Jon Jenkins was not an adjunct professor of virology

well, the denialist "scientific" basis mainly consists of "adjunct" and "emeritus" professors.

plenty of them abuse the name of the most respectful institution that they were allowed to enter over their lifetime, to give undeserved credentials to their unscientific positions.

Word has it[1] that Jenkins was also slated for the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, but all the nominations were rejected because the Nobel Prize Conspiracy didn't like his politically incorrect teachings.

[1] my word, that is

I thought you'd forgotten the Fields Medal, but then I recall he's over the hill 40 years of age.

> Word has it[1] that Jenkins was also slated for...

He also possessed various super powers, but his arch nemesis, Darth Gore, robbed him of them by use of a diabolical CO2 death ray.

Anthony Watts will shortly be analysing how this affects weather stations in Texas.

Michael Asher will demonstrate that this has caused global ice volume (includes measurements from his fridge) to increase.

Lord Monckton will expound on Einstein's flawed and simplistic calculations to show that light travels only slightly faster than an (unladen) African swallow, which, evidently, falsifies the entire global warming scam.

Darth Gore?
Egad...does that mean I've gone to the Dark Side?

Um...can I get one of those neat helmets and a cloak?

I sought some clarification on "adjunct prof." and "University Prize".

In August 2006 Jon Jenkins's Wikipedia listing said (my emphasis):

Until recently Dr Jenkins was at the Bond University on the Gold Coast where he worked on the start of the first private medical school in Australia and in the IT school and where he is still an adjunct Professor.

On 4 Jan 2009 his Wikipedia listing said (my emphasis):

Until recently Jenkins was at [[Bond University]] in [[Queensland]] as a lecturer where he worked on the start of the first private medical school in Australia and also in the IT school and he is still an adjunct Professor.

The latter wording (which seems to have changed around the middle of 2008) seems quite vague as to meaning (i.e. adjunct prof. where? I'd say possibly unspecified).

I find use of "Until recently" in 2006 and in 2009 somewhat odd, too. But perhaps there's nothing in that.

Now Jon Jenkins went to (started out at before his accident) Macquarie University according to his Wikipedia listing. So I did a little googling and found the following where mention of "University Prize" is mentioned:

One of the benefits available to Macquarie University partner schools is an annual academic prize sponsored by the university. We are also more than happy to send a representative of Macquarie University out to your presentation ceremonies to present the Macquarie University prize. (Source)

and this:

Macquarie's School Partners program, which offers a range of benefits to partner schools, expanded during the year and the monthly newsletter Keeping In Touch was circulated to the 64 member schools. Sixty-two schools presented a Macquarie University Prize at their annual speech days. (Source)

It sounds as if Marohasy has been watching Expelled

I'd wondered - I'd had a quick look on Bond's site, but gave up because my dial-up* was too slow to bother with something I put low on my list of priorities.

So it seems that Jenkins is not the Messiah; he is just a very naughty boy...

Given the bio at the end of the article in the Australian:

Jon Jenkins is an adjunct professor of virology specialising in computer modelling at Bond University, and a former independent member of the NSW Legislative Council.

I'd say that both parties have some official retracting to do. It almost merits a Mediawatch consideration, and it certainly requires responses to a couple of 'please explains'.

Kudos to Bond though for having the wherewithal to do what JCU seems to be slow in doing.

(* It's ironic that my partner's suburb, 10km from the GPO and with the highest density of politicians in the state, has no broadband, nor even a capacity for such. A peculiarity of telephonic geography, apparently, according to Telstra. Perhaps if Jenkins had lived here when he was in politics he could have worked assiduously to improve communication...)

Have you tried contacting Bond and seeing what they have to say?

1) Is there a department of virology at Bond?
[I looked, didn't see one, maybe I missed it, or maybe they have all sorts of titles beyond departments.]

2) Is there something in the air Down Under that yieldss strange career descriptions? I've seen:
- climate data analyst
- rocket scientist
and now
- adjunct professor of virology / roving adjunct

More to the point, is this guy an MD, DPhil, PhD or another one of those Dipl Phils we are plagued with?

John Mashey.

I've worked for three Australian universities over the decades, and "roving adjunct" is certainly not a title, nor even a concept, that would be employed by any of them. The very idea would be laughable, in fact.

If there is something about the air that yields waffle for job descriptors, it may be the printers' ink permeating the offices of the conservative rags, or perhaps the tenuosity of the atmosphere in the astroturf bunkers, that present such titles.

At least, I hope that these are more likely reasons - I am quite partial to the regular air in Australia; especially so, as the air in my state is some of the cleanest in the world.

What's that? Jennifer Marohasy's DOG has bitten a MAN?

How *extraordinary*!

"I'd say that both parties have some official retracting to do. It almost merits a Mediawatch consideration, and it certainly requires responses to a couple of 'please explains'."

If anyone is going to Media Watch can you add in the howlers from Jennifer last year on 60 Minutes. I tried for weeks to get a reference, without success, for the claims that she made that the world has been cooling for the last ten years and that Al Gore in AIT said that hurricanes would increase in both number and intensity.

Maybe we can just start a list of the things that she gets wrong in the media however it would be a bit hard to find a server with sufficient storage capacity.

I bet 'Adj. Prof' Jenkins also has a Noble prize gold pin.

"roving adjunct"

magnificent! hats off! can't possibly make up anything that great! i stand in awe.

Well, here is Jon Jenkins' website. Many links are broken, and I'm off to dinner, but others may peruse.

Google: jon jenkins phd md virology

turns up many hits, which is seriously impressive, given that either a PhD or an MD is a lot of work, much less one of each, especially for someone with health problems, especially if he started in law/science.

See also The Outdoor Recreation Party. (I like the name).

I am slightly puzzled about something else:
the Wikipedia entry says:

"He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2003, when he was appointed to a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Malcolm Jones, and he resigned his seat in February, 2007, only weeks before the upcoming NSW State election in March."

Presumably he was living in NSW, or is that not a requirement?

The last I heard, Bond University was in Queensland. So, he might have been there for the last 2 years, or maybe that's what "roving" means.

Bond U is on the Gold Coast, close to the NSW border, and Jenkins lives close to the border on the NSW side.

On the 22nd July 2008, somebody referring to Jon Jenkins' wikipedia page as "my page" added His present state of health has seen him resign from the University...

How can somebody be dismissed from a position that they don't have?

Chris, you'd be suprised what the 'warm-oholics' are capable of.

Nothing would surprise me coming out of that denialist stable. Holding a contrary view is understandable - puffing up academic credentials is not.

Try "jon jenkins" or "jonathan jenkins" and it pretty much reduces to wingnutetry. Without the quotes you get a lot of stuff about virology, but not connected with our lad. This is looking curiouser and curiouser

There is a direct parallel with HIV Denialists claiming affiliations that they don't have.

Dear Dr. Rasnick:

It has come to my attention that you have been including a University of California affiliation on recent publications. Our records do not show that you currently have an official affiliation with the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California Berkeley.

Without an approved University appointment, whether with or without a salary, you may not claim University affiiliation. Therefore the use of the title "Visiting Scientist Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley" or "Professor Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley" is inappropriate and, effective immediately, I have to ask you not to use this title. I last corresponded with you about this issue in February 2003.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely
Richard Harland
Professor and Chair [Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley]

Would Marohasy translate this into "University of California Dismisses HIV Sceptic"?

Published: 4/18/2006 11:13:07
I UNDERSTAND David Rasnick claimed an affiliation with our department in an article ( The Citizen, April 7).
David Rasnick has no affiliation with the University of California, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology.
One should obviously be concerned that someone who misrepresents his own affiliation might also misrepresent data and arguments in other areas.
RICHARD HARLAND
University of California, Berkeley, Dept of Molecular and Cell Biology

[My emphasis]

re: #18
Thanks, I've been to the Gold Coast a few times, but I didn't recognize Jenkins' town.

At NSRP list, from December 12, 2007 he is listed as:

"Jon Jenkins, PhD, MD, computer modelling - virology, Sydney, NSW, Australia"

At Lavoisier group submission to Garnaut he is listed under "Non-Scientists" (along with Pope Benedict XVI) as:

"Jon Jenkins, PhD, MD, computer modelling - virology, NSW, Australia"

Isn't there a website called Adjunct Science?
Oh, wait....

Hank,

if Tim ever offers a prize for best witticism of the year, your contribution at #25 would surely qualify.

I did the tea-through-the-nostrils thing again, and I'm much more cautious these days!

As best I can figure out, he probably has a honorary Ph.D. for VooDoo U.

IT technicians rove a lot.

Just found this:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=164004

He signed a letter to Ban Ki-Moon.

The letter:
http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=164002

I find it telling that in the five pages of comments following the article, neither Jennifer Marohasy nor Jon Jenkins responds to the questions raised here (and echoed in the comments there) beyond JM claiming that her information is from a "reliable source".

It should be a simple matter to offer up verifiable academic credentials and employment history. Sometimes silence speaks volumes

JM has cleared it all up in comments at her blog,
"Noone has been misprepresented.'

See.

We have a winner Can someone check what level degree this was for. The date on it is 1989

Control of phycoerythrin synthesis in Chroomonas sp
Author: Jenkins, Jon Gordon.
Title: Control of phycoerythrin synthesis in Chroomonas sp [manuscript] / Jon Gordon Jenkins.

Description: 1 v. (various pagings) : ill ; 30 cm + insert (2 leaves) ; in pocket.
Primary Material: Archival/Manuscript Material

Database: Macquarie University Library
Location: Thesis Collection
Call Number: QR99.63 .J46
Number of Items: 1
Status: Check shelves

PhD

Thanks

Here are a few useful references:

1)Parliament of NSW Bio.

"Qualifications, occupations and interests

B Sc (Hons) , Ph D. Researcher with Digital Research 1992 - 1997. Academic, Bond University 1997 - 2003. Member of Tweed Valley 4WD and the Platypus Conservancy clubs. Interest in conservation. "

His inaugural speech is linked there.
The Digital Research label is slightly confusing, in that he apparently worked at Digital Equipment Corporation's Networking and Communication center at Bond. "Digital Research" was a different company (Monterey, CA).

Google: jenkinsj@ozy.dec.com

2) From his website, we find Speeches, etc in Hansard.

3) His inaugural speech, item 201 is worth reading, including:

""A motor vehicle accident, and 1½ years in hospital and several years recovering, convinced me that clinical medicine was not a career for me. Further, as a direct result of the accident, and continuing disabilities, I needed a more sedentary vocation than molecular biology/virology for which I originally spent 10 years training. Further studies in computer science allowed me to combine my interests in the form of viral coat protein analysis structure prediction and later virtual surgery and 3D imagery construction.

I have worked in private industry and at universities and I also have my ownâor at least I did until I came hereâeducation consulting business. Until recently I was at the Bond University on the Gold Coast, and I have offered my resignation to the university. However, they have declined and have asked me to stay on in an adjunct position, which I am very proud to do. Currently, I live on the beach on the North Coast of New South Wales with my beautiful wife and the two best children one could ask for. I should also mention that we have a mongrel, or should I say a mixed-breed kelpie dog! My general interests include the natural sciences, medicine and medical education. I also have an obvious interest in road safety and related issues. I am an avid water polo player, a member of our local surf club, and try to surf, especially with my children, whenever possible. "

If he got his PhD in 1989, and had the accident about then, 18 months in hospital, and then recovery, presumably he got the postgraduate degrees in CMPSC in there sometime, and "viral coat protein analysis structure prediction and later virtual surgery and 3D imagery construction." possibly before starting at DEC in 1992.

I don't quite understand the combination of sedentary, water polo, and surfing.

4) Item 10, Never give in, is his valedictory speech in 2007, which includes:

"Just as things were looking up and the possibility of re-election became feasible I became ill with a form of epilepsy. Investigations revealed a glioma as the probable cause and my physicians recommended my immediate retirement."

"My second task was to attack the credibility of the extremist conservation movement. Many see the abuse of science and the flawed logic of the "wilderness devoid of humans" mentality, but I have been less successful than I had hoped, perhaps because I have taken on other issues, such as scepticism of the theories of anthropogenic global warming. This is so important that I will take a few seconds to expand on it. Our climate has ranged from warm periods where the Opera House would have been under 30 metres of ocean to cool periods where cities like New York would be under three kilometres of solid glacier. Either of these scenarios would be catastrophic for modern civilisation should they return. However, the current mass hysteria surrounding climate change is based on a fraud.

I probably cannot explain the detail of the flawed nature of these apocalyptic computer models to the average person, but an everyday example may help. El Niño is one of the major climate factors on the earth and if the computer models are unable to even predict next year's El Niño, how is it possible that they can predict the climate in 100 years time? The press has allowed political ideologues to hijack what should have been a scientific debate. I understand and accept that there is a part of the human psyche that finds itself attracted, however unwillingly, to controversy and conflict. Accordingly, the issues that make our commercial headlines are understandable. However, it is the media outlet that holds the very crucible of our democracy in its hands that has particularly disappointed me with its entrenched left-wing agendaâso much so that one could say the ABC may as well be the media arm of the Greens."

5) In Item 134 he says:

"I was originally a virologist, with post-graduate degrees in virology and computer science and 20 years experience of university education."

6)See also Item 8 on electricity and GHG abatement, Item 25 on polar bear numbers, Item 99, smoke-free environment. In the last, he says:

"During my 18-month stay in hospitalâI was obviously very badly injuredâI became addicted to morphine as a painkiller. For those of you who do not know, morphine is just heroin. It is the medical name for heroin.

The Hon. Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans: No, it is not.

The Hon. JON JENKINS: It works on the same opiate receptors; it is addictive to an equivalent degree. During my recovery period I took up smoking also. In terms of addiction there is no equivalence between the two. Nicotine is far more addictive than an opiate. People who smoke are the real victims..."

[His smoking comments don't seem irrational, but of course, chemically, morphine != heroin.]

7) RESULTING TIMELINE

-- 1958 birth

-- 1989 PhD virology, Macquarie

(accident?)

-- 1992-1997 DEC NaC in Research Park at Bond

-- 1997-2003 Bond University
Also, just previous to 2003 NSW Parliament, says he had educational consulting business.

-- 2003-2007 NSW Parliament

-- 2003-2008? Adjunct at Bond

8) Speculation: seems like;

-- grew up in left-leaning family, interested in conservation

-- got angry at "Greenies" (whether for good or bad reasons, unclear; I have actually seen serious environmentalists get irked at some counterproductive actions.)

-- at that point, anything a "Greenie" said was wrong, so totally went off into anti-science regarding AGW. Too bad. This might be akin to POL-2 in my list of anti-science reasons here. It might be slightly akin to recent discussion at John Quiggin, about migration from dogmatic left to dogmatic right without going through the middle.

9) I still don't understand the MD, but MD means different things in different countries. In Aus, can one get a combined MD+PhD for medical research?

Any chance one of our antipodean cousins could contact the university and ask for clarification? I've already seen the "Martyr for the cause" meme make it to the UK, and needless to say denialists will be pushing it as much as they can.

Now am I being 'dumb and dumber' or what? But, I thought that virology was a medical matter, so why should a virologist be in an IT faculty...unless the clever punning faculty classifies those who specialise in computer viruses as virologists? Am I missing something here?

" I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and Big Words Bother Me" Winnie the Pooh.

Virology is a medical matter.

Modelling of possibly virus structure or infection dynamics, etc. is a bit of medical matters, a bit of modelling (obviously) and a bit of IT.

The man's qualifications appear to be what he says they are (I'd imagine the MD bit is possibly from further research to do with viruses, rather than strictly a medical doctor qual.)

Why he just couldn't tell Tim that by return e-mail (or update his wikipedia profile to reflect that) when asked only he knows. He probably has his reasons. Not that that affects issues surrounding his Bond Uni adjunct prof. status or his misuse of high-order polynomials.

"why should a virologist be in an IT faculty?"

Infectious Technology?

Why would a virologist do a thesis on a cyanobacterium?

Jenkins gave up his Professorship (according to him). Whether he took it up again after leaving parliament (having never faced an election) is unknown. I can't find any evidence of him doing so anywhere.

The Hon. JON JENKINS [5.09 p.m.]: I did not intend to speak to the Parliamentary Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill because it does not concern me greatly. After my short term in the Legislative Council I will not be eligible for parliamentary superannuation. However, I am concerned about some of the comments that have been made. I had to give up my career to become a member of Parliament. At that time I was an adjunct professor at the universityâinformation that is available on the university's web site.

The DEPUTY-PRESIDENT (The Hon. Patricia Forsythe): Order! There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber.

The Hon. JON JENKINS: Because of the field I am in, I will be three years out of date when I finish my term as a member of Parliament, which is probably too long to have been out of that field so I will probably have to pursue a different career path.

I did wonder about that, but the virus aspects seem to/may well arise out of the MD part and/or work subsequent to his PhD. (Some science PhDs have even been known to work in areas outside their initial research interests, such as in finance for example, some of whom are no doubt now wondering whether they made the right career path choice.)

Who knows? Who cares? He has a PhD. He's done the mileage. Unless someone comes up with contrary info on his qualifications, then IMHO they are no longer a proper subject for discussion (at least I won't be partaking), as it begins to take on aspects of a witch hunt/ad hom. attack.

He's fair game about his curve-fitting exercise though, and on his recent or not so recent affiliation situation (pending clarification).

P. Lewis.

I agree with your comments at #41 about chasing Jenkins' qualifications, with the caveat that they matter to the extent that they provide an indication about his capacities to:

1) comment on curve fitting and data analyses (in my 15 years in biomedical research I can attest to the fact that many of my colleagues didn't even know why they couldn't use half a dozen t-tests rather than one fiddly ANOVA)

2) comment upon matters outside of his education, absent relevant experience beyond his degree(s).

I am still puzzled as to where the man thinks he has the expertise to contradict so many of the world's best climatologists and mathematicians.

"I am still puzzled as to where the man thinks he has the expertise to contradict so many of the world's best climatologists and mathematicians."

He's in "esteemed" company in that regard. ;-)

Your other points are readily concurred with.

Re #35: John, notice the affiliation with the 4WD club and the reference to 'the abuse of science and the flawed logic of the "wilderness devoid of humans" mentality(.)' That particular conflict has been a path leading more than one traditional conservationist off into wingnut territory. I wonder if there's any connection between the 4WD activity and his accident.

Michael:

I have a platinum nobel peace prize for medicine in physics presented by the swedish academy of economics. I know whereof I speak. the gold pin people are posers.

Platinum huh?

But was your platinum "recovered from a physics experiment"?

Back at ya!!

Among the ironic things:

1) People use PhDs or other credentials totally unrelated to the field in question to lend weight to their opinions, although this only works for people unfamiliar with the field.

This is asymmetric: people from outside a field may well end up contributing to science, especially if involved in a multidisciplinary team, but rarely do such people overturn well-established theories. If a well-established theory is superseded or seriously extended [by a better approximation to the real world], it's usually done by experts.

2) We've now seen people instantly believe anti-AGW efforts written by:

-- an /software engineer who thinks he's a rocket scientist

-- an endocrine surgeon

-- a virologist / software engineer /politician

-- a 15-year-old student

3) On the other hand:

the meme "James Hansen doesn't have a degree in climate science, but rather physics" appears now and then.

Google: james hansen physics degree not climate scientist

Of course, John von Neuman didn't have a degree in computer science, and John Tukey's PhD was in math, not statistics...

4) However, if someone actually has a science PhD, and has published peer-reviewed papers in their own domain, they should know how science works... and they don't have much excuse.

Never underestimate the potential for gullibility, John. The anti-AGW screeds could have been written by
--an exterminator
--a hobo
--an Amish dairy farmer
--a chicken
and people would STILL believe it.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals."

Never underestimate the potential for gullibility, John.

Yes - never underestimate the need for something to be true, as well.

Most folk on this board would never take the advice of, say, a clothes designer when your car engine is making an odd noise. But ideological sites peddle their FUD using the principle. of "it doesn't matter that he's never studied climate, because it shore do sound purty, don't it"?

Best,

D

In August 2006 Jon Jenkins's Wikipedia listing said (my emphasis)

We have fallen this far, that adjunct professors of no other note, get their own Wikipedia listings?

Where are my listings on Wikipedia?

We have fallen this far, that adjunct professors of no other note, get their own Wikipedia listings?

Where are my listings on Wikipedia?

Do what Jenkins did. Write your own entry.

Lively thread!

Along similar lines, I've been updating my 'faces of climate science' website, with an ever growing list of names and citation stats. I've just completed a big update in which I've tracked down nine open letters and declarations on climate - five 'inactivist' and four 'activist' - and added tags showing who signed which statements. Not surprisingly, a large share of the top tier signed activist declarations, while signers of the pleas for inaction add up to fewer than 5% of the top 500 most cited sources, and are mostly concentrated near the 'never cited' end of the scale:

[table of climate science authors, by most citations](http://www.eecg.utoronto.ca/~prall/climate/)

Bear in mind that I have not gathered citation stats for all the names on all the skeptics' declarations - oh, the tedium! I've started out with those I had in my list as they have actually published in the journals. Nor have I had time to do the stats for all the 'activists' and the many undeclared 'normal scientists' whose work underlies all the commotion at the IPCC. This list has been mushrooming and threatens to 'eat my brain.' At some point I'll have to take a break and catch up on some other reading.

Comments are most welcome - follow the link back to my blog at Green Herring.

[Green Herring - my blog about all this](http://birdbrainscan.blogspot.com/)

Cheers.

I am searching for Dr. Paul Harris virologist Dr. originally from Missouri . Lost touch with him a few years ago and would really like to hear from him . There were many things we talked about that I think he would enjoy hearing about now . I also would like his views of post stem cell patients (me) and do's and dont's Joe vigliaturo here Independence / Blue springs Missouri

If anyone knows him please let me know !!!