THANKS FOR Tracy Jan’s excellent article on Harvard University psychology professor Marc Hauser’s academic misconduct in his scientific research (Page A1, Aug. 21).
The Harvard dean’s statement that Hauser’s research misconduct involved problems of “data acquisition, data analysis, data retention, and the reporting of research methodologies and results’’ was certainly comprehensive but hardly informative.
It is not hard to understand Harvard’s stonewalling on revealing details of Hauser’s misconduct or the reticence of his colleagues. Harvard University is paid millions in so-called overhead costs to house and administer research grants.
According to his online academic resume, Hauser has received millions of dollars in government grants just since 2001 as chief scientific investigator, and millions more with several of his colleagues in the Harvard psychology department — including the department chairwoman, who was quoted as saying how sad this all was and “how bad for Marc.’’
It is also sad for the taxpayers who spent all those millions on Hauser’s so-called research. I want my money back.
And why is he still teaching at Harvard?
Margaret A. Hagen
Boston
The writer is a professor in the psychology department at Boston University. Her views here are her own.
