May 2014

ON ETHICS
Ethics Program Targets University STEM Cultures

Are engineering students being educated in an academic setting that fosters a commitment to ethical conduct in research and professional practice? A National Science Foundation-supported program wants to make sure the answer is yes.

The Cultivating Culture for Ethical STEM program is a revamped initiative aimed at supporting research that addresses the formation of ethical STEM students, faculty, and researchers at all levels. The previous program, formerly known as the Ethics Education and Science and Engineering program, targeted only research focused on graduate education but now expands into undergraduate education.

The NSF program provides more than $3 million in grants. The grants support higher education institutions that foster STEM research in all engineering and science fields and produce content about what constitutes responsible or irresponsible, just or unjust scientific practices and sociotechnical systems, and how to best equip students with this knowledge. The grants will be available to as many as eight universities. Professional associations can serve as nonlead collaborators for these university programs.

The program is seeking answers to the following questions:

• What constitutes effective ethical STEM research and practice?
• Which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why? Factors one might consider include: honor codes, professional ethics codes and licensing requirements, an ethic of service and/or service learning, life-long learning requirements, curricula, or membership in organizations that stress social responsibility.
• Do certain labs have a “culture of integrity?”
• What practices contribute to the establishment and maintenance of ethical cultures and how can these practices be transferred, extended to, and integrated into other research and learning settings?
• What are the existing “descriptive” and “injunctive” social norms regarding STEM teaching, learning, research, and practice?
• How are ethical norms communicated to STEM students, faculty, and researchers? Are there more effective ways of doing so?
• Are there ways that the lessons from social psychology and marketing environments can be used to cultivate ethical behavior?

NSPE’s position statement on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, calls for a greater emphasis on engineering and calls for significant change to the core curriculum in the K–12 levels.

Access more information about the Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM program at www.nsf.gov.