ISU to teach bioethics course

A course in bioethics will be offered on-line for the first time by Iowa State University in January. Kristen Hessler will be teaching the class entirely over the Internet. She says the course is designed for high school teachers, especially for those who are already teaching biotechnology and ethics courses. Hessler says the course will cover three main areas: ethical issues that arise from transgenic plants, animals and genetic therapies in humans. Discussion could range from the StarLink corn fiasco to growth hormones in hogs to the concept of human cloning. Hessler says she’s excited by the opportunity to teach a course in this subject using only the Internet to communicate.The course will be able to take 15 students. Eight have already enrolled — six from Iowa and one each from Singapore and Malaysia. The course begins January 14th. For more information, call (515) 294-9818.