Disinformation and fake news are a cause for serious concern. This is true for the natural sciences as well – despite the abundance of peer-reviewed publications. A recent study indicates that nearly a third of the scientific papers that are published by the scientific and research community each year are fake. That could mean that there are as many as half a million bogus papers in circulation. From engineering and construction to the biomedical sector and beyond this abundance of fakes can have significant consequences for the scientific community and policy-makers alike.
How can one discern what is fake and what is not in the sciences? Who benefits from the falsehoods? What are the implications of a prevalence of falsified scientific papers – for academics, scientists, policy-makers, and the business community? For answers to these questions, join the American Council on Germany and the American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation on Tuesday, June 6, at 11 am ET for a virtual discussion about fake scientific papers with neuropsychologist Prof. Dr. Bernhard Sabel, Director of the Institute for Medical Psychology at the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg. We will also be joined by Dr. Elisabeth Malsch, a leader in the forensics practice at Thornton Tomasetti in New York..
Dr. Elisabeth Malsch is a leader in the forensics practice at Thornton Tomasetti in New York. She has decades of experience in modeling the mechanical behavior of structures. For the past 13 years, she has focused on structural analysis and design, specializing in investigative projects and restoration and repair of a wide variety of structures. After completing her studies at Columbia University — where she earned a bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, and a doctorate in civil engineering and engineering mechanics — Dr. Malsch received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to conduct research at the Braunschweig University of Technology in Germany (2004-2005). She serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University in the Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Department and is the author of numerous technical papers and articles. In 2012, Dr. Malsch was named to Building Design + Construction magazine’s 40 Under 40 list and Engineering News-Record New York’s New York Top 20 Under 40. In 2013, she was included in Civil + Structural Engineer’s list of Rising Stars in Structural Engineering.
Prof. Dr. Bernard Sabel has been conducting research at the Institute for Medical Psychology at the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg since 1992. His areas of research include neuroplasticity and the brain’s regenerative properties, especially with regard to vision recovery after damage to the visual cortex or damage due to strokes or glaucoma. Dr. Sabel has been the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience since 1997, and his works have appeared in over 200 publications. He is also the lead author of a new report about fake studies. Dr. Sabel has been a Member of the Board of Governors of the U.S. International Brain Injury Association since 2008. He holds a Master’s in Psychobiology from the University of Düsseldorf and a Ph.D. from Clark University (Worcester, MA).
