Inamori Center Current and Upcoming News and Events
May 7, 2010
GELS member Zach Koos travels to Nepal to support GONESA in building a new kindergarten
In the summer of 2009, I spent two months living in central Nepal, where I worked with a development economist from Case to launch a microsavings program targeted to poor women. During my time there, I worked closely with the staff of a Nepali non-governmental organization called the Good Neighbor Service Association (GONESA). In addition to empowering women by providing them with economic opportunities, GONESA provides basic education and health services to disadvantaged children. Over the course of the last decade, the organization has built 24 kindergartens that serve children living in slums. I had the chance to visit many of these kindergartens during my stay, and witnessed firsthand the immense benefit children derive from GONESA’s work. Upon returning to the U.S. last August, I gathered a group of friends and shared with them my desire to support GONESA in building a new kindergarten in a community called Namuna. Since that time, my friends and I have raised over $4,000 by employing a wide range of fundraising strategies, from asking for donations from family and friends to collecting aluminum cans after campus parties and redeeming them for cash. Construction of the kindergarten began in late March and is set to run through May. I will be traveling to the project site in early May to oversee the school’s completion and to be present for its inauguration.
Currently airing since December, 2009
Documentary “Science Trek” features Dr. Shannon E. French on PBS stations nationwide
Dr. Shannon French, Director of CWRU’s Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence, is featured in a documentary currently airing on PBS stations nationwide. The show is called “Science Trek,” and it explores how real-life scientists have been inspired by the futuristic vision of “Star Trek” to push the boundaries of their research in an attempt to turn science fiction into science fact. Hosted by LeVar Burton, the show includes interview segments with prominent scientists and engineers. Dr. French appears several times, commenting on the ethical dimensions of this cutting-edge research and the positive legacy of “Star Trek.” Check local PBS listings: www.pbs.org/tvschedules/. Learn more about the show:
http://www.aptv.org/schedule/showinfo.asp?ID=248368&NOLA1=SFCT
Inamori Center Historical News and Events
April 22-24, 2010
CETMONS workshop at USNA
CETMONS researchers will travel to meet for the third time in Annapolis, MD to discuss ongoing projects.
April 16, 2010
Dr Ackerman (Brown University) will present on ethical issues concerning end-of-life decisions.
April 15, 2010
Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award
The Inamori Center sponsors an essay contest each year to identify the faculty member who demonstrates excellence in mentoring for graduate students and/or post-doctoral scholars. The winner will be announced at the Research ShowCASE.
April 8, 2010 5:00pm - 7:00pm
How Culture Affects Confrontation
Join the GSS for an evening of presentation and discussion about conflict in multicultural settings. As university citizens, we often encounter people and ideas from differing backgrounds, which may affect communication style and behavioral norms. Keynote speaker will be Marie-Jose Tayah, a PhD student in Political Science at Kent State University. Following, a panel of leaders from CWRU discussion will offer perspective the nature of multicultural conflict.
April 2, 2010
Dr Dwyer will present her research on moral psychology.
Presenting from her faculty webpage from the University of Maryland: “The focus of her primary research is moral psychology, especially as it can be pursued as a branch of cognitive science. Her current work concerns the question of what makes moral attention and moral judgment possible.”
March 22-24, 2010
International Week at Rouen Business School
Dr French will travel to Rouen, France to participate in their International Week for bachelor’s and master’s students. She will give a presentation entitled “Command Climate: Lessons for Business from the World of Military Ethics.”
March 22, 2010
World Water Day
As part of the UN’s observance of World Water Day, the Inamori Center will host a speaker to talk about the importance of clean water. The UN says that the purpose of the day is to “raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity.”
March 5, 2010
Association for Practical & Professional Ethics Conference
Dr French will travel to Cincinnati, OH for the annual APPE conference. There, she will discuss common concerns in practical and professional ethics.
February 27, 2010
Fair Trade and Secondhand Expo
The Inamori Center sponsored the University’s first expo for fair trade and secondhand items to promote fair trade and sustainability in our community.
February 18-20, 2010
GELS to USAFA National Chacacter and Leadership Symposium
The Inamori Center sent three GELS students to the annual conference at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The theme for this year’s symposium was “Guardians of Trust: Leaders in the Modern Era.”
February 17, 2010
Ethics Day of National Engineers Week
“Conflict Minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo” – presentation discussed how the coltan export is fueling a sexual violence epidemic in the eastern parts of the DRC and what can be done to mitigate the situation.
February 12, 2010
Black History Month Luncheon
The Inamori Center sponsored the annual Black History Month Luncheon. This year’s honoree was Eliza Bryant.
February 4-6, 2010
CETMONS Workshop
The second meeting of the CETMONS was hosted by the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University. Participants met to discuss ongoing work and ideas.
January 29 – February 5, 2010
Integrity Week 2010
The Inamori Center sponsored the annual Integrity Week sponsored by the Academic Integrity Board. This year’s theme was “Integrity in the Face of Competition.”
Friday, January 29, 2010
Dr. Jason Robert presents "Chimeras, Cyborgs, and the Moral Limits of Science"
Recent experiments in stem cell research and neurobioengineering promise treatments for a number of debilitating conditions. But this research is simultaneously exciting and forbidding. In this talk, Dr. Robert will explore the science underlying recent developments, and focus on how scientists do and how they should attempt to justify their research. He will also explore the activities and roles of citizens and of ethicists in the face of controversial research. He will conclude with some reflections on the nature of personal, public, and social responsibility in twenty-first century civil society.
January 28, 2010
Sopapillas for Santiago
The Inamori Center sponsored this event by the Spanish Club to raise money for at-risk youth in Santiago. The event included Chilean food.
January 24-27, 2010
GELS to USNA Leadership Conference
Four members of GELS attended the annual Leadership conference at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. The title of this year’s event was “Leadership Under Pressure: Transforming Crises into Opportunities.”
January 22, 2010
Martin Luther King, Jr Celebration Week Convocation
The Inamori Center sponsored this annual convocation to honor the life and contributions of Dr King. This year’s keynote speaker was Donna Brazile.
January 15, 2010
“Year One of the Obama Presidency”
Presidency expert Dr Brattebo (Hiram College) discussed the President’s performance one year after his inauguration.
December 30 2009 – 13 January 2010
GELS member visits Russia
GELS member Colleen Hosler went on a mission trip to Russia to provide orphans with Christmas gifts. The Inamori Center sponsored her by covering her travel expenses.
December 4, 2009
STAND Genocide Intervention Network
“STANDFast” – CWRU Students and Cleveland community members participated in a weeklong fast from a luxury item (e.g. daily latte) and donate the money saved to the Genocide Intervention Network. There was also a panel discussion entitled “Practical and Theoretical Approaches to Post-Conflict Reconstructionism,” which explored the subject from the standpoints of academics and activists.
November 20, 2009
“Fight for the Bay: Why a Dark Green Environmental Awakening is Needed to Save the Chesapeake Bay"
Political scientist Dr Ernst (USNA) discussed the environmental politics of the Chesapeake Bay restoration program.
November 6, 2009
“Click It or Kick It: Pornography and the Price of Pleasure”
Dr Jensen (University of Texas at Austin) discussed the ethics of pornography and its effects on human relationships, sexuality and masculinity. This discussion was presented as a part of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women’s event, Project on Men and Gender.
October 26, 2009
“Business Ethics in the International Energy Industry”
Mr Pillari, former Chairman of BP America, discussed the ethics of business leadership and the dilemmas produced by the drive for performance and operating within different cultural norms.
October 21, 2009
Dr Light (Center for American Progress, George Mason University) presented to GELS in the Beamer-Schneider Lecture.
He discussed his expertise in environmental ethics, focusing on the relationship between ethics and policy.
October 8-9, 2009
CETMONS Workshop
CETMONS, a major consortium effort led by Case Western Reserve University, Arizona State University and the United States Naval Academy, met for the first time to discuss the organization of the consortium, as well as long-term goals for the research conducted therein. CETMONS stands for Consortium on Emerging Technologies, Military Operations and National Security.
September 18, 2009
“God on Trial: Religion & Law in American Society”
Dr Irons (UC San Diego) discussed the interaction of religion and law in a constitutional republic.
September 17, 2009
“The Death Penalty & the Constitution”
Drs Benza, Entin and French discussed the ways in which the concept of capital punishment is dependent upon courts’ interpretations of the US Constitution.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009, at 12:30 p.m. Severance Hall
Former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson Awarded 2009 Inamori Ethics Prize
Robinson will receive the award and deliver a public lecture "New Challenges to Human Rights in the 21st Center" on September 9, 2009. The prize ceremony and lecture begin at 12:30 p.m.
September 2, 2009
“Women’s Rights in the Human Rights System: The Past, Present and Future”
Dr Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and recipient of the 2009-2010 Cox International Humanitarian Award for Global Legal Reform, discussed women’s rights in the global legal theater.
August 21, 2009
Dr French led a break-out discussion group as part of the 2009 Orientation.
Students were assigned to read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin as the 2009 Common Reading.
July 10, 2009
Dr French led an ethics workshop for undergraduate researchers.
The workshop included discussions on character and moral motivation, moral reasoning and ethical theory, and break-out sessions with case studies in research ethics.
May 12, 2009
“Lessons from the US Naval Academy on Teaching Leadership, Ethics and Character Development”
CAPT Rubel (USNA) discussed the ways to teach character to our nation’s newest military leaders, ways to develop leaders of integrity and moral courage, and lessons from the military realm that can inform the teaching of other types of professionals.
May 1, 2009
“Imaging Madness”
Dr Fallon (UC Irvine) discussed the new field of imaging genetics and its insight into psychiatric diseases, creativity and the brain. He noted the interplay of genetics, environmental factors, brain damage and epigenetics come together to create complex adaptive behaviors and mental illness.
April 17, 2009
“Photography and Ethics in West Africa”
Dr Buckley (James Madison University) discussed the use of photography and portraiture in public life in West Africa.
April 16, 2009
Inamori Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award Ceremony
The Inamori Center hosts an essay contest in order to support the university’s initiative to “emphasize innovation and excellence in teaching and mentoring.” The faculty member who is selected based on students’ essays. The winner for 2009 was John Meiyal, PhD, professor of pharmacology.
April 13, 2009
“If I Am for Myself Alone’: Gender Transition and the Ethics of Becoming Ourselves”
Dr Ladin (Yeshiva University) discussed the ethics of personal authenticity. Her lecture derived from her own personal experience as a closeted transsexual who finally decided to be true to herself and let her Jewish community know.
March 30, 2009
“The Ethics of Military Anthropology”
Dr Lucas (USNA) discussed the dilemma faced by the American Anthropological Association with supervising and evaluating the participation of their members in collaborative work with the military.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Anthropologists in Arms: The Ethics of Military Anthropology, a Lecture by G.R. Lucas, Stockdale Center, U.S. Naval Academy
Thursday, January 21, 2009
The View from the Mountaintop? President Obama and Racial Politics in America, a Lecture by Peniel Joseph from Brandeis University and Martin Gilens from Princeton University
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Business Ethics and Leadership: A Lecture by Ward J. "Tim" Timken Jr. Chairman, The Timken Company
Friday, October 17, 2008
Dr. Gary Marchant, Lincoln Professor of Ethics in Law and Emerging Technology at Arizona State University, will give a talk on “Brainscans and the Murder Gene: Do Genetics and Other Biological Factors Limit Our Capacity To Be Moral?”
Friday, September 19, 2008
Dr. Robert Richards will participate in a Center for Policy Studies Friday Lunch Discussion on “Evolution and Politics”
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dr. Robert Richards from the University of Chicago will give a talk on “Darwinian Moral Theory”
August 22, 2008
Dr French led a break-out discussion for participants in the 2008 Orientation.
The 2008 Common Reading was The Reluctant Mr Darwin by David Quammen. Dr French’s topic was “Ethical Leadership: The Responsibility to Change the World?”
April 8, 2008
Leading geneticist Francis Collins named first recipient of the Inamori Ethics Prize at Case Western Reserve University
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-geneticist and leader of the Human Genome Project, has been named recipient of the inaugural Inamori Ethics Prize from the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University.
March 12, 2008
Inamori Center shares in Kyoto celebration, prepares for ethics prize gala
The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University will help celebrate the North American Kyoto Laureate Symposium today through March 14 in San Diego.
February 11, 2008
Inamori Center to host prize, Darwin events, initiates discourse on whether ethical behavior has evolved
Case Western Reserve University's Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence will be awarding the first ever Inamori Ethics Prize in September 2008.
February 6, 2008
“Free Speech and its Discontent”
Dr King (Emory University, Morehouse College) discussed the ethics of speech in a lecture sponsored by the Ethnic Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
February 1, 2008
David Diles, EdD; John Grabowski, PhD; Joseph Prahl, PhD “College Sports…and Ethics.”
Drs Diles, Grabowski and Prahl participated in a panel discussion of the sports cultures of university campuses and the implications of varsity athletics for the universities and their students.
January 25, 2008
Megan Whelan Turner; Anne Ursu; Joseph White, PhD “Moral Dilemmas in Politics and Fiction”
Political scientist Dr White (CWRU) discussed with writers Turner and Ursu the game of politics and the conflict between “ordinary morality” and “political morality” in their works of fiction.
December 5, 2007
Eric Juengst, PhD; Max Mehlman, JD; Georgia Wiesner, PhD “Eugenics 2007: Is the Customer Always Right?”
Drs Juengst, Mehlman and Wiesner participated in a panel discussion about ethical issues that arise from genetic manipulation and options available to would-be parents as a result of our ability to identify and manipulate specific genes before or after birth.
November 27, 2007
Inamori Center to host forum on ethics of eugenics
The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University, in conjunction with the Center for Genetic Research Ethics and Law, will explore that question and many others during "Eugenics 2007: Is the Customer Always Right?," a discussion of the ethical issues arising from genetic manipulation.
November 16, 2007
Ted Gup, JD; Christianne Sheridan “What are the Ethical Responsibilities of Journalists?”
Dr Gup and Ms. Sheridan participated in a panel discussion which explored the responsibilities of journalists, given their authority in our country.
August 29, 2007
Patty Marshall, PhD; Michael Scharf, JD; Stephanie Tubbs Jones, JD; Gary Wnek, PhD “Taking Responsibility for Ethical Leadership in a Complex World”
Participants discussed the importance of ethical behavior in the professions. The panel’s objective was to reinforce the importance of ethics to the university as well as the importance of ethical behavior among leaders.
June 21-24, 2007
Leveraging Change: The Politics and Economics of Global Poverty and Health Care
This international symposium was held at Hiram College’s Center for Literature, Medicine, & Biomedical Humanities, sponsored by the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence. The multi-day event highlighted plenary sessions, panels and papers presented by academics. CWRU participants included Gilbert Doho, PhD; James Kazura, MD; and Patty Marshall, PhD.
May 7, 2007
Case Western Reserve University dedicates new ethics center; Eastwood named new director
Interim President Gregory Eastwood offers sound leadership, expertise in medical ethics to the Inamori Center for Ethics and Excellence
April 20, 2007
Visual Ethics Symposium
This symposium was dedicated to hearing presentations from an interdisciplinary group of scholars from the fields of theology, philosophy, neuroscience, law and the humanities. The event was co-hosted by the Inamori Center, under the direction of William Deal, PhD; and the Baker-Nord Humanities Center, led by Timothy Beal, PhD. Other CWRU participants included Mark Turner, PhD and Peter Whitehouse, MD, PhD
April 10, 2006
Case to present leaders in the fields of health, law and business with honorary degrees
Recipients include Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera Corp.; Richard Goldstone, former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa; and Paul Farmer, a founding director of Partners In Health.
June 27, 2005
Case students explore real-life ethical issues
A generous gift from The 1525 Foundation will enable Case Western Reserve University to provide undergraduate students with a grounding in practical ethics through new courses, research projects and discussions about ways to cope with ethical choices that arise in daily life.
April 11, 2005
Inamori Foundation to establish International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case
A $10-million gift to Case Western Reserve University from Inamori Foundation—founded by Kazuo Inamori, international business leader and the founder of Kyocera Corp. and the telecommunications giant KDDI—will enable Case to establish the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence.