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InterNICHE Co-ordinator
Nick Jukes 42 South Knighton Road Leicester LE2 3LP England Tel/Fax +44 116 2109652 coordinator@interniche.org |
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 About
InterNICHE About
Humane Education
InterNICHE
National Contacts and Partners InterNICHE Achievements
Policy on the Use of Animals and
Alternatives Criticism
of Harmful Animal Use About InterNICHEInterNICHE is an open and diverse network comprising students, teachers and animal campaigners. The network focuses on animal use and alternatives within biological science, medical and veterinary medical education. There is no membership, but free association around the issue of progressive, humane life science education. InterNICHE works in partnership with any individual, group or department that shares the common goals of replacement of harmful animal use and investment in high quality ethical science.InterNICHE began in 1988 as EuroNICHE, and transformed in 2000 to a global network. Decision-making for international issues and project work is democratic and by consensus, usually resting with a Committee of national contacts. Activity is performed by the Co-ordinator at the international level, and by national contacts within their countries. A Core Group supports the Co-ordinator in guiding and maintaining the network. Amongst many national and international projects, InterNICHE has produced an award-winning video on alternatives, where teachers from a variety of disciplines demonstrate the alternatives that they use in their courses. This is now available in nearly 20 languages. The forthcoming 2nd edition of 'from Guinea Pig to Computer Mouse' is a book which fully describes over 500 products designed for progressive life science education. It also addresses teaching objectives in detail and assesses different pedagogical approaches. The network also offers an Alternatives Loan System, a library of products available for free loan anywhere in the world, as well as literature, support and advice for teachers and students. And at regular InterNICHE conferences you can hear leading international speakers, trial new and established products, and meet others interested or involved in curricular transformation and innovation. InterNICHE is a non-profit organization which relies on donations and grants for its activity. InterNICHE
National Contacts About Humane Education There is a growing movement to provide a high quality, humane approach to teaching biological science and human and veterinary medicine. In this positive tradition, students learn using a combination of teaching methods ranging from multimedia computer simulation to self-testing on themselves and fellow students. For direct experience of animals, students practice observational work on living animals, perform healing intervention on those which are sick, and use the bodies of others which have died naturally. In some establishments, however, many students continue to face compulsory and harmful animal use. These methods cause widespread suffering and death to countless frogs, fish, rats and other animals every year. They teach disrespect for life because the animals are considered disposable tools, and in some countries they disturb the environment from where many animals are sourced.Although most students will never use animals in their future careers, they are encouraged or coerced into performing dissection and vivisection and into conducting sometimes very painful experiments, contrary to their ethical beliefs. Some students are forced to change discipline or drop out of university altogether because courses have been designed with no facility to choose educationally valid alternatives. Others find it easier to abandon criticism, losing a healthy scientific attitude and allowing the subjugation of their ethics. This perpetuates the problem and desensitises students to the important values of personal responsibility and respect for life. And the professions lose the very people who are keen to keep ethics within science. The evidence from other universities is clear: students can and do complete their degrees without any violation of their freedom of conscience and without harming an animal. So as teachers, students, campaigners and legislators we should be working to harmonise with such good practice by challenging and abandoning negative tradition and by supporting the growing movement towards a humane science. InterNICHE offers practical support to teachers to help replace harmful animal use and complement existing alternative methods. And we empower students to defend their freedom of conscience and to demand a progressive, humane education system of the highest quality. |
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