Learning as Tools for Biosecurity Education Jo L. Husbands - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Responsible Science and Active Learning as Tools for Biosecurity Education

Jo L. Husbands Scholar/Senior Project Director Board on Life Sciences

Three Assumptions

• Education as the foundation for

biorisk management/biosecurity

• Power of framing issues as

responsible conduct of science

• Contributions of active learning to

effective education

• Goal – Create networks of faculty
• Context – general life sciences community
• Framing – dual use as part of responsible conduct
• Model – NAS Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Biology

Education – Residential – Hands-on experience; Work in teams – Emphasis on active learning – Commitment to apply in home institutions – Follow-up

Education Institutes

– Small grant competition enables participants to apply their knowledge in home institutions – Reunion and assessment – Report on first Institute produced in June 2013

Educational Institutes

Education Institutes

• Two Institutes in the MENA (2012 and 2014)

– Partnering with Bibliotheca Alexandrina and TWAS – Faculty from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Yemen

• Institute in South/Southeast Asia (2013)

– Partnering with Academy of Sciences Malaysia – Faculty from India, Malaysia, and Pakistan

Two Lessons: #1 Framing the issues as Responsible Science:

• Makes concepts such as biosecurity and dual use

relevant and more readily accepted when presented as part of the larger social responsibility of science;

• Is compatible with more security-focused activities for

specialized, more directly affected audiences;

• Facilitates reaching wide range of scientists, who are

part of many stakeholders (e.g., academia, industry, public health); and

• Can complement the existing legal and regulatory

structure and provide a basis for discussing additional measures or changes in practices.

Lesson #2 Using active learning techniques:

• Is readily accepted as an innovative and effective

approach to teaching (capacity building)

• Is being successfully implemented by participants in

their home institutions (sustainability)

– Works even for those from hierarchical academic systems and large universities – Provides an opportunity to share their experiences and lessons learned

THANK YOU!

For more information: Jo L. Husbands jhusband@nas.edu All NAS reports available as free pdfs at www.nap.edu