Niels Stensen Fellowship Conference 2019 - Ethics in Science
On 28 August, the day before the Conference, seven young fellows received a training at a special location: the Benedictine St. Adelbert Abbey of Egmond. For one day and night the fellows lived with and just like the monks, attending six prayer celebrations a day and having their meals with them in absolute silence.
During the remaining time, the fellows received training from professor Han van Krieken, rector magnificus of the Radboud University Nijmegen, and care manager Emile Lohman. The topic “keeping your work-life balance” was chosen by the Alumni Committee, as one of the most pressing needs in academic leadership. The Abbot, Gerard Matthijsen osb, gave some lessons in the Rule of Benedict. Our partner contact Paul Beerkens helped us with the organisation of this training. The fellows told afterwards that they had learned a lot from the lectures and discussions and that they were deeply impressed by the monks, showing such a different way of living.
The next day, the annual Niels Stensen Fellowship Conference was held in Kasteel Oud-Poelgeest in Oegstgeest. Some 57 people, alumni, some nominating professors, some Porticus partners and staff, gathered to discuss this year’s theme: “Ethics in Science”. The keynote speech was delivered by professor Lex Bouter, an expert in methodology and integrity of science from the Vrije University of Amsterdam. A panel discussion, led by professor Frans Verstraten, showed that ethics in science can be viewed from many angles. Some of the panellists, continued in workshops/debating sessions right after lunch.
Later in the afternoon, philosopher/professor Zwijnenberg (Leiden University) and artist Lotte Pet discussed the ethical issues around experimenting with biotechnology on human beings (CRISPR-Cas), followed by an exciting and entertaining experiment, in which all participants learned to extract their own DNA. During dinner, columnist Rosanne Herzberger gave a lecture on how science is perceived by the public and the problems with the integrity of the science sector.