Dr. L. Syd Johnson, Dr. Adam Feltz, and Silke Feltz have won a grant to investigate animal ethics and consumption. The project titled, “Knowing What You Eat: Measuring the Effectiveness of Educational Interventions on Animal Consumption” is set up to last for 18 months and is intended to deepen understanding of food habits.
Explaining the project to the Lode, Silke Feltz, one of the members of the research team, said, “This is my first research grant and I feel very fortunate collaborating with my advisor in the Humanities Department, Dr. Syd Johnson, and the other ethicists. Animal Charity Evaluators funded our project that attempts to test the effectiveness of educational approaches on animal consumption.”
According to Feltz, animal ethics hold a special place in her personal life. “This project is close to my heart because my research interest is food ethics with a focus on the rhetoric of veganism. I have been challenging my own food habits since I became a graduate student at Tech and hope to inspire people to become healthier, environmentally friendly, and more kind to all species by making more ethical food choices on a daily basis.”
Several principal investigators of the research team come from Michigan Tech. Silke Feltz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Humanities. Dr. Johnson is an associate professor of philosophy and affiliate associate professor of kinesiology & integrative physiology. She researches in the areas of neuroethics and bioethics and recently coedited “The Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics” with K.S. Rommelfanger.
Dr. Adam Feltz is an associate professor of psychology and applied ethics in the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences and directs the Ethical Decision-making and Ethical Naturalism Lab.
The $11,385 awarded by the Animal Charity Evaluators will sponsor all aspects of the project including travel, logistics and participation. Animal Charity Evaluators, the funders of the project, is a U.S.-based non-profit that is “dedicated to finding and advocating for highly effective opportunities to improve the lives of animals.” The charity organization was established in 2012 and undertakes three major programs.
These programs focus on research, education, and fund-raising. Since its establishment, the organization has evaluated more than 300 animal charity projects, reached over 900,000 people with their research and awarded 8 grants from their Animal Advocacy Research Fund. They have also influenced almost $4.9 million in funds to recommended charities.
