Harassment in science is real


A
s the rallying cry against sexual harassment 

and bullying in many fields, including aca-

demia, continues to grow, more and more 

victims are coming forward with their sto-

ries, reflecting how this damaging culture 

has been the norm across sectors for decades. 

Studies of women in academia report that 

more than half have experienced harassment. This 

behavior has remained ob-

scured for many reasons: 

fear, resignation, and accep-

tance. The scientific com-

munity must recognize the 

difficult conversations that 

have started and embrace 

this watershed moment as 

an opportunity for rapid and 

essential cultural change.

In our own fields of geo-

physical and environmen-

tal sciences, in which teams 

of researchers travel to 

far corners of the planet, 

harassment has long been a 

reality. Huts atop frozen ice 

sheets, bunks on research ves-

sels, and poster-strewn office 

halls have all hosted scenes 

of inexcusable behavior. Our 

own personal stories comprise 

more than three decades of 

scientific achievement, yet 

cultural change in our fields 

seems as slow as the glaciers we study. Senior scientists 

have touched us inappropriately and have repeatedly in-

vaded our personal space. Many of our male colleagues 

believe harassment is a thing of the past, yet some of 

these events occurred in the last 2 years. We have re-

mained silent, fearful of the ramifications. When we did 

speak up softly, we saw no consequences, no action, and 

no change. We have witnessed friends, employees, and 

colleagues suffer in a culture that looks the other way, 

labeling bullying and harassment as “antics” or disguis-

ing them as rigorous scientific review.

The consequences for the harassed, bullied, and as-

saulted are real. Women and men affected by harass-

ment struggle to get jobs, secure tenure, win research 

funding, get appropriate authorship on papers, and 

receive scientific recognition. Perpetrators gain power 

and prestige. Victims—often students and postdocs who 

wield little power—“choose” other paths.

Since news of the sexual misconduct of film execu-

tive Harvey Weinstein broke, the #MeToo movement de-

nouncing harassment is alight across the sciences. People 

are speaking up and sharing stories that they have hid-

den for decades. We know from our research that melt-

water produced by a warming climate can make glaciers 

move faster. We know, too, that major social events can 

trigger rapid changes in communities. The recent high-

profile harassment cases are an 

opportunity to change the basic 

ethical culture of science.

Cultural change must occur 

at the individual, team, profes-

sional society, and institutional 

levels. This year, the American 

Geophysical Union adopted a 

new ethics policy that defines 

bullying and harassment as 

scientific misconduct. The 

American Geosciences Insti-

tute, which encompasses more 

than 50 scientific societies, is 

working to adopt a common 

statement to address harass-

ment. As societies move for-

ward, harassers will no longer 

be bestowed academic honors 

while victims sit quietly in the 

audience. Change must come 

to institutions where harassers 

retire or resign and go to new 

institutions to begin again.

The greatest opportunity for 

cultural change rests with individual scientists, teams, 

and professional societies. Men and women need to lis-

ten, speak up, and learn and teach about the prevalence 

of harassment. Field teams and laboratory groups must 

openly discuss the culture and develop codes of conduct 

and equality alongside safety protocols. Societies and 

institutions must provide training for scientists at all 

career stages—especially for senior scientists—on how 

to be ethical leaders and how to confront harassers. Sci-

ence requires diverse, innovative thinkers to protect our 

global citizens, understand our home planet, and push 

us to the outer reaches of space. Efforts in three arenas—

individuals working to understand the prevalence of 

harassment, teams developing a code of conduct, and 

societies providing training toward ethical leadership—

have the potential to stimulate powerful change.

–Robin E. Bell and Lora S. Koenig

Harassment in science is real

Robin E. Bell is a 

professor at the 

Lamont-Doherty 

Earth Observatory 

of Columbia 

University, 

Palisades, New 

York, and is 

president-elect 

of the American 

Geophysical 

Union. robinb@

ldeo.columbia.edu

Lora S. Koenig is 

a senior research 

scientist at the 

National Snow 

and Ice Data 

Center in the 

Cooperative 

Institute for 

Research in 

Environmental 

Sciences at the 

University of 

Colorado, 

Boulder, Colorado. 

lora.koenig@

colorado.edu

10.1126/science.aar6134

“…cultural change rests with 
individual scientists, teams, 
and professional societies.”

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S C I E N C E   sciencemag.org

EDITORIAL

8 DECEMBER 2017 • VOL 358 ISSUE 6368    1 2 2 3

DA_1208Editorial.indd   1223 12/6/17   11:23 AM

Published by AAAS

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http://science.sciencemag.org/


Harassment in science is real
Robin E. Bell and Lora S. Koenig

DOI: 10.1126/science.aar6134
 (6368), 1223.358Science 

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(print ISSN 0036-8075; online ISSN 1095-9203) is published by the American Association for the Advancement ofScience 

Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science

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