You’d think, being academics and all, that Penn State’s internal investigation of Dr. Michael Mann would contact the people who raised questions about the MBH98 paper and the “hockey stick”.
Yes you’d think that. I’d think that, reasonable people everywhere might think that.
But this is the halls of stuffy academia. They don’t think like that.
Steve McIntyre reports that he hasn’t been asked a single question:
They didn’t contact me. The only inquiry that has contacted me so far has been an anti-terrorism officer seconded to the Norfolk Police who interviewed me about FOI requests and my views on climate change. Nor have any CA readers notified me that they’ve been contacted by the Penn State inquiry. I wonder who they interviewed. I wonder what they meant about “looking at issues from all sides”.
But there’s plenty of “plan B’s” apparently lined up, read this report from the Penn State Collegian
One for example, was previously covered on WUWT:
“…anything short of the absolute pursuit of science cannot be accepted or tolerated.”
I hope I’m wrong, I hope the inquiry asked tough questions.
I’m a proud Penn State College of Science alumnus. I have been asking for clarification since the beginning of this. My friday request for details of the finding from Dean Easterling drew this response from Spanier’s office today.
Dear dr kill:
Thank you for your email. In accordance with policy RA-10 under which Penn State has been reviewing allegations against Professor Mann, the inquiry period ended on Saturday, January 30. It is expected that a statement on this phase of the process will be issued within the next few days.
Sincerely,
Tom Poole
Thomas G. Poole, Ph.D
Vice President for Administration
And for the thousandth time, Penn State is The Pennsylvania State University, in State College, PA. Penn is The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA. One is land grant, one is Ivy League.
Really, you people were expecting something other than a whitewash? Really?
REALLY?
Grow up, science left the building long ago. And the faculty at your average university (staffed full of Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Social Justice, Cultural Anthropology, etc… professors, actively engage in non-work work, and science with no scientific content) not only doesn’t believe in real science, they don’t even believe in the ideas that underlie it (like, you know, logic).
I work at UNR, and I can tell you first hand (wait, I think I already did before in another thread…) that the university has spin doctors that make Leno’s joke writers pale in comparison.
No matter what Mann has done, they’ll skip around it, put perfume on it, and call it a great moment in science where we all benefit from a new openess.. just watch.
UNR. Drowning sheep, starving cattle, hidden cameras, drunk cops. We got it all. Nobody goes to jail.
Go Pack!
And to think I almost went to Penn State to start a Masters… but they initially rejected me till they evaluated my GRE scores and came begging to have me LOL. Dodged a bullet mind you, because the head of my intended research department was quite a character (being highly charitable here… let’s just say he was dodgier than Mann in a dodgem car).
Geoff Sherrington (16:13:39) :
Wonder what the money sponsors will think. From email 973374325.txt
BP, FORD GIVE $20 MILLION FOR PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
EMISSIONS
STUD
Now it shifts. While ford and BP donated, they in return could squalk if some out of control greenie weenie vilified theem with a nasty accusation of pollution. Even if Ford gave the money to mechanical engineering. the chancelor gets a call if Mann starts denegrating automotive companies and killing the planet.
Now Ford sends a few million less because Mann and fellow greenies can’t do much damage.
Regardless of what Penn state does or doesn’t do, that pesky thing called TRUTH will still keep getting in the way. The thing that gets me the most worked up is how the sciences kept getting muddled. I’m not a scientist. I’m not really a mathematician, but I love numbers. While the practice can be a tad confusing at times, it seems a simple concept to me. They’ve never convinced me about their math. It was always fuzzy math that wouldn’t have held up even to a high-school algebra instructor. Given the recent light shined on their methods, its a small wonder how it never added up properly. Thank God for the people and the websites(much like this one!!!) that took the time. I tried on occasions, but the task proved to daunting to take on my own and the issues kept changing as fast as I could read about them. Hats off to all involved!!!
I voted for the wrist slap option, which I reckon is their natural inclination. It makes sense if they think it’s going to die down.
Thinking again, it must be occurring to them that this is playing with fire. It looks increasingly like a sea change in AGW and a whitewash would do them immense damage.
Using every dodge to delay it until they can see which way the cards are falling would work. Passing it over to an external investigation would take it out of their hands, they may not like the results but it would be better than being caught putting the fix in.
As much as I’d like to see Mann thrown out of his job I’m not sure it matters much. No matter how this is decided his standing in the court of public opinion has been severely and permanently damaged.
He was one of the high priests of AGW, who is going to take him seriously now? Who is going to take any of this so called science seriously anymore without bullet proof evidence and extremely public airing of the methods and data behind any new findings?
I’m actually enjoying the slow death and public humiliation of this scam and the people behind more than a than a rapid demise. It takes time to enjoy the good things.
Steve M not being asked to testify? There is no investigation.
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West Houston (15:36:16) :
Only 7 per cent believe that justice will be done. Alas, we are a cynical bunch!
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Cynical, bruised and wiser.
Not just any PA senator, but: Pennsylvania State Senator Jeff Piccola (jpiccola@pasen.gov). Contact him and get HIS update on the PSU investigation and let him know what you think.
The idea that PSU’s cover-up will taint it worse will happen only if somebody acts on it. Another commenter mentions that PSU has a fine science reputation – it’s on the line with Mann and Mann is the only one who has put their ‘reputation’ in jeopardy.
I think he has to be deemed to have improperly assisted in the deletion of information so as to avoid a FOIA request. That has to meet some standard of academic dishonesty.
As I recall, Mann received an e-mail from Phil Jones advising him to delete e-mails so as to thwart FOIA requests, and also requesting that Mann advise a third party (can’t remeber the name) to also delete e-mails for the same reason. Mann’s response to Phil Jones, although not indicating that he personally deleted e-mails, certainly indicated that he, at Jones’s suggestion, instructed that third party to do so.
When Jones got called out for deleting information pertinent to a FOIA request, Mann’s response was that he didn’t condone what Jones got caught at doing, and that he certainly didn’t delete any e-mails. This seems a little disingenuous given that Mann advised someone else to do what he claims he doesn’t condone. Also, I find it highly likely Mann is not telling the truth when he says he didn’t delete any e-mails.
So since they claim to have looked at all the e-mails, presumably they will have a comment about this exchange:
http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=893&filename=.txt
http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=891&filename=.txt
(emphasis added)
A competent inquiry would demand to know whether Mann did what he said he was going to do: Ask someone to delete e-mails in order to prevent the IPCC rules from being adhered to.
I’ll believe we’re making progress on tearing down the AGW edifice when nearly every story about one aspect of the science being corrupted no longer contains the disclaimer “but all other science is solid and this case doesn’t undermine the larger case for AGW.”
The fact that the Guardian newspaper has carried an article which is sceptic in tone is a seismic shift in MSM in the UK. I never thought that I would witness the Guardian reporting on something which suggests that the ‘setttled science’ may in some way be flawed and debate required.
The Penn State inquiry was born in panic from a surprise attack They have, predictably, closed ranks. They need an exceptional leader to get out of this unscathed, and I really hope one steps forward. I doubt it.
If its a whitewash it will surely come back to haunt them in the near future, maybe
immediately.
This story has legs; lots of legs.
Whatever the outcome, it will certainly not be the end for Michael Mann.
And Michael Mann will not be the only casualty.
People are still in shock from the constant revaluations, and Its difficult to encapsulate the enormity of it all. Once the shock is over and it begins sink in there will, I think, be a great call to account.
I derive no pleasure from witnessing a person dishonored – Many of us have have trod perilously close – but it is necessary if trust in science is to be saved.
I don’t expect them to admit anything. This is their religion. They are reluctant to let go.
Well, I voted for #2, but I know that whatever the outcome, it will be qualified by:
“This finding has absolutely no effect on the overwhelming proof that climate change is happening and it is largely man-made”
Sorry but the cat’s already out of the bag on this question:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/30/ipcc-now-in-bizzaroland-pachauri-releases-smutty-romance-novel/#more-15867
There is no integrity in higher education at any level.
Just remember Penn, as goes the inquiry, so goes your reputation.
It won’t be a whitewash – it’ll be a beigewash – PSU will find he was a little naughty but is still a valued member of the faculty doing important work on climate change, blah, blah, blah…
I’m a little surprised that the Engineering School hasn’t publicly condemned the Enviros. Engineering has been frustrated with the leftist and abstract trends of the rest of PSU for a long time, and understands that failed academic theories lead to real deaths.
For instance, Engineering runs its own English courses where its students can learn to communicate instead of learning to hate Western Civilization, and runs its own math and physics courses where its students will learn useful and valid procedures instead of useless theories.
The goose that lays golden eggs will not be sent packing right away because he has laid a rotten one. Underlings might go though (his lab assistants etc). On the other end, his super might be told to rein that dude in. But the way things go in research, Mann will be replaced by the next super-enthusiastic darling up and coming researcher of the department head and Mann will be relegated to studying tea leaves.
lol, old44 gonna make dr kill mad!!! Not Penn, Pennsylvania State. Penn has their own academic difficulties!!! (Like why they didn’t try to correct their state rivals would be one.) Used to be Ivy league meant something other than excessive tuition rates. sigh
It will be just a wrist slap to keep the local pols quiet, nothing more. Besides, the Earth needs to be saved from humanity you know… and there’s too much funding involved, no matter what he did.
So, can we infer that “critical thinking” is not only not taught, but rather highly discouraged in education?