the videos

Abstract
Noah, a doctoral candidate, is under pressure from his mentor, Dr. Peacham, and colleagues to complete his part of a research project so that the group might submit their results for publication before their competitors. His colleagues have successfully obtained results that Peacham has anticipated, but Noah has achieved the expected result in his part of the project on only eight of his ten runs. During a hastily arranged dinner, Noah's girlfriend (who is clearly unhappy with the amount of time he is spending in the lab) suggests to him that it seems reasonable to simply omit the two runs that do not support the conclusion.

Issues for Discussion
Scientists frequently encounter the issue of what data to include when formulating conclusions and reporting their results. Selecting data to conform to anticipated results is very seductive to a pressured investigator, who wants to please his/her mentor and not hinder the work of collaborators. One could point out how common it is for a scientist to begin with a hypothesis that he/she intuitively believes to be true. And like the rest of us, researchers may find it difficult to distance themselves from their strongly held convictions. A researcher may, for example, stop collecting data prematurely because the observations conform to his/her expectations, whereas further data collection might reveal unexpected discrepancies. Of course, having a strong commitment to a position is not necessarily bad; it is appropriate to acknowledge that science requires a great deal of conviction and self-confidence to gather the intellectual and material resources needed to push ahead. But there is a fine line between conviction and obsession. Discussion could focus on the risks created when scientists permit values to introduce biases into their work that distort the results or reporting of their research. The pressures to publish and how they can affect relationships among collaborators are additional concerns raised by the video. Attention might also be given to the requirements of accurate record keeping and the place of a scientist's notebook in the laboratory. Finally, the case lends itself to a discussion of the role of mentors in promoting responsible research practices in the face of the increasing administrative and financial demands associated with directing a productive research program.

Discussion Questions
1.If Noah were sure of why two of the dilutions were off - perhaps because he miscounted as a result of a distraction in the lab - would that justify his dropping them from his experiment? If a researcher believes that some data points are out of line for reasons unrelated to the experiment, such as errors introduced by sloppiness, wouldn't he/she be wasting time and resources to repeat the entire series of experiments?
2.If Noah does drop the two outlying dilutions, should he bother informing his collaborators or Dr. Peacham? If they all agree to drop the data, should they mention it in their manuscript submitted for publication?
3.Is it ever proper for a researcher to ignore or fail to report data if he/she considers it "bad" or "insignificant"? If not, what should be done with such data? Would it make a difference if the research focused on basic cell structure in animals or on the effects of different drug treatments on humans?
4.What are the appropriate criteria for data selection?
5.If Noah does report on only eight runs of the experiment, how will he be able to reconcile that with the full complement of data noted in his notebook? Should he alter his notebook to conform to the data he actually uses?
6.What responsibilities does Dr. Peacham have as a mentor to Noah, Miranda, and Jeff? Is he sufficiently sensitive to the pressures that his trainees are experiencing? Is it appropriate for him to "test" those he supervises in order to see how they react under pressure?
7.Is Isabelle sufficiently supportive of Noah? Should family and friends be expected to have a sound understanding of how science works?

Key Terms Defined
Transformants:
Genetically modified cells.
T-Antigen Concentration:
Amount of T-Antigen found in cells; essential for the initiation of cell transformation.
Plasmid:
Self-replicating DNA molecule that can move specific genes from one cell to another.
Cytokines:
Hormone-like molecules secreted by cells during inflammation and infection that regulate growth and differentiation of a variety of cell types.
EGF:
Epidermal growth factor; a secreted, hormone-like molecule involved in regulated cell growth.
IL-1:
Interleukin-1, a kind of cytokine.
Cell Transformation:
The process by which cells are genetically modified, sometimes becoming cancerous.
SV40 Tumor Antigen (T-Antigen):
A DNA binding protein produced by SV40 virus implicated in cell transformation.






	Video 2 - Noah's Dilemma (8 1/2 minutes)
	Abstract Noah, a doctoral candidate, is under pressure from his mentor, Dr. Peacham, and colleagues to complete his part of a research project so that the group might submit their results for publication before their competitors. His colleagues have successfully obtained results that Peacham has anticipated, but Noah has achieved the expected result in his part of the project on only eight of his ten runs. During a hastily arranged dinner, Noah's girlfriend (who is clearly unhappy with the amount of time he is spending in the lab) suggests to him that it seems reasonable to simply omit the two runs that do not support the conclusion. Issues for Discussion Scientists frequently encounter the issue of what data to include when formulating conclusions and reporting their results. Selecting data to conform to anticipated results is very seductive to a pressured investigator, who wants to please his/her mentor and not hinder the work of collaborators. One could point out how common it is for a scientist to begin with a hypothesis that he/she intuitively believes to be true. And like the rest of us, researchers may find it difficult to distance themselves from their strongly held convictions. A researcher may, for example, stop collecting data prematurely because the observations conform to his/her expectations, whereas further data collection might reveal unexpected discrepancies. Of course, having a strong commitment to a position is not necessarily bad; it is appropriate to acknowledge that science requires a great deal of conviction and self-confidence to gather the intellectual and material resources needed to push ahead. But there is a fine line between conviction and obsession. Discussion could focus on the risks created when scientists permit values to introduce biases into their work that distort the results or reporting of their research. The pressures to publish and how they can affect relationships among collaborators are additional concerns raised by the video. Attention might also be given to the requirements of accurate record keeping and the place of a scientist's notebook in the laboratory. Finally, the case lends itself to a discussion of the role of mentors in promoting responsible research practices in the face of the increasing administrative and financial demands associated with directing a productive research program. Discussion Questions 1.If Noah were sure of why two of the dilutions were off - perhaps because he miscounted as a result of a distraction in the lab - would that justify his dropping them from his experiment? If a researcher believes that some data points are out of line for reasons unrelated to the experiment, such as errors introduced by sloppiness, wouldn't he/she be wasting time and resources to repeat the entire series of experiments? 2.If Noah does drop the two outlying dilutions, should he bother informing his collaborators or Dr. Peacham? If they all agree to drop the data, should they mention it in their manuscript submitted for publication? 3.Is it ever proper for a researcher to ignore or fail to report data if he/she considers it "bad" or "insignificant"? If not, what should be done with such data? Would it make a difference if the research focused on basic cell structure in animals or on the effects of different drug treatments on humans? 4.What are the appropriate criteria for data selection? 5.If Noah does report on only eight runs of the experiment, how will he be able to reconcile that with the full complement of data noted in his notebook? Should he alter his notebook to conform to the data he actually uses? 6.What responsibilities does Dr. Peacham have as a mentor to Noah, Miranda, and Jeff? Is he sufficiently sensitive to the pressures that his trainees are experiencing? Is it appropriate for him to "test" those he supervises in order to see how they react under pressure? 7.Is Isabelle sufficiently supportive of Noah? Should family and friends be expected to have a sound understanding of how science works? Key Terms Defined Transformants: Genetically modified cells. T-Antigen Concentration: Amount of T-Antigen found in cells; essential for the initiation of cell transformation. Plasmid: Self-replicating DNA molecule that can move specific genes from one cell to another. Cytokines: Hormone-like molecules secreted by cells during inflammation and infection that regulate growth and differentiation of a variety of cell types. EGF: Epidermal growth factor; a secreted, hormone-like molecule involved in regulated cell growth. IL-1: Interleukin-1, a kind of cytokine. Cell Transformation: The process by which cells are genetically modified, sometimes becoming cancerous. SV40 Tumor Antigen (T-Antigen): A DNA binding protein produced by SV40 virus implicated in cell transformation.