MIT has a dirty money problem. From convicted sex-offenders, to undemocratic totalitarian governments, to climate denying/delaying fossil fuel interests & libertarian billionaires, there seems to be nobody my alma mater won't take cash from. THREAD. 1/n
3/n: MIT is a place that on the one hand condemns Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses, yet on the other can rationalize continuing to do business with both the kingdom and its government-controlled companies. nytimes.com/2019/07/03/mag… chronicle.com/article/MIT-Of…
4/n: MIT is a place that took hundreds of millions of dollars from David Koch, made him a Life Member of the Board, & then had its Chairman tell @BostonGlobe - with a straight face - that "I don't see a conflict" when deciding if MIT should #divest from fossil fuel companies.
5/n: ⬆️ Ref: bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/…
6/n: MIT is a place that appointed an Institute climate advisory committee (on which I sat), received our unanimous advisement to address funding from & investment in climate denying fossil fuel cos, then ignored our recommendation & committed instead to “bringing them closer.”
7/n: ⬆️ Ref: huffpost.com/entry/scientif…
8/n: MIT is also a place that, as a scholar & alum, I love. A citadel of science and an intellectual powerhouse at which I have been privileged to spend such formative years and to meet many of the smartest, kindest people I have ever known. I can only hope, therefore, that...
9/n: Perhaps a silver-lining to the Epstein scandal & anger (incl mine) at MIT's breathless eulogy to David Koch last month will be, finally, increased public & community scrutiny on funding & investment ethics in academia, especially private unis & orgs.
10/n: A particularly chronic & subversive form of corporate capture that must be addressed is what @BenFranta & I term fossil fuel industry's 'invisible colonization' of climate & energy research. It's like tobacco cos funding health research, & it's not just rife, it's the norm.
11/n: ⬆️ Ref: theguardian.com/environment/cl…
12/n: MIT's President Reif recently admitted something that might help advocates make their case: "we allowed MIT to contribute to the elevation of [Epstein's] reputation". ⬅️ That's an implicit acknowledgment of the whitewashing 'halo effect' that universities sell to donors.
13/n: ⬆️ Ref: president.mit.edu/speeches-writi…
14/n: To paraphrase something I've said before, scientific organizations need to be braver. As an MIT alum, I feel both proud & disappointed: bittersweet emotions toward a place that taught me so much science, yet so little about how to stand up for it & its underlying values.
15/n: ⬆️ Ref: huffpost.com/entry/scientif…
