Week Three (Again): Requisite Comments about Responsibility
Hello again! This time, I'm writing to share my ruminations on the concept of responsible conduct in research. Although any ethical issues I might face in the lab probably wouldn't be as dramatic as the ones featured in the movie And the Band Played On (which the HH fellows watched together, and which I highly recommend watching), I can certainly see why anyone involved in research should have RCR in the back of their mind at all times.
Since I work with animals, there's a different dimension of RCR that comes into play-- making sure that the animals are treated properly and that any pain or suffering on their part is as minimal as possible. Luckily my experiments don't cause any pain to the birds, but part of RCR is having a vet on call in case anything were to happen, and to make sure that the animals are not neglected.
Although I don't expect to get any glory from working with birds, it's important that any scientist is forthright in their data collection and analysis, and doesn't try to skew data to get the results they want. Basically, in research as in life, honesty is the best policy.
*steps down off of soapbox*
