In January 1961, President Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to the nation.  His insightful comments included the following:

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present–and is gravely to be regarded.

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

A notable exception to such warnings of the potential corruption of scientific integrity by federal funding has been climate researcher Dr. Judith Curry.  This week, Dr. Curry announced her early retirement from Georgia Tech University.  She has been a shining star in the efforts to maintain scientific integrity in her chosen field of climate research.  Academia has not been a champion of open debate and application of traditional norms of proof-of-theory that rely on comparison of theory and real-world results when it concerns climate change matters.  Her letter explaining her resignation of a tenured post illustrates the overwhelming hypocrisy with which academia treats research and teaching that does not conform to the official “climate change” academic and political dogma.  Federal funding in the climate fields is earmarked for supporters of the federal position that man-made climate change is scientific fact.

As Dr. Curry notes, her move to the business world will provide her a “more honest environment” in which to continue to make her mark.

Best wishes to that end and to a climate heroine.

Charles G. Battig, M.S., M.D., Heartland Institute policy expert on environment; VA-Scientists and Engineers for Energy and Environment (VA-SEEE).  His website is www.climateis.com.