issues of Bias Case Study: Reaction to Bias
The graduate students, post-docs, and professor in your research group have spent the past week brainstorming ideas for a major new proposal to submit to the National Science Foundation. After much discussion, the professor selects Sally’s idea to be the core of the proposal, and invites John to be Co-PI with him, and to take the lead in coordinating preparation of the proposal. Both Sally and John are senior post-docs in the lab. It is a real honor and a career advantage to be a PI early in one’s career. By offering one of his post-docs the opportunity to be Co-PI and work with him on preparing the grant, the professor is helping launch the postdoc’s career. The issue is, why didn’t the professor offer this opportunity to Sally, since the core idea in the proposal was hers?
Question: In considering this scenario, how should the different students and post-docs respond to this decision by the professor?
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
Postdocs are quite dependent on their advisors for future career success. The decision by the professor as presented above is biased and unethical. This is a situation in which an ethical response by John, even though it involves risk would be essential. Sally should try to talk to John and convince him to behave ethically, and speak with their professor. If that does not work, consulting with a trusted faculty member who could talk to the professor about her concerns could be an option.
Most students have experienced situations where they have worked within a group in which some form of bias
or unfairness has occurred. Encourage students to draw from their experiences of bias within a group during
class discussions on this topic. Note that the discussion needs to be focused on bias, and that issues of other
types of unfairness can be addressed later. You could assign students to discuss other issues that arise during
group work as a written assignment and to describe procedures that might ensure the reduction of these issues.
The discussion below is included in the student text.