Sci 10

Science and Society

Section DD, Second Semester 2009-2010. Team-taught by Dr. Nina Rosario L. Rojas and Ms. Carole M. Loable.

See the updated syllabus:

• As PDF file: sci10-DD_syllabus_200910s2_RojasLoable_pdf.pdf

2009.11.09. HOMEWORK #1,  due Monday, November 16 or earlier

1. worth 5 points: ID picture please (photo or electronic; if electronic, 300 dpi or higher resolution)- email to address on the syllabus.
2. worth 5 points: Please fill-up and submit  electronically a copy of the student profile sheet.
   1. Open Office Writer: student_profile_sheet_sci10_OpenOfc.odt
   2. Microsoft Word (97-2003): student_profile_sheet_sci10_MSWord.doc

2009.11.09. HOMEWORK #2,  for Monday, November 16, 2009’s class activity (10-point group activity)

1. For class on Monday, November 16, 2009, please bring:
   1. A news item or feature story (not an opinion) on a scientific discovery from the local newspapers. You might want to check out www.philstar.com or www.inquirer.net. The Philippine Star’s Science and technology section comes out in the Business Section every Thursday.
   2. A news item or feature story on a scientific discovery from a major international news team, such as  The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/index.html)
   3. An article on a scientific discovery from a popular S&T publication, such as
      1. New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/)
      2. Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com/)
      3. Wired (http://www.wired.com/)
   4. A scientific article from a professional scientific journal, such as
      1. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (http://www.pnas.org/cgi/collection/feature_articles)- it’s free from the Philippines, which is why I suggested it. The featured articles normally are scientifically significant discoveries.
2. What we’ll be doing on Monday, November 16: We’ll look at these articles, compare them, and see what we can learn from them about the practice of science. Don’t worry if you don’t fully understand the articles, especially #4– we’re more interested in how the articles are written than in the actual content.

LINKS

A link to what the Internet has become: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=173957763053&ref=nf

2009.09.28, Monday.

Stem Cell News Feature: Philippines

• A special report on stem cell technology in the Philippines appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer recently but I was not able to post the links here before. Ceres Doyo wrote this series of articles, which came out the week of September 14, 2009.
  • Part 1: WORLD OF STEM CELLS : Amazing healing power within our bodies by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, september 14, 2009.
    <http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090914-225123/Amazing-healing-power-within-our-bodies>
  • Part 2: BRAVE NEW WORLD OF STEM CELLS: From science fiction to reality By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, September 15, 2009. <http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090915-225277/From-science-fiction-to-reality>
  • Part 3: BRAVE NEW WORLD OF STEM CELLS: Lab nerd tweaks tiny particles to renew life. By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, September 16, 2009. <http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090916-225434/Lab-nerd-tweaks-tiny-particles-to-renew-life>
  • Part 4: BRAVE NEW WORLD OF STEM CELLS: Regenerative medicine: Hope or just hype. By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, September 17, 2009.<http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090917-225623/Regenerative-medicine-Hope-or-just-hype>
  • Ceres Doyo’s personal experience: Human Face: Stem cells from me, for me. By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, first posted 04:25:00 09/17/2009. <http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090917-225612/Stem-cells-from-me-for-me>

2008.09.21. Some links on Science and [Catholic] Religion

A lot of times, the relationship between science and religion is incredibly simplified into an antagonistic relationship, made more so by the sensational cases that are the exception rather than the everyday hard work that represents the rule, or the many scientists on our campus and other places who are also people of faith. So the following news items right may provide a more nuanced look Catholic perspective:

• On Galileo: After four centuries, Galileo returns to the Vatican (May 7, 2008): http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801299.htm
• On aliens and the big bang, from the Vatican chief astronomer and Jesuit Fr. Jose Funes (May 14, 2008): http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802629.htm
• On evolution and Darwin and creationism: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803952.htm
• On Genetically Modified Organisms, from our own late Jaime Cardinal Sin (June 15, 2001): http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/religion/catholic.html. This includes full text of some key statements on GMOs.
• On environmental ethics, cloning, genetic engineering, gene therapy, creation and evolution (July 2004): http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20040723_communion-stewardship_en.html (or as PDF at http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/RATZINGER.PDF)

For the non-Catholic Christians, an index of perspectives from the World Council of Churches on bioethics and biotechnology, as of April 2004: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/biodocs.html.

Dwindling oil reserves

• National Geographic Magazine article on Peak Oil and the dwindling oil reserves: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/world-oil/roberts-text