In the eighth installment of the ABE Teacher Roundtable series, we discussed bioethics – what it is, why it matters, and how to engage students in relevant bioethics topics. Our ABE panelists discussed the importance of bioethics as an emerging field, described strategies for integrating bioethics into science classrooms, and shared examples of classroom activities and curricula they have used to help students explore this new domain in biotechnology.  

Tammy Fay, ABE Massachusetts

Tammy has a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, two master’s degrees in education and is currently completing her doctorate in STEM leadership. This June she is completing her 25th year in education, with 18 as a high school biological sciences educator and six as the Science, Technology, & Engineering Department Head.

Elaine Quinn, ABE Ireland

Elaine has a M.Sc. Science Communication from Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast and is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland. She is the Institute Manager in UCD Conway Institute, and has more than 18 years’ experience in communications, public engagement, and graduate education. She also manages the Patient Voice in Cancer Research, an initiative to build connections between
cancer patients and researchers.

Karen Stephens, ABE United Kingdom

After finishing a PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Leeds, Karen enjoyed postgraduate work and opportunities to engage in Science Communication with a range of audiences. This led her to do a PGCE in Biology at the University of Cambridge. Since completing this in 2005, Karen has worked as an educator with the 11-18 age range, been involved in teacher CPD and had the worked for the ABE UK program from 2011 to 2019.