Big Oil goes to college: a conflict of interest?

Have hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from major oil companies compromised the ethics of energy research at such institutions as UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Stanford?

That's what Jennifer Washburn, a longtime critic of academic conflicts of interest, contends in "Big Oil Goes to College," a new report that delves into the details of contracts signed between 10 major U.S. universities and global oil companies.

According to the 212-page study, released by the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank, such companies as BP, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have funded more than $800 million in potentially compromised research with few protections for academic independence.

to read more:   http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/10/uc-berkeley-stanford-energy-research-oil-companies.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Greenspace  Environmental News by Margot Roosevelt