Issues & Ideas In STEM

For each meeting in the Issues & Ideas in STEM Series, we put together a list of articles and sources on the topic. Think of it as a menu—you choose which pieces interest you, how many you’d like to read, and you’re always welcome to add your own sources to share with the group.

This isn’t homework—it’s an opportunity. The goal is to spark curiosity and conversation, never to add pressure. Even if you don’t get a chance to read beforehand, we’ll post summaries before each meeting so you’ll still be able to follow along and join the discussion. Whether you read one article, all of them, or none at all, your perspective is welcome at the table.

Issues & Ideas in STEM: Anti-science & the Misinformation Epidemic (Sept 24)

We’ll launch the series by examining how misinformation spreads, why anti-science movements gain traction, and what this means for public trust in science. From vaccine skepticism to climate denial, we’ll discuss strategies for separating evidence-based research from pseudoscience and how STEM communities can respond.

Reading List Options: (Choose 1 or 2, or suggest your own)

1. Excerpts from Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In the Dark (Chapters 2, 12, & 14; full book available on the drive also)

2. What is junk science?  |  California Learning Resource Network OR How To Spot Bad Science  |  Farnam Street (an easier read)

3. Misinformation in and about science  |  PNAS

4. HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA | HHS.gov

5. Kennedy’s ‘evidence’ against mRNA vaccine research actually supports it  |  STAT

6. The promise of mRNA vaccines- a biotech and industrial perspective  |  Nature Partner Journals (optional for those who are REALLY interested in mRNA vaccines)

7. We Ran the CDC: Kennedy is Endangering Every American's Health  |  NY Times Op-Ed

8. Mapping Global Public Perspectives on mRNA Vaccines and Therapeutics  |  NPJ Vaccines

9. ‘Experts’ Cited By RFK Jr. to Justify mRNA Vaccine Funding Cut Have Ties to Anti-vax Supplement Company  |  Important Context

10. Cutting mRNA Research Could Be Our Deadliest Mistake Yet | TIME

11. Trump Links Autism and Tylenol - Is There Any Truth To It?  |  Nature

Issues & Ideas in STEM: CRISPR, Gene Editing, & Molecular Medicine (Oct 8)

This session explores the promises and perils of CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies. We’ll look at breakthroughs in molecular medicine, the possibility of eliminating genetic diseases, and the ethical boundaries around human germline editing — including the debate over “designer babies.”

Reading List Options: (Choose 1 or 2, or suggest your own)

1. CRISPR & Ethics  |  Innovative Genomics Institute 

2. The Ethics of Human Embryo Editing via CRISPR-Cas9 Technology A Systematic Review of Ethical Arguments, Reasons, and Concerns  |  HEC Forum

3. Gene Editing and the New Eugenics  |  The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

4. Legal reflections on the case of genome-edited babies  |  Global Health Research and Policy

5. Scientist who gene-edited babies is back in lab and ‘proud’ of past work despite jailing | Genetics 

Issues & Ideas in STEM: Beyond Therapy: The Ethics and Regulation of Human Enhancement (Oct 22)

Neurotechnologies are rapidly evolving, offering both therapeutic breakthroughs and the potential for human enhancement. This discussion will explore where treatment ends and enhancement begins, and the ethical, social, and regulatory questions raised by technologies that alter the brain and body. How do liability, equity, and neurorights shape the future of enhancement?

Reading List Options: (Choose 1 or 2, or suggest your own)

1. Beyond human limits: the ethical, social, and regulatory implications of human enhancement   |   Frontiers In Medicine

2. A Liability Framework for High Risk Neural Devices   |   Science

3. A streaming brain-to-voice neuroprosthesis to restore naturalistic communication   |   Nature Neuroscience

4. Bioethics of neurotechnologies  a field in effervescence   |   Neurological Research

5. On Neurorights   |    Frontiers In Human Neuroscience

6. Understanding the Ethical Issues of Brain- Computer Interfaces (BCIs)- A Blessing or the Beginning of a Dystopian Future?   |   Cureus

Issues & Ideas in STEM: Future of Medicine: From Molecules to Microrobots (Nov 19)

What will medicine look like 20–30 years from now? In this session, we explore some of the most exciting and unsettling frontiers in healthcare: molecular and precision medicine, nanotechnology in the bloodstream, lab-grown organs, autonomous surgical robots, and the emerging science of extending human lifespan.

We look at how genomics and molecular profiling are reshaping diagnosis and treatment, how nanorobots and targeted drug delivery could turn cancers into manageable conditions, and how synthetic biology and regenerative engineering may allow us to repair or even print damaged tissues and organs. We also examine the next era of surgery, where robots assist or even partly automate complex procedures.

Finally, we consider the ethical challenges of longevity research and anti-aging therapies. What happens to society if we successfully slow or reverse aging, but access is limited? Who benefits first, and who gets left behind?

Reading List Options: (Choose 1 or 2, or suggest your own)

1. Precision Medicine—Are We There Yet? A Narrative Review of Genomics in Primary Care | PMC / National Institutes of Health
   Precision Medicine, Genomics and Drug Discovery | Human Molecular Genetics (Oxford Academic)

2. How Nanorobots Are Transforming Drug Delivery | ScienceDirect
   Advances of Medical Nanorobots for Future Cancer Treatments | Journal of Hematology & Oncology (BioMed Central)

3. Applications of Synthetic Biology in Medical and Tissue Engineering | Nature Communications (Nature Research)
   Regenerative Engineering: Evolution and Its Modern Trends | Springer Nature

4. Levels of Autonomy in FDA-Cleared Surgical Robots | Nature Digital Medicine
   Robotic Surgery: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature | National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI / PMC)

5. Senolytics: From Pharmacological Inhibitors to Future Clinical Applications | Nature Reviews
   Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Anti-Aging Strategies | BioSignaling (BioMed Central)

Issues & Ideas in STEM: Artificial Intelligence (Dec 10)

We’ll end the semester with a wide-ranging discussion of artificial intelligence — its potential to transform medicine, research, and daily life, as well as the risks it poses through bias, opacity, and automation in critical decisions. We’ll also consider what kinds of regulations or safety measures should be put in place before AI revolutionizes our existence, asking how society can balance innovation with responsibility.

Reading List Options: (Choose 1 or 2, or suggest your own)

1. AI Environmental Impact    |  UN Environment Programme

2. A Systematic Review of AI Impact Assessments    |   Artificial Intelligence Review

3. Accountability in artificial intelligence - what it is and how it works    |   AI & Society

4. The Future of Jobs Report 2025    |   World Economic Forum

5. Assessing dual use risks in AI research- necessity, challenges and mitigation strategies    |   Research Ethics

6. Designing for human rights in AI    |   Big Data & Society

7. Governance fix? Power and politics in controversies about governing generative AI | Policy and Society

8. The right to a glass box -  Rethinking the use of artificial intelligence in criminal justice    |   HeinOnline

9. Three Reasons Why AI May Widen Global Inequality | Center For Global Development

10. AI Adoption and Inequality   |   International Monetary Fund

11. Are AI existential risks real—and what should we do about them?  |  Brookings Institute