Posted on 12/18/2008 5:28:19 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Hien T. Tran, the California Air Resources Board scientist who was the lead author and project coordinator of the study justifying the air board's sweeping new efforts to limit diesel emissions, is being investigated by air board officials over allegations he lied about having a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of California at Davis.
"We're going to take the appropriate actions if this is true," Leo Kay, ARB's director of communications, told me.
James E. Enstrom, an epidemiologist with the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, raised the questions about Tran's qualifications in a Dec. 10 letter to the air board. Here is the key part:
California EPA Secretary Linda S. Adams wrote a November 4, 2008 letter to Dr. Young. The Adams letter makes the following statement "Regarding the professional background of the authors, the lead author and project coordinator, Hien Tran, holds a doctorate degree in statistics from the University of California at Davis . . . ."
However, I have determined from the UC Davis Office of the University Registrar and the UC Davis Department of Statistics that Hien Tran holds NO Ph.D. in statistics from UC Davis. Also, I searched ProQuest Dissertation Express and found NO evidence of a dissertation on any subject from any university awarded to the Hien T. Tran employed by CARB. ProQuest UMI Dissertation Publishing has been publishing dissertations and theses since 1938 and has published over 2 million graduate works from graduate schools around the world.
Enstrom forwarded me this letter when he was ignored. He believes that Tran's alleged lack of the credentials he claimed "has direct relevance to the honesty of Tran and to the scientific integrity of the draft and final reports on which he is the lead author."
ARB spokesman Kay said, "I'm not trying to downplay anything," but that the diesel regulations were subject to a "rigorous internal review" and were vetted in a "peer review" by nationally recognized experts.
Because of personnel privacy laws, Kay said, he wasn't sure whether he would be able to reveal the results of the investigation into Tran.
Terry Francke of Californians Aware, one of the leading experts on state government privacy law, said that was "baloney," at least if Tran was found to have done something "seriously wrong even though it may not be criminal."
Francke said there was "a long line of cases" in which it was established that the ARB would have to release its investigative findings and reveal what disciplinary action it took, if any, if Tran had lied about his educational background.
The air board approved the action plan based on Tran's study last Friday.
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Busted.
ARB has been pulling numbers out of their buttholes for years.
Now we know why.
You don't need a Ph.D. to see that.
This is how the left advances its agenda .. It lies.
They need to throw out the ridiculous diesel rules, especially for NOx.
“is being investigated by air board officials over allegations he lied about having a Ph.D. in statistics”
OK, if the fool did have a Ph.D. in statistics, what does that have to do with air pollution? Why was this clown on the CARB anyway?
“diesel regulations were subject to a “rigorous internal review” and were vetted in a “peer review” by nationally recognized experts.”
BS,BS,BS, All these academics sat around and thought up these rules, there was
absolutely no vetting, just like the economic impact, and their nationally
recognized experts were Carol Browner and Al Gore.
Did I mention this is BS?
Figures don't lie, but liars do figure.
To statistically link diesel particulate emissions with lung diseases.
Oh, and by the way, is Mr. Tran being prepared to grease the axles of
the bus when all these regulations extend the California depression.
LOL. You can only shake your head in wonderment. However, I guarantee the new rules won’t be changed in any way because of this. The outcome was predetermined and lack of credentials on the part of one board member won’t bring that into question.
Interesting.
Barry Minow (sp?) a former fraud that spent time in jail (7 years?)
has exposed some high executive officers of lying about their
academic credentials recently.
And the WSJ had an article about a European software magnate of
lying about his PhD from San Fransico Tech (doesn’t and never existed).
As well as creating fake companies and fake sales to pump up his
software company.
That was in maybe the Tuesday issue.
Here is the thing. In a peer review process, it is like something out of ancient time - it starts with, “I studied under so-and-so...”
Then, maybe you make a call, or visit so-and-so, and ask, do you know huminafrantz? what do you think of his work?
One raised eyebrow, and everything huminafrantz ever wrote hits the round file.
No way a scientific paper by a phony PhD was peer reviewed.
ESPECIALLY not in stats. The field is too small - a couple of phone calls, and he would be outed as a fake.
So somebody is departing from the true path of rectitude.
Any chance this is Ward Churchill after identity theft?
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Send treats to the troops...
Great because you did it!
www.AnySoldier.com
They’ll fire him, but still embrace his work. False, but accurate.
What review, you either have a published dissertation are you don't. Mr Tran needs to change his name to madeoff. LOL
Statistics is how to lie with figures and how to make figures lie.
A PHD gives him the authority to make huge lies!
[Why was this clown on the CARB anyway?]
Most people who work for government agencies are there because they can’t qualify for jobs in the private sector.
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