Scientific ethics

Scientific ethics is and should be part of a science education (Chemistry in Australia, February 2014 issue, page 38). The Australian Curriculum implies ethical practice as early as year 2 when collecting and recording observations, and explicitly discussing ethical considerations from as early as year 3, in which students are expected to learn that science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions, and in particular, considering how materials including solids and liquids affect the environment in different ways, and deciding what characteristics make a material a pollutant. As students progress through various year levels, this becomes more involved, for example at year 7, they learn that solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations. At tertiary level, students are also expected to have an awareness of the ethical requirements that are appropriate for the discipline. Professional organisations, like the RACI, have long had a Code of Ethics (By-Law 13), and more employers are also introducing formal or informal codes: for example, the Victorian government requires that all public sector employees uphold the following values: responsiveness, integrity, impartiality, accountability, respect, leadership, and human rights.