Maya Lewis, Staff Writer

 

How does Notre Dame’s being a Catholic research university impact its integration of ethical and religious commitments to scientific pursuits?

 

The Rover spoke with a number of people on this topic, all of whom spoke of service to mankind as being the purpose of research.

 

“Our Mission Statement clearly articulates that the purpose of engineering in general is to be in direct service of humankind, and as a Catholic university, this mission flows directly from our love of God and love of neighbor,” said Peter Kilpatrick, Dean of the College of Engineering.

 

In the department of engineering, teachers frequently discuss the real world applications of engineering projects, such as how technological developments could be used in medicine.

 

Science and engineering students often enter into this spirit of service, participating in various local and out-of-state volunteering activities.  For example, students who take courses at the the Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine learn about patient-based health care and train to work and volunteer at the local hospice organization.

 

Notre Dame’s Eck Center for Global Health focuses on diseases like malaria that affect poverty-stricken areas.  When field sites are established in developing nations, the university takes care to ensure that they help to develop human capital and make the people of the country true partners in the solution, rather than merely collecting samples and leaving the area with objective accomplished.

“I think all scientists think about [standards of ethical research] all the time,” remarked professor Mary Ann McDowell of the biology department.

 

The baseline for people’s thoughts on ethics are the federal and international standards that are required to receive funding.  This is part of graduate student training; learning about intellectual property, honest reporting of data and acceptable standards for animal or human subjects in research.  At Notre Dame, according to McDowell and others, it is generally understood that embryonic stem cell research is prohibited.

 

However, Notre Dame’s researchers concern themselves with more than methodology, looking at the possible ramifications of research in the world.

“We are not collecting data or developing theories in a context-free environment—this activity is conducted by human beings, and it is for human beings,” said Gregory Crawford, Dean of the College of Science.

 

This idea is often emphasized in the classroom.

“My genetics professor, David Hyde, brings up the ethical dilemmas arising from genetic discoveries that have implications for genetic counseling and treatment plans,” explained Madeline Chandra, a sophomore biology student.

Explicit emphasis on ethics, though, often depends on the course.  According to physics professor John LoSecco: “Most science classes are very technical and involve mastering the material.  There isn’t much time for unrelated fields.”

 

There are many science classes, however, with strong ethical and philosophical elements, such as the technology and ethics class.  For engineering majors, “Ethical and Social Issues” is required to graduate.  This reflects a core aspect of Notre Dame’s Catholic mission is educating the whole person: intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual.

 

All students are required to take general education courses in the First Year of Studies, and according to the Office of the Dean, more than half of the students in the College of Science have majors and minors in the humanities.  The Glynn Family Honors Program brings together the best of Science and Arts and Letters for students who have strong interests in both the sciences and the liberal arts.

 

According to Kyle Koser, a sophomore Computer Sciences major, sophomores and juniors looking for internships sometimes have difficulty, being practically a year behind other schools in their science courses due to the university requirements in the liberal arts.  He agrees, however, that such classes are necessary: “People complain—I do my fair share—but it’s very important that Notre Dame emphasizes a liberal education.  We can’t keep our heads down and live in a world of pure science and math, because that’s not the real world.”

 

It is commonly accepted at Notre Dame that research ought to be performed in light of the Catholic commitment to ethical behavior and the common good, but it is difficult to sustain discussion and reflection in the midst of hectic academic schedules.

 

“I guess we are so busy doing our jobs as engineering faculty members that we don’t always have the time or leisure to ‘wax philosophical’.  But [discussion of interaction between science and religion] does come up,” noted Kilpatrick.

 

Maya Lewis is a freshman biology and music major who is interested in alternative medicine and medieval music.  If you would like to discuss either, she would be happy to be contacted at mlewis12@nd.edu.