J. Burkhardt


three ethical problem areas are professional ethics, the changing mission of
public institutions, and responsibilities regarding the environment, future
generations, and the future of science.
 The professional ethics problem area includes issues related to the
proper relationship between the practice of science, professional responsi-
bility, and personal integrity. Some of the cases that were raised as being of
major importance to bench scientists were the following. Biotechnology is
"in." Since the passage of the Plant Variety Protection Act, and since the
1980 Chackrabarty decision, plant varieties and novel life forms can be
patented. There is, understandably, a race among scientists to be the first
to introduce a bioengineered product to the public, or in the case of the
private sector, being the first to develop a patentable product for the mar-
ket. This can conceivably cause sloppy science, even dangerous science.
The concern is that long-standing cannons of professional responsibility,
including commitment to careful, rigorous, checked and re-checked scien-
tific results, might give way to fast and loose science. In the long-run,
shoddy science or faulty products would undoubtedly be excised from the
scientific community or from the market. The concern is, however, about
the short-run.
 New university/industry relations, such as privately funded biotech in-
stitutes on university campuses, also cause concern. Proprietary rights,
which Congressman MacKay spoke about this morning, of corporate fund-
ing sources to biotechnologies can conceivably impede the free flow of
scientific information, even among public sector researchers, thereby de-
creasing the rate of discovery, replication of results, and so forth. Again
and again, scientists I spoke with voiced difficulties with sharing informa-
tion. If scientists can't legally communicate with each other, progress in
science is hampered.
 The potential for conflicts of interest was also repeatedly noted. Scien-
tists and administrators have expressed concern that as private funds are
increasingly available, while individual public sector scientists retain a
university component in salary or research support, situations where the
scientist is serving two masters may arise. More importantly, however, is
the potential for scientists to use information or research results for per-
sonal gain, whatever the funding source. Both scientists and administra-
tors know the danger of violations of employment contracts and role re-
sponsibilities. Certainly the potential for conflicts of interest or contractual
violations existed long before the emergence of biotechnology; however,
the sheer amounts of monies to be made from biotechnological products
and processes have increased the opportunities for such conflicts.
 The National Academy of Sciences and the National Association of State