Two Ph.D. candidates in neuroscience have been selected by Americans for Medical Progress as the 2010-11 Michael D. Hayre Fellows in Public Outreach. Elizabeth Burnett and Scott Dobrin are in the Program in Neuroscience at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Both share a passion for science education and advocacy and are leaders of the Wake Forest University Brain Awareness Council.
Their project, Speaking Honestly—Animal Research Education (SHARE), is designed to guide educators in leading classroom discussions on the humane use of animals in research in an engaging and interactive manner. Teachers will be provided with the necessary tools to discuss the subject employing modern instructional approaches.
Most importantly, rather than championing a specific viewpoint, SHARE will lead students to develop their own opinions based on factual information regarding both animal rights and animal welfare points of view. In an effort to reach as many educators as possible, Dobrin and Burnett will present and publish data on the methodology and efficacy of this teaching technique, reporting specifically on changes in opinions, attitudes and overall learning. In addition, they will design a website where lesson plans, video tutorials and the data they have collected can be found, so teachers may create the same educational activity in other classrooms.
The Michael D. Hayre Fellowship in Public Outreach was launched by Americans for Medical Progress in 2008 to honor its late chairman, who was a Vice President of Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital at the time of his death in 2001.
"All of us here at AMP welcome Scott and Liz, and we look forward to seeing the results of their research, which has the potential to open lines of communication with non-scientists and students who are being unduly influenced by false claims about research and often sensationalized campaigns of animal rights groups," said Jacquie Calnan, President of Americans for Medical Progress. "I know that Mike, who placed a high value on young people forming their own evidence-based opinions about research, would welcome the SHARE concept."
The AMP/Hayre Fellowship enables young adults to design and implement public outreach programs about the valuable role of laboratory animals in biomedical research. Each Fellow receives a stipend and program expenses, as well as guidance and resource materials from AMP. To read more about Burnett and Dobrin, and the Hayre Fellowship program, visit AMP's website at www.amprogress.org/fellows.
Americans for Medical Progress is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit that protects society's investment in biomedical research by nurturing public appreciation for the humane, necessary and valuable use of animals in medicine. AMP provides accurate and incisive information to foster a balanced public debate on the animal research issue, ensuring that among the voices heard are those whose lives have been touched by research, and those who work in the field.