# Sexual misconduct at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 9, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799 "2021-12-09T22:28:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/1 "2021-12-09T22:28:58Z")
Ugh! Would never have expected this?
[https://www.wseetonline.com/rs/2021/12/09/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute-is-under-fire-as-16-women-scientists-claim-sexual-misconduct/](https://www.wseetonline.com/rs/2021/12/09/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute-is-under-fire-as-16-women-scientists-claim-sexual-misconduct/)
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### Author:  [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/2 "2021-12-10T07:07:11Z")
Whoa, that’s the place where Colibri worked!
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/3 "2021-12-10T08:50:29Z")
> [@chela](#):
>
> Ugh! Would never have expected this?
Why not?
There are a certain percentage of men in this world who see no problem (other than getting away with it) with pressuring and extorting women (or sometimes other men) for sex, up to and including actual rape. These men look just like all the other men so until they misbehave you can’t pick them out of the crowd.
Science is not immune to this, being done by people. Have a situation that is somewhat isolated where some people have more power over other people and it’s not surprising at all that this can occur. It’s also appalling, awful, disturbing, criminal, wrong, and disgusting - anything but OK.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/4 "2021-12-10T17:53:20Z")
> [@alovem](#):
>
> Whoa, that’s the place where Colibri worked!
Yes, I admit to reading the article with some trepidation (not that I had reason to believe anything ill of him, but you never know) but fortunately no mention of him.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/5 "2021-12-10T18:12:07Z")
> [@Gyrate](#):
>
> but fortunately no mention of him.
But that’s him in the picture, isn’t it? (To be clear, it’s not a picture of him, [he’s just in it](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/12/09/20/51564357-10293701-image-a-38_1639083306770.jpg)).
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/6 "2021-12-10T18:20:26Z")
Yes, I think he’s pictured in the immediate background behind Egbert Leigh, who’s the subject of the photo - the article says Leigh was a senior scientist who there for 50 years, he retired two years ago after admitting to sexual assault & harassment (but Leigh is not the one accused of rape).
ETA - having said that I’m now not so sure it’s Colibri in that photo. I guess guys with white beards are not uncommon - looking closely, the nose looks to me to be a different shape to pictures of Colibri.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/7 "2021-12-10T18:40:55Z")
> [@Riemann](#):
>
> looking closely, the nose looks to me to be a different shape to pictures of Colibri.
That’s actually what made me unsure. I was going by the glasses, hat, watch and button down shirt. He might even have the same belt on in that picture as I see in other pictures.
Also, the beard is a bit different, but that could just be how he shaved it, especially considering it’s missing the parts next to the soul patch in all the pictures.
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### Author:  [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/8 "2021-12-10T18:47:37Z")
We need a book to help identify scientists in the field.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/9 "2021-12-10T18:54:46Z")
He had a bit of rhinophyma going on as he got older, which may account for the difference in nose shape if the photo with Leigh is not recent.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2021, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/10 "2021-12-11T06:34:29Z")
The text:
> [@](#):
>
> STRI scientists Benjamin Turner (left) and Edgar Allen Herre (right) have been accused of sexual misconduct. Both have denied wrongdoing
appears to be the caption for that picture. If that is correct, then neither person is identified as either Leigh or colibri.
If it’s the guy in the white-ish hat that’s in question, that’s too indistinct to tell anything.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2021, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/11 "2021-12-11T06:40:56Z")
No, it’s a bit confusing, but I’m pretty sure the Turner & Herre caption that you quote refers to the two smaller pictures above, which must have been laid out left and right in the original formatting of the article.
The caption for the picture we’re looking at is below it,
> Egbert Leigh has admitted to sexual misconduct. He retired from the STRI in 2019
In the context of the rest of the article, which discusses these three, this must be the case, given Leigh’s age - he was at the institute for 50 years. Turner & Herre are younger.
So we’re thinking maybe that’s Colibri immediately behind and to the right of Egbert Leigh.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2021, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/12 "2021-12-11T06:51:26Z")
Okay, then, here’s the part that maybe we’re not supposed to say out loud: Is it likely that everybody else there knew what was going on?
I worked part-time for a professor from 1981 to 1984, who was a narcissistic and lecherous uber-asshole. This was in a somewhat niche field, and he was known internationally within the field for his work. He was also known internationally as a narcissistic and lecherous uber-asshole, but nobody said or did anything about it.
He exploited all his graduate students and assistants and volunteers (including an attempt at exploiting me), including sexually harassing all the better-looking females. I personally heard two of them (one female and one male) talk of committing suicide. The two associate directors of the lab knew these things perfectly well – it was a wide-open worst-kept secret throughout the university. I knew that because of connections I had. This all left me with a very bad attitude toward “academia”.
See where my question is coming from?
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### Author:  [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2021, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/13 "2021-12-12T09:13:03Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> See where my question is coming from?
Yes, but where’s it going? Never mind, I’ll be blunt: I hope Ed Zotti and others have a long, careful look at the matter before raising funds for a donation to STRI.
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### Author:  [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/14 "2021-12-14T12:45:39Z")
> [@Pleonast](#):
>
> We need a book to help identify scientists in the field.
Funny.
If you want to honor Colibri but have qualms about STRI, consider contributing to the Panama Audubon Society. George worked closely with them, and they do good educational, conservation, and research work. (I gave to them as well as to STRI, FWIW.)
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### Author:  [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/15 "2021-12-23T22:42:38Z")
The news about sexual misconduct at STRI came as a shock and I reached out to my contact there about it. She informs me STRI has now issued the following statement:
> **[Safe science](https://stri.si.edu/story/safe-science)**
This matter has cast a pall over our efforts to raise money for a [research fellowship at STRI in memory of longtime SDMB moderator George Angehr (Colibri)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contributions-to-the-george-angehr-colibri-memorial-fund-are-now-being-accepted/955847/7), who was a research associate at STRI for many years. We have now surpassed our $5,000 goal and thank all contributors for their generosity. The offenders at STRI are no longer associated with the organization, and the measures described in the statement above make us reasonably confident the fellowship recipient will be protected against any repetition of this type of conduct. That said, if anyone wants their contribution returned, please email me at edzotti at gmail dot com and I’ll see to it.
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### Author:  [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)
#### Post date: [December 24, 2021, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-misconduct-at-smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/955799/16 "2021-12-24T07:42:52Z")
Thank you, Ed, for following up on the matter and posting this information.