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Published online 13 May 2009 | Nature 459, 148-149 (2009) | doi:10.1038/459148a
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Deep concerns
The United States' flagship underground laboratory is running into challenges over its relations with local Native Americans. Rex Dalton reports.
Deep in South Dakota's Black Hills, engineers are halfway through pumping water from a 2.6-kilometre-deep mineshaft near the town of Lead.
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Mr. Dalton says, "To learn more about this effort, Nature sought to interview other scientists and staff, but they declined to talk, for fear, they said, of retaliation from administrators". I have been employed at SDSM&T for eleven years. Mr. Dalton did not ask me for a comment. If he had, I would have declined. Not out of fear of the administration, but due to my concern that any comments I make would be distorted, taken out of context, or misquoted. I have worked with researchers at one of the local tribal colleges and think our two institutiions have a very good relationship. It's obvious Mr. Dalton has an agenda of his own. I just wish you would stick to publishing factual scientific articles and leave out the rumors, accusations, and politics.
I am concerned that a journal dedicated to reporting science accepted and printed a story about personal, unsubstantiated accusations. Was this article peer reviewed? "...until Nature began equiring." sounds a little bit like Enquiring Minds Want to Know.
I agree with Jennifer's comment. This sort of reporting is not up to the standard of a scientific journal and should be left to the realm tabloid magazines. Since when does Nature muckrake?
This is absolutely terrible journalism. I hope the School of Mines sues Nature and Mr. Dalton for this unsupported and random slander. He has the wrong portrayal of the native american population at SDSMT (native americans are eligible for thousands of dollars in scholarships regardless of academic performance)...and somehow feels he can directly relate native american cultural issues to a sex scandal that has not been verified by anyone other than four anonymous "students or facilty". Drs. Martin and G-T have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH DUSEL. I think Nature owes SDSMT an apology.
I must agree with several of my colleagues as this article seems to be completely wrong for this type of journal, I enjoy reading Nature and its various articles, but the whole sex scandal portion has soured the taste for future readings. Dr. Martin was my advisor while working on my Ph.D. at SDSM&T and is very respected in our field of Vertebrate Paleontology and still to this day commands my respect and admiration for everything that he has accomplished. I am proud to call him a friend and colleague. I am done with Nature and anything being written by Mr. Dalton!