G.R.O.U.P. Teams 2005-2006

The Stem Cell Initiative and the Humanities

The first G.R.O.U.P. Research Team convened spring 2006. The team addressed the general topic of the Humanities, Medicine, and Biotechnology. Organized by Charis Thompson (Rhetoric and Womenís Studies) and Corinne Hayden (Anthropology), the team emphasized the development of curricular materials and student research opportunities related to the humanistic issues brought to the fore by the passing of California’s Proposition 71 and the medical research efforts it is spawning.

Focusing on questions such as bioethics, disability studies, race- and class-based health disparities, the team brought together material and conducted research projects designed to strengthen Berkeley’s expertise in the manifold issues surrounding stem cell research.

The team produced a website showcasing the projects undertaken in the area, providing a coordinated locus for campus work in the intersection of the humanities and the burgeoning science of stem cell research. Students in the project also presented their research publicly at the Townsend Center on May 8, 2006. Under the mentorship of Charis Thompson, 90% of the students went on to conduct field research during the summer of 2006 with funds provided by the G.R.O.U.P. program and the Townsend
Center.