In a September Science editorial, Margaret Hamburg, Susan Hockfield and Steven Chu, who all hold leadership roles in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), wrote that it's time for change: "The scientific community must act with urgency to create an inclusive organizational culture and professional standards of behavior that will allow all of its members to reach their full potential."
Indeed, professional societies and organizations around the United States are taking a stand to address harassment in effective ways. Here are just a few examples of what organizations are doing:
Indeed, professional societies and organizations around the United States are taking a stand to address harassment in effective ways. Here are just a few examples of what organizations are doing:
- Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) put into effect a policy that requires awardee organizations to notify the agency of (1) any findings or determinations that an NSF-funded principal investigator or co-principal investigator committed harassment, including sexual harassment or sexual assault; and (2) the placement of the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on administrative leave, or of the imposition of any administrative action relating to a harassment or sexual assault finding or investigation. Details on the new policy can be found here.
- In September, the AAAS adopted a policy to sanction fellows who to have violated professional ethics, which includes sexual harassment. In essence, any AAAS member can request "revocation of a fellow's title for breaches that range from harassment to fabricating results". Read a statement from AAAS president Margaret Hamburg and her colleagues here. Note: The status of several fellows has already been revoked.
- Also in September, the U. S. Board on Geographic Names renamed Antarctica's Marchant Glacier to Matataua Glacier after its namesake was found guilty of sexually harassing a graduate student. Read the story here. Wouldn't it be interesting if the IAU adopted similar practices in consideration of its names for planetary and other objects?
- In May, an online petition called on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to revoke memberships bestowed on people sanctioned for sexual harassment was posted. Find updated information about this effort here.
- In 2017, the American Geophysical Union adopted a policy that includes harassment in its definition of scientific misconduct. Read the policy here.
- Importantly, the AAS also requires that letters of support for AAS prizes and awards, as noted on the checklist page, "explicitly address whether a nominee's professional conduct over their career exemplifies the principles and expectations noted in the AAS Code of Ethics, the Professional and Ethical Standards for the AAS Journals, the Anti-Harassment Policy for AAS & Division Meetings & Activities, and the Guide to AAS Meeting Etiquette."
