UB CLEAR Press Conference June 28, 2012 Introduction by Leslie Nickerson

South Campus, University at Buffalo

Hello, and thank you all for joining us at the first press conference of the University at Buffalo Coalition for Leading Ethically in Academic Research, or UB CLEAR. We are a group of SUNY faculty members, students, alumni, and community members who are deeply concerned about the founding of the UB Shale Resources and Society Institute, its undisclosed objectives and funding sources, the disregard for academic integrity and ethical research standards evident in its first publication, Environmental Impacts During Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling: Causes, Impacts and Remedies, and the unacknowledged gas industry connections of three of the report's four authors. Attaching the University at Buffalo's name to this report has damaged the university's reputation for credible scholarship, and it raises questions about the legitimacy of using public university resources in support of corporate objectives. We are here today to kick off our statewide campaign demanding transparency and a return to responsible and ethical standards for all research bearing the UB name. This means full disclosure of all documents regarding the founding of the institute, its funding, and any and all industry affiliations of its members. We also call on the UB administration to suspend further funding to and publications by the Institute until a truly independent investigation into its founding, funding, and objectives can be conducted. Joining me today are a number of my UB CLEAR colleagues: Starting things off, we would like to present the SRSI with a report card. I suspect they have not done well this term! Next we'll hear from our faculty representative. Steve Halpern is Professor of Political Science at the University at Buffalo, and a member of UB CLEAR. Next I'd like to turn over the floor to Dave Kowalski, Professor Emeritus of Cancer Genetics at Roswell and of Cellular and Molecular Biology at UB. He runs the environmental blog, ReENERGIZE Buffalo and is a member of UB CLEAR. Next we'll hear from Sarah Buckley, a UB alum, a registered nurse, and a member of UB CLEAR. Dave Bradley, UB alum and concerned citizen. And finally I am pleased to introduce my colleague in the English Ph.D. program, Adam Drury. Thanks, everyone, for coming out to support us today. Stay tuned for more from us in the future: we're going to keep working on this until we get results!