Racism, or Simply Trying to Muzzle the Opposition?
I am not sure that this is best explained by racism: Scientist: Racism hurt him at MIT
Blacks are under-represented at MIT. Perhaps that and the fact that the elite university mindset can be more easily manipulated by that charge explains the strategy of attempting to use that tack to attain tenure. Inside Higher Ed does make the racism case.
But the case that looks like it hangs together better is challenging scientific orthodoxy.
Or should I say ideology.
Specifically, on adult versus embryonic stem cells.
Seems like he has not only challenged ideological dogma by challenging cloning, and embryonic stem cell orthodoxy. Furthermore, he seems to have demonstrated most achievements that embryonic stem cell activists claim embryonic cells will eventually be able to accomplish, but in adult stem cells, not embryonic.
He got a PEW Grant and other awards for his work.
Admittedly, he hasn't been shy about sharing his opinions concerning embryonic stem cells, which is not conducive to gathering evidence and evaluating it even-handedly. But there are enough irregularities and apparent inconsistencies in this case to more than warrant a thorough, public, examination of Professor Sherley's work.
Challenging scientific orthodoxy is never easy. It becomes much harder with anonymous faculty votes which can effectively exercise a veto over which scientific questions are asked by vetoing the possibility of even asking the question through the convenient dismissal of inconvenient persons who are willing to ask.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not qualified to judge the research on its own merits. But this looks to be coming from the same impulses as those at the beginning of the previous century, who could not master relativity and quantum mechanics, and took refuge in anger at those who had the critical insights. Check out Rutherford's final experiment (sorry about the weird format - pdf does weird things to my computer in conjunction with Firefox). He was so certain tritium wasn't radioactive he never aimed a Geiger Counter at his samples!
For Professor Sherley, a thorough, open evaluation of his work is the least he is due, especially given that many of his accomplishments seem to stand out among his peers. Nobody ever made a critical scientific breakthrough by hewing strictly to the established orthodoxy, let alone ideology. And if Professor Sherley's distaste for the ethics of cloning and embryonic stem cell use motivated him to find a process that renders them unnecessary, that is cause for celebration by any rational standard, not censure. Faced with an ethical dilemma, wouldn't anyone rational rather have another alternative that enables them to avoid the dilemma?
Unless, of course, you want to insist that there is no dilemma.
And if those who examined his case for tenure are uncomfortable with a public examination of the evidence, that's a definite sign that something is wrong, and that there is something in the process in which he was denied tenure that will not stand the light of day.
(There is an on-line petition for granting Professor Sherley tenure. Sign the petition here)
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It seems crass to launch a hunger strike because he didn't get tenure. If his research is as big a breakthrough as he thinks, I'm sure there are other schools willing to take him. I don't think that amazing professors being denied tenure despite glowing awards and research grants is all that uncommon. Each department has limited resources they can use for a limited range of research goals.
From reading those two articles, I find the racism claim thinly justified. Even if he's fighting for equal racial treatment, this isn't the way to do it. He would earn a lot more respect moving to a different school and making a real impact with his research. There are tons of school willing to throw money to have a famous black researcher. Once he's successful, he can tell MIT off for being shallow and shortsighted or whatever he wants to say. The way he's conducting himself now sounds like a child throwing a tantrum.
It's easy for us to call for an open review of his tenure application but I don't think it's appropriate. Some parts of the process depend on professors and students speaking in confidence about their evaluation of someone else's work. Even if a researcher hits all the right checklist, you don't want a prima-donna tying up all your administrative resources. (Not saying he is one, just an example.) Opening up the tenure process puts the validity and fairly of the process in jeopardy.
My preference would be that the tenure position would go away entirely. What other job do you get the promise that you can not be fired after a certain amount of time on the job and buy-in of your peers? Tenure seems to be part of the problem.