During the summer of 2018, The Hastings Center hosted its inaugural summer bioethics workshop for secondary school science teachers. The aim of the program was to prepare teachers to incorporate bioethics instruction into their classrooms by focusing on the social and ethical issues raised by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and other breakthrough genetic technologies. In particular, the workshop explored the issues raised by the prospect of being able to modify the human germline—eggs, sperm, and embryo—in permanent, heritable ways.

Participants were able to:

• Sharpen their ability to identify ethical questions
• Learn about the history and science of human genetic modification
• Develop pedagogical skills for facilitating highly participatory ethics discussions
• Receive ready strategies and materials to bring back to the classroom
• Network and dialogue with peers and experts

This program was made possible with generous funding from the John Templeton Foundation.

Watch video highlights of the three-day workshop.