Feds cancel grant, call out U of M amid new case of professor misconduct allegations
KSTP 5 Eyewitness News
[{'start': '1.434', 'end': '5.038', 'text': "LINDSAY IS OFF TONIGHT. FIVE  INVESTIGATES UNCOVERS A NEW  SCANDAL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF  MINNESOTA INVOLVING ANOTHER  PROFESSOR IN YOUR MONEY,  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC  RASMUSSEN IS LIVE AT THE U OF M  CAMPUS, WHERE HE FOUND THE FEDS.  JUST CAN'T SOLD A MULTI-MILLION  DOLLAR GRANT OVER ALLEGATIONS OF  MORE MADE UP RESEARCH. ERIC  KEVIN.  >> THAT MIGHT SOUND FAMILIAR,  BECAUSE ANOTHER PROFESSSSOR  RECENTLY RESIGNED AFTER  ALLEGATIONS OF PLAGIARISM. BUT  LET ME TELL YOU, THIS IS  DIFFERENT. THE PROFESSOR WE'RE  INVESTIGATING IS STILL EMPLOYED  HERE AT THE U. STILL COLLECTING  A SIX FIGURE SALARY, AND THAT'S  EVEN THOUGH THE FEDS SAY HE  ADMITTED TO FABRICATING DATA IT  WAS SUPPOSED TO CHANGE THE  FUTURE OF FRACKING AND SAVE THE  ENVIRONMENT. I KIND OF HAD TO  SCRATCH MY HEAD. BUT BEHIND THE  CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH TO REDUCE  POLLUTION FROM FLARES LIKE  THESE, IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY.  FIVE INVESTIGATES FOUND THE  UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HAS  KNOWN ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF  MISCONDUCT FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,  BURNING JUST BELOW THE SURFACE  INVOLVE ONE OF THE UNIVERSITIES  RISING STAR, DOCTOR SAYAN  BISWAS. WE WANT TO LEARN MORE.  >> WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND THINGS,  HE SHOWS UP ON YOUTUBE TALKING  ABOUT RESEARCH AND EVEN ON  UNIVERSITY PRESS RELEASES  CELEBRATING HIS WORK.  >> YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, IS  THIS A SOMETHING TRUE OR  SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON? BUT  BISWAS HAS BEEN HARD TO FIND  SINCE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT  TERMINATED A $2 MILLION GRANT  FUNDING.  >> HIS RESEARCH FIVE  INVESTIGATES OBTAINED THIS  LETTER FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT  OF ENERGY TO THE U OF M IN LATE  MARCH, SAYING BISWAS ADMITTED  THAT HE FABRICATED RESEARCH  RESULTS AND DATA CONNECTED TO  THE GRANT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE  MOST TROUBLING PART TO RICHARD  PAINTER.  >> WE COULD HAVE MILLIONS OF  DOLLARS OF FEDERAL RESEARCH  GRANT THAT'S AT RISK, THE  UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW  PROFESSOR AND FORMER CHIEF  ETHICS LAWYER FOR PRESIDENT  GEORGE W BUSH, POINTS TO ANOTHER  LINE IN THIS LETTER FROM THE  FEDS.  >> THEY IDENTIFY SHORTCOMINGS AT  THE UNIVERSITY IN HOW IT WAS  CONDUCTING INQUIRIES INTO  ALLEGATIONS OF RESEARCH  MISCONDUCT. . DO YOU THINK THERE  COULD HAVE BEEN SOME  INTERVENTION PRIOR TO JUST A  MONTH AGO?  >> THERE? ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE  BEEN INTERVENTION BACK IN 2023.  AS SOON AS THERE WAS TALK OF  MISCONDUCT.  >> IN FACT, MORE THAN 18 MONTHS  AGO, RECORD SHOW, BISWAS TOLD A  STUDENT TO EXPENSE AN UNRELATED  PIECE OF LAB EQUIPMENT TO THE  FEDERAL GRANT. I'M NOT WILLING  TO GO AGAINST MY FEELING ON  THIS. THE STUDENT PUSHED BACK IN  AN EMAIL OBTAINED BY FIVE  INVESTIGATES USING FEDERAL FUNDS  INCORRECTLY IS SOMETHING I FEAR.  SOON AFTER THE FEDS ORDERED THE  UNIVERSITY TO INVESTIGATE, BUT  IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT ACTION, IF  ANY, U OF M LEADERS ACTUALLY  TOOK. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE  WHO ARE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING  ON, AND THIS IS WHAT I CALL THE  CULTURE OF NONCOMPLIANCE. A  FORMER MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF  REGENTS, MICHAEL HSU, FIRST  CALLED OUT A CULTURE OF  NONCOMPLIANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY  IN 2019 AFTER FIVE INVESTIGATES  FOUND ADMINISTRATORS KNEW ABOUT  ANOTHER PROFESSOR REIMBURSED  TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR  PERSONAL EXPENSES WITH PUBLIC  MONEY THAT PROFESSOR RESIGNED.  BUT HSU SAYS THE LACK OF  OVERSIGHT AT THE U. REMAINS AND  I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THE  UNIVERSITY BECAUSE IT'S HARMFUL  NOT ONLY TO THE UNIVERSITY BUT  THE STAKEHOLDERS.  >> ALL THE CITIZENS OF THE  STATE.  >> DOCTOR BISWAS, THIS IS ERIC  RASMUSSEN WITH KSTP. THE  PROFESSOR ISN'T THE ONLY ONE  WE'RE TRYING TO SPEAK WITH. FIVE  INVESTIGATES REQUESTED  INTERVIEWS WITH NINE OTHER  LEADERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF  MINNESOTA FROM BISWAS, BOSS AT  THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND  ENGINEERING, TO KEY  ADMINISTRATORS IN CHARGE OF  RESEARCH INTEGRITY AND  COMPLIANCE. SO FAR, NOT A SINGLE  ONE HAS RESPONDED. AN OFFICIAL  STATEMENT FROM A SPOKESPERSON  THAT THE U. FULLY REVIEWS  MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS, HARDLY  ANSWERING ANY OF OUR QUESTIONS.  >> THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE  WAY THAT THE SYSTEM IS BEING RUN  NOW THAT'S JUST NOT WORKING, AND  IT HURTS EVERYBODY UNLESS YOU  ACTUALLY DEAL WITH THESE  SITUATIONS IN A SERIOUS AND  TRANSPARENT MANNER, YOU'RE GOING  TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE  PROBLEMS OCCUR.  >> NOW IN THE LAST 90 MINUTES, I  JUST HEARD BACK FROM AN ATTORNEY  FOR THAT PROFESSOR SYAN BISWAS.  HE INSISTS THE FEDS CLAIM THAT  HIS CLIENT FABRICATED HIS  RESEARCH IS A GROSS  EXAGGERATION. HE ADDED THAT THIS  ISSUE IS REALLY THAT HE WAS  USING, QUOTE, SIMULATED DATA AND  DIDN'T DECLARE THAT WHEN HE  SHOULD HAVE. THIS AFTERNOON,  WE'VE ALSO HEARD BACK FROM THE U  OF M SAYING ITS REVIEW OF THIS  SITUATION IS STILL ONGOING, AND  THAT BISWAS IS ACTUALLY ON LEAVE  RIGHT NOW. UNRELATED TO THIS  INVESTIGATION. BUT OF COURSE, I  CAN TELL YOU WE ARE NOT DONE  TRYING TO GET ANSWERS FOR YOU ON  THIS CASE. SO YOU KNOW, WE'LL  CONTINUE TO FOLLOW"}]