Every November 10, this annual celebration focuses attention on the need for citizens around the world to become more engaged in the debate about cutting-edge science.
The theme for 2018 is Science, A Human Right, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers.
Eliza Reilly, executive director of the National Centre for Science and Civic Engagement, a non-profit which seeks to strengthen student learning and interest in STEM by connecting course topics to issues of local, national and global importance, said rethinking STEM education is necessary to produce graduates equipped to tackle society’s environmental, economic and political challenges. – Integrating Human Rights with STEM Education Inspires Students reported in AAAS
While Science, A Human Right is internationally celebrated on a single day, educators should consider, where appropriate, interweaving scientific literacy and civic literacy in teaching and learning beyond that day. The following are some ideas that can give learners the opportunity to make connections between their knowledge and skills with the world around them.
1. Biology- Infectious Diseases ManagementIncreasingly, human rights are being used to frame responses to global public heath challenges. Educators can incorporate the following discussion when teaching about viruses and infectious diseases.
Discuss the ethical challenges of effective collaboration in global health emergencies. (Read more about the current work on investigating ethical issues arising in research in global health emergencies.)
Find out more about human dignity and human rights as a common ground for a global bioethics published in The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy.
2.Biology- Genome Editing
What would it be like to live in a society in which genome editing were in use? Educators can incorporate this discussion when teaching about gene expression and DNA mutations. What are the considerations taken to strike a balance between securing the benefits to be gained and protecting individuals, societies and future generations from misuse of science.
3. General Science- Climate Change
Climate change threatens the effective enjoyment of human rights including the rights to food, housing and culture. However, some policy makers around the world either deny that global climate change is occurring or acknowledge that climate is changing but they deny that those changes are caused by human actions. As a result, they cannot drive any change to policies until there is sufficient scientific data. Educators can get learners to consider the following questions:
What are the arguments used to support the decision to not act on the climate change issue? What about the other side of the argument?
How much scientific data is enough for policy makers to respond to global climate change?
4. Physics-Energy Poverty
When was the last time you worried about getting power? The blackout which occurred recently in Singapore for less than an hour or so frazzled many residents. But in many parts of the world, living without electricity is the norm. The effects of not having any stable access to electricity deprives people of not just opportunities to learn, live and interact using new technologies, but threatens the basic tenets of survival and health. Due to the use of alternative lighting methods such as burning candles and firewood, many women and children suffer from respiratory-related illnesses. Educators can ask students to consider:
As global citizens, how can we assist to help those in South Asia and Africa to access energy? What about as scientists?
What are the disparities and disadvantages that may arise to people from having so little access to power? What implications does this have on a national and international scale?
5. Physics-Nuclear Power and Nuclear Waste Disposal
While nuclear power is low carbon-emission process which provides a large amount of energy for many countries, how do we dispose of the spent fuel rods? As Singapore contemplates a future where either our South East Asian neighbours or ourselves may transit to using nuclear power, here are some discussion trigger questions you may want to broach with your students.
What are the possible security issues that may arise from nuclear power and its waste?
What are the things that as science students we should do in order to inform ourselves about these issues?
6. Chemistry - Water and Sanitation
The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible, and affordable water for personal and domestic (household) use.
You may read more about the rights to water and sanitation here.
The context of water can be used as learning experience that is engaging and edifying for students to learn valuable practical skills and useful chemistry. At the same time, students will discover the power of chemistry to provide reliable information and data within our society.
Various activities can be used to provide educational opportunities to learn about the key role of chemistry in providing clean, safe water. Students can also gain a deeper understanding of the concept of water treatment. Some possible lesson ideas are given below:
Variation in free chlorine – Measurement of variation in free chlorine in swimming pool water during regular events – e.g., change in temperature, after rain etc.
Variation in free chlorine – Monitoring of free chlorine in home drinking water over a period of time (very little variation should be measured in urban areas).
The role of metal salts in coagulation – the role of the Al3+ ion.
More details of the activities can be found here
These activities can help to raise awareness about the role of chemistry in providing one of the most basic human needs - clean and safe drinking water.
7. Chemistry - Agro-chemical industry and Food security
There has been calls for a new global treaty to phase out the use of hazardous pesticides, accusing the agrochemical industry of aggressive, unethical marketing tactics in denying the dangers associated with pesticides, the scale of its impacts, as well as how they have tried to shift the blame to farmers for misusing their products.
While evolving technology in the manufacturing of pesticides and other agricultural innovations have certainly helped to keep up with the world’s unprecedented jumps in food demand, it has also come at the expense of human health and the environment. Pesticides are responsible for an estimated 200,000 acute poisoning deaths each year, 99% of which occur in developing countries. We have to realise that a reliance on hazardous pesticides is a short-term solution that imposes substantial costs on governments and undermines human rights and the health of farmers and agricultural workers, communities living near agricultural lands, indigenous communities, and pregnant women and children. The solution requires a holistic approach to the right to adequate food that includes phasing out dangerous pesticides and enforcing an effective regulatory framework grounded on a human rights approach, coupled with a transition towards sustainable agricultural practices that take into account the challenges of resource scarcity and climate change.
Possible questions about the morals and ethics in the application of science to society:
How does the use of pesticides in agriculture affect human health and our natural environment?
How can we achieve food sustainability without the use of damaging chemicals?
Links to resources on this topic:
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