SCNAT Ethics Series on Recognizing and Overcoming Bias

Conference Report

Abstract

The Ethics Series is a workshop tour on the wide-ranging topic of ethics in chemistry organized on a regular basis by the Platform Chemistry of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT). The Ethics Series addresses all researchers in chemistry and has the aim to sensitize the audience for timely topics on issues such as the previously addressed topics of scientific integrity, social responsibility or overselling in publications. Internationally renowned speakers are invited to give a series of lectures at Swiss universities and federal institutes of technology, jointly with local speakers.

The format is similar to the "world café" style: short introductory lectures, break-out sessions to discuss specific topics, reports to the plenary followed by a discussion with audience participation. This year’s topic was on Recognizing and Overcoming Bias and took place from June 7 – June 9, 2023. Prof. Lee Penn and local panellists discussed a variety of questions arising around bias.