Cronology of IPICYT's conflict against Professors Terrones

[ version en Español ]

December 2005:

• Cesa el CONACYT a director de investigación potosino / CONACYT fires potosine research officer (La Jornada, 12 de Diciembre 2005)
• Acta Notarial donde se nombra al Dr. David Rios Jara como director del IPICYT / Official document naming Dr. David Rios as IPICYT's director (Portal de Transparencia del Gobierno Mexicano)

June 2006

• Denuncian investigadores anomalías en designación de directivos del CONACYT / Researchers condemn anomalies on election of CONACYT's officers (La Jornada de San Luis, Junio 1 2006)

June 2008

• El gran tunal (La Jornada San Luis, 5 de Junio 2008)
• Inhabilitan 10 años al científico José Luis Morán López / JLML is inhabilited for 10 years (El Expres SLP, 6 de Junio 2008) (oficio del Comité de Información official document on the public sanctions to JLML; link to the Public Function Bureau webpage about sanctions Secretaría de la Función Pública )

July 2008

• Denuncian actos de revanchismo / Revanchism acts are denounced (El Universal, 16 de Julio 2008).
• Enfrentan conflicto Terrones e IPICYT / Terrones & IPICYT in conflict (Reforma 12 de Julio, 2008
• Niegan acoso contra científicos en IPICYT / Scientists harrasment is denied at IPICYT (El Universal, 22 de Julio 2008)
• Scientists rally to Mexican researcher's plea (Nature 454, 143, July 11, 2008) (here a PDF with the Nature letter)
• Pide Nobel a Calderón apoyo a Terrones / Nobel awarded ask Calderon to support Terrones (Reforma, 11 de Julio, 2008)
• ¿Cangrejos o divas? / Crabs or dives? (La ciencia por gusto, MILENIO, 16 de Julio 2008)
  Septiembre/September 2008
• Senior staff of Mexican institute speak up (Nature 455, 27, September 4, 2008)

December 2009

• In December 3, a Comision (formed, among others, by Dr. Miguel A Vidal) ordered to evacuate the "Thermal Treatment" and "Mesoporous Materials" labs (in 5 days) (used by the Terrones group).
• Letter of José Luis Rodríguez, Román Sandoval y Haret Rosu to several members of the scientific community of Mexico (personal communication, December 18, 2009)
• All personal, publications, research projects and other information of the Terrones group was removed from IPICYT's webpage (December 18) withour previous notice.
• In December 21, Dr. Humberto Terrones was prohibited to access IPICYT's facilities as "he was not longer a worker there". Patricia Hidalgo supervised those actions.

January 2010

• Dr. Mauricio Terrones tried to enter to IPICYT in January 6, but was prohibited as "he was not longer a worker there".
• That same day, a general email was sent to IPICYT announcing the firing of professors Terrones, without any further information on the reasons. Their offices were sealed, and their names removed from ther former labs.
• A public protest letter was sent by several IPICYT's graduate students denouncing the irregular firing of Drs. Terrones and their worries about their academic and research future there.
• In January 7, the students were received by the IPICYT administration (Rios, Bonilla and Vidal), but no information on the reasons for the firing where commented; they were unpleased with the public protest letter of the students, and were asked to stop their dissemination. In that meeting, it was cited as a cause of the firing the innecesary evacuation of furnishing from the research labs, which were previously ordered to evacuate (sic).
• In January 8, the students recieved an statement from the direction about than the "Thermal Treatment" lab will be relocated again in their former site; because the Comission that ordered the evacuation and relocation didn't know about the need of special electrical installations, which already exists at the former place.
• In January 20, the graduate students send a second letter on the irregularities that caused the firing of the Terrones and the stress put on the colleagues of the Nanosciences group.