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Regulating Stem Cell Research: Students at 5,000 Canadian High Schools Look for Answers that Long Mired MPs Dr. Peter Singer, Director of the Joint Centre for Bioethics, and Erin Court, a student and contributor to the teaching package, are available for interviews. Students will demonstrate the program at Branksome Hall, 10 Elm Street, Toronto, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8. TORONTO, Oct. 7 /CNW/ - Students at more than 5,000 Canadian high schools will receive tools to take part in an unprecedented nationwide role-playing exercise this year designed to foster greater social awareness and sensitivity to ethical issues in science. Using materials prepared by the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB) and the Ontario Genomics Institute, with support from Genome Canada and the Stem Cell Network, the project equips teenagers to role-play key stakeholders, including lawmakers, scientists, industry, health organizations and different religions, and challenges them to formulate draft legislation to govern medical research using embryonic stem cells. Their results are then compared with legislation long mired in the Canadian House of Commons, now in third reading before it advances to the Senate for debate. The package, entitled ENGAGE - Stem Cells, was highly successful in field tests this year at three Toronto schools - Harbord Collegiate Institute, Upper Canada College and Branksome Hall. The course package is en route this week in English or French to all high schools nationwide and can be previewed online at http://www.stemcellnetwork.ca/engage/materials.php The authors included three former Grade 13 students. A scientific review was conducted and seven teachers across Canada reviewed the course content, together with officials from the Science Teachers' Association of Ontario and eclcthink International. Supporting the development and dissemination of ENGAGE are the Stem Cell Network, Genome British Columbia, Genome Prairie, Genome Québec and Genome Atlantic. The full text of this news release is online at http://www.utoronto.ca/jcb/news_stemcells.html -30- For further information: Terry Collins, (416) 538-8712, (416) 878-8712 (mobile), [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Canada NewsWire http://www.newswire.ca/releases/October2003/07/c9121.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn