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all students of the “Ethics, culture and biotechnology” module for their insights and participation. Also, our colleagues at the minor Responsible Innovation for realizing such an ambitious and innovative program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Amalia Kallergi & Robert Zwijnenberg

Authors
  1. Amalia Kallergi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert Zwijnenberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amalia Kallergi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain

    Angelica Reyes-Munoz

  2. Business School, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

    Ping Zheng

  3. Ravensbourne University, London, UK

    David Crawford

  4. University of Essex, Colchester, UK

    Victor Callaghan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kallergi, A., Zwijnenberg, R. (2019). Educating Responsible Innovators-to-Be: Hands-on Participation with Biotechnology. In: Reyes-Munoz, A., Zheng, P., Crawford, D., Callaghan, V. (eds) EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education. TIE 2017. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 532. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02242-6_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02242-6_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-02241-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-02242-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation