Strife Dogs Purdue in Research Allegations
By Brian Wallheimer
The [Lafayette, Indiana] Journal & Courier

May 22 , 2007

More evidence is coming out that shows personal differences and bickering may play at least some role in the allegations of research misconduct against a Purdue University professor.

Rusi Taleyarkhan, who claims to have created what is known as "bubble fusion," has argued all along that allegations against him have been more personal than professional. The case is garnering worldwide attention because bubble fusion, if possible, could lead to cheap, clean and massive amounts of energy.

Two professors in the Nuclear Engineering Department, Lefteri Tsoukalas and Martin Lopez−De−Bertodano, leveled charges against Taleyarkhan, saying he was involved in experiments and writing papers that claimed to independently verify his bubble fusion findings. Taleyarkhan was exonerated earlier this year and further investigations by the university were abandoned.

Purdue has a lot to lose in the process that many have called flawed. A congressional look into Purdue's inquiry called it shallow and asked for a deeper look.

If the scientific world or Congress isn't happy with Purdue's new inquiry into fraud allegations against Taleyarkhan, it could affect research funding coming to the university.

Taleyarkhan said Tsoukalas was the ringleader in a two−sided battle over the awarding and denial of tenure to faculty members in the department. He said his side was working to ensure the process was fair, while Tsoukalas, then department head, was handing out favors to friends and punishing others.

"To me it's not the science now but the personalities," Taleyarkhan said. "There were some very strong improprieties that were being promulgated."

Taleyarkhan said at least one professor, who he declined to name, was granted tenure without meeting all of the requirements. He said special meetings to discuss and vote on the tenure were set up when faculty members from the other side couldn't attend.

"From that point onward, the cycle of name calling and cycle of destruction has come up," Taleyarkhan said. "The very fact that some of us went against the grain was used for reprisal."

Sean McDeavitt, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University, said he left Purdue because of the turmoil.

"It was bad," McDeavitt said.

McDeavitt would not give details about the issues that caused him to leave, saying he still fears retribution.

But he believes the allegations against Taleyarkhan are based on personal fights.

"He got hammered out of a personal vendetta," McDeavitt said. "There was a whole group of faculty that got hammered in other ways, but it wasn't public."

Alvin Solomon retired from the department early and two other faculty members, Karen Vierow and Tom Downar, also left Purdue.

But those still here said Taleyarkhan is using the coincidental resignations from the department as his defense.

Downar, Vierow and Solomon could not be reached for comment. Tsoukalas was unavailable for comment.

Professor Chan Choi said McDeavitt was denied tenure and was forced to leave. He said Vierow's departure and Solomon's retirement are still mysteries to him. And he said Downar was looking to become department head and left when he realized it wouldn't happen.

"He doesn't really know what's going on at the school," Choi said of Taleyarkhan. "The personal fighting or personal attacks against him have no ground. There's nothing, nothing, nothing personal about this."

Choi said there were no secret meetings either. He said some faculty members chose not to attend meetings regularly and other times the meetings had to be held quickly because of time constraints.

Professor Mamoru Ishii said those who didn't get their way simply left.

"They tried to shake the department to get their way, and they couldn't," Ishii said.

But even Purdue Provost Sally Mason was quoted in a memo from a congressional committee probing Purdue's inquiry as blaming the allegations on personal conflict.

"What you've got are really some individuals who, for whatever reason, are pretty unhappy with each other and are going at it tooth and nail. And they really like to use whoever they can as a scapegoat to make a point," Mason was quoted as saying.

C.K. Gunsalus, special counsel at the University of Illinois who teaches leadership and ethics in business classes, said focusing on the internal strife is the wrong thing to do, though. She said any allegations that seem plausible should be investigated thoroughly.

"The question is not who made the allegation and for what reason," Gunsalus said. "The question is, 'Is the allegation substantial?' "

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