Genetic Engineering

Ms. Blakely

DeWitt Clinton High School

Living Environment/Research Class

Spring Term 2003

 

Introduction

It is 2003.  You are 30 years old.  Your time at DeWitt Clinton High School seems so long ago (about 12 yrs. ago).  It has been an intense 12 years getting yourself through undergrad, medical school, an internship, your residency, and you are now ready for a fellowship.  To get a complete understanding of what you have just been through look at this link on becoming a doctor.  Your hard work has paid off, and you, three other residents, and your friend (who is a lawyer) are applying for a $150,000, 2-year fellowship to study genetics, ethics, and public policy in the research department at Blakely Hospital (one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country J). 

 

During the past 12 years, sweeping changes have been made in the field of genetics.  Some of the stuff you learned in Ms. Blakely’s biology class 12 years ago is obsolete.  Therefore you ask, “Why did we have to learn that information and take a test?”  At the time you took biology, Ms. Blakely presented all of the current knowledge and technology associated with biology.  However, as technology advances, our content knowledge changes along with it.  Besides the content changes, we are experiencing a change in the ethical thinking associated with the technological changes.  One problem associated with our technology is what to do with it.

 

Task

Your task is to write a proposal for what you plan to study during this fellowship and present it to the hospital’s fellowship committee (the class) as a PowerPoint presentation.  You need to evaluate current public policy surrounding this issue, develop some alternative policies, and then chose which policy you will pursue in this project.  This proposal needs to make you stand out above the crowd because there are an estimated 250 applicant groups.

 

Parts of the Proposal:  Look in the “Evaluation” section for the suggested length of each section.

 

ü      Title

ü      Project Overview

ü      Background Information/Define the Problem

ü      Preliminary Studies –Gather Evidence, Identify Causes, and Evaluate an Existing Policy

ü      Research Design and Methods – How do you plan to study your problem?

ü      Evaluate the Best Solution

 

Process

Day One – You will be in 6 groups of 5.  You need to decide which person is going to take on the following responsibilities: coordinator (MD), lawyer (JD), researcher (MD), writer (MD), and technician (MD).  Once you decide who is going to take on each responsibility, the coordinator needs to organize the group so that you will complete your proposal in a timely manner.

 

1st -Define the problem your group wishes to study.  You have a choice between: 1) Stem cell research, 2) Gene therapy, and 3) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) (i.e. cloned animals, designer babies).  No two groups can research the same problem from the same point of view.  Therefore, we need to decide which group is studying which problem within the class.

 

You must complete the following worksheet by the end of class today.

 

Day Two

I have provided some links below in the “Resources” section to help get you started.  The coordinator and lawyer need to look up legal issues related to their topic.  The researcher and writer need to look up “the science” behind your topic.  The technician can start working on the PowerPoint presentation by looking for clip art or other pictures to help enhance your presentation. 

Each person needs to browse the websites and then complete the following worksheet as a group:

 

Day Three

Today will be used to complete individual tasks.

Coordinator – Organize the group (perhaps make a calendar) so your proposal is presentable on the due date.

Lawyer- Look for past or current laws, acts, or regulations (if there are any) on your topic.  You need to look at the ethical problems associated with your topic. 

Researcher – Look for the science behind this technology.  (i.e. How is the DNA manipulated? How does this help disease?)

Writer – Start writing the proposal.  You will need to work with the technician for final presentation since your paper is the presentation.

Technician – Working on the PowerPoint presentation.  Prepare the template/layouts of each slide.

If you didn’t finish worksheet #2, finish it today.

 

Day Four

With the exception of the writer, continue research and complete the following worksheet:

Coordinator – organize a meeting as to how your group plans to study your topic at the Blakely Hospital.

Writer – continue writing proposal.  Ask people in your group to help you!

 

Day Five

You need to have a committee meeting to determine what each person has completed and what they still need to complete.  Also, complete Worksheet 4: Evaluating Existing Public Policies AS A GROUP.  This worksheet will help your group brainstorm ideas that can be molded into your final public policy.

 

Day Six

Complete the following two worksheets.  They will help your group focus on the intention of your proposal so your presentation is logical and clear.

Worksheet 5: Developing Public Policy Solutions

Worksheet 6: Selecting the Best Public Policy Solution

 

Day Seven

Today’s task is to finish your Power Point presentation and written proposal.  Make sure you refer to the rubric to ensure that you obtain the grade you want J.

 

Day Eight

Tie up loose ends and practice presentations.

 

Day Nine

Groups #1, #2, & #3 present proposals.

 

Day Ten

Groups #4, #5, & #6 present proposals.

 

 

References

Stem Cells

 

How to Become a Doctor

 

Designer Babies

 

Genetically Modified Organisms

·        http://www.agribiz.com/newsbio.html

·        http://www.futuradesign.co.uk/gm/

·        http://www.purefood.org

·        http://www.edf.org/pubs/FactSheet/a BioTFact.html

·        http://www.safe-food.org

·        http://www.thecampaign.org

·        http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/elsi/gmfood.html

 

Genetics Glossary

 

Cloning

 

Gene Therapy

·        http://www.asgt.org

·        http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.html

 

 

General Search Engines

·        https://www.google.com

·        http://www.yahoo.com

·        http://www.altavista.com

 

Evaluation

 

:     Written Proposal Rubric

 

 

3

2

1

0

Title

Present and creative

Present, little creativity

Present, no creativity

No title

Project Overview (one paragraph, i.e. 5 sentences)

Comprehensive overview

Somewhat comprehensive overview

Overview is present, but it did not summarize your project

No project overview

Background Information/Define the Problem

(0.5 page)

You defined the problem properly to write your proposal.

You defined the problem, but you could have benefited from more research.

You have not clearly defined the problem.

You did not define the problem.

Preliminary Studies –Gather Evidence, Identify Causes, and Evaluate an Existing Policy

(one page)

You have gathered enough information to thoroughly evaluate current policies.

You gathered some information, but would have benefited from more research.

You gathered little information to evaluate policies.

No preliminary studies

Research Design and Methods – How do you plan to study your problem?

(one page)

You did enough research to determine the proper design for studying your topic.

You did some research to determine the proper design for your topic.

You did little research to determine the proper design for your topic.

No research design

Evaluate the Best Solution

(0.5 page)

You chose the best solution based on the information you gathered.

You chose a good solution, but I am not sure what you based your decision on.

You have a solution, but it is not based on your research.

No evaluation

Grammar

Great Job! 0 mistakes

Good Job! 1-2 mistakes

OK Job. 3-4 mistakes.

Mistakes many too

Spelling

Great Job!  0 mistakes

Good Job! 1-2 mistakes

OK Job. 3-4 mistakes.

2 meny misteaks

 

Grading Scale for Written Proposal

 

A = 21-24

B = 19-20

C = 17-18

D = 15-16

F = 14 and below

 

:     PowerPoint Presentation Rubric

 

 

3

2

1

0

Power Point Presentation Content

Each group member presents and there are 2 slides/person

Each group member presents and there are 1.8 slides/person

Each group member presents and there are 1.6 slides/person

All members do not present and/or there are less than 1.4 slides/person

Subject Knowledge

Group demonstrates full knowledge of subject matter and beyond

Group demonstrates knowledge of subject matter

Groups demonstrates a little knowledge of subject matter

Group does not know subject matter

Organization

Presentation is logical and clear

 

Presentation is logical and somewhat vague

Presentation is a illogical which makes the project vague

Student presentation is illogical and distorted

 

Professionalism

Wow!  I’d hire anyone in your group.

Your group needs a little more experience/practice.

Your group did not take this seriously.

I hope you are not looking for a job anytime soon.

Relevancy

All slides are relevant to the proposal

Most slides are relevant to the proposal

Few slides are relevant to the proposal

What was your presentation about?

Creativity

Presentation fully captivates audience interest.

Presentation somewhat captivates audience interest

Presentation minimally captivates audience

Thank you, I got my nap for the day.

Neatness

A little time and effort goes a long way!  Good job!

Font and graphics make presentation a little difficult to understand

Font and graphics distracted from presentation

Presentation was difficult to understand due to it’s sloppiness

Grammar

Wonderful!

0 errors

1-2 errors

3-4 errors

Errors more or 7

Spelling

Great Job!  0 errors

1-2 errors

3-4 errors

7 or mor air-roors

 

Grading Scale for PowerPoint Presentation

A = 27-24

B = 23-22

C = 21-19

D = 18-15

F = 14 and below

 

 

Conclusion

 

            Our expanding knowledge in the field of genetics has given us new applications for technology, but it has also created several ethical dilemmas.  Each one of the topics you studied has two and maybe more points of view.  Many of these new technologies have already been used to enhance people’s quality of life, but many questions remain unanswered and many problems have no comprehensive solutions.   It will be up to us to determine how and when our genetic technology should or should not be used.

 

New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning

Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 2: Information Systems

o        Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 4: Science

o        Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Standard 6: Interconnectedness: Common Themes

o        Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

o        Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

Social Studies

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

o        Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding … the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

o        Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

    • Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

 

*This WebQuest was prepared in association with the TIPS 2002 program, Bronx, NY.