Editing Fermilab (section)

===2024 Whistleblower Report===
On July 15, 2024, a report containing allegations of cover-ups at the laboratory was uploaded to the [[arXiv]] physics preprint server. <ref name=whistleblow />  The allegations, which were also reported in the press,<ref name=strife24 /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rutecki |first1=Jared |title=Fermilab Whistleblower Report Alleges Sexual Harassment, Loaded Gun and 'Chaotic' Finances |url=https://news.wttw.com/2024/08/16/fermilab-whistleblower-report-alleges-sexual-harassment-loaded-gun-and-chaotic-finances |access-date=August 20, 2024 |publisher=WTTW News |date=August 16, 2024}}</ref><ref name=PWwhistle>{{cite news |last1=Gwynne |first1=Peter |title=Fermilab is 'doomed' without management overhaul claims whistleblower report |url=https://physicsworld.com/a/fermilab-is-doomed-without-management-overhaul-claims-whistleblower-report/ |access-date=August 20, 2024 |agency=IOP Publishing |publisher=Physics World |date=August 15, 2024}}</ref> included:
* "The alleged sexual assault of the NOvA and DUNE collaborator who filed and won her 2022 lawsuit in the UK [after it] was dismissed by FNAL staff."
* "A cover-up of a case of guns on site in 2023, with promotion of the perpetrator and pretextuous firing of the witness."
* "A cover-up of an attempt at badly hurting with an industrial vehicle a female electrician by a ... male employee."
* "A cover-up of Beryllium windows blasting, with subsequent promotion of the person in charge."
* "A hostile work environment, where constructive criticism is most often ignored and retaliated against."
The report also recounted a litany of complaints concerning day-to-day running of the laboratory that have been reported in this article, above, as well as a new claim of "PIP-II contingency overruns within one year from CD3 approval" that could potentially impact the LBNF/DUNE program.

For credibility, the report provided detailed eye-witness accounts to support the allegations. <ref name=whistleblow />  Beyond that, some information was previously publicly reported.  For example, the first allegation concerning an egregious case of sexual harassment was reported in ''The Guardian''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abdul |first1=Geneva |title=Former UCL academic to pay damages after harassing colleague for months |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/oct/12/former-ucl-academic-to-pay-damages-after-harassing-colleague-for-months |access-date=July 28, 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=October 12, 2022}}</ref> and the fact that the claimant had submitted a complaint to Fermilab which took no action appeared in court documents.<ref>{{cite web |title=Smith v Backhouse |url=http://www.5rb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Erica-Smith-v-Christopher-Backhouse-SIOC.pdf |website=www.5rb.com |publisher=5RB Media and Communications Law |access-date=July 28, 2024}}</ref>
Scientists expressed fear of retribution by Fermilab leadership.<ref name=strife24 />    In order for the whistleblowers to remain anonymous, the report was uploaded to the arXiv preprint server by Giorgio Bellettini, a respected leader in the field of particle physics who served as spokesman of the collaboration for the [[Collider Detector at Fermilab]] twice.<ref name=bellettini>{{cite web |last1=Bellettini |first1=Giorgio |title=Giorgio Bellettini |url=https://history.fnal.gov/historical/people/bellettini_landing.html |website=Fermilab Historical Information |publisher=Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory |access-date=July 28, 2024}}</ref>  A second signed letter of support from William Barletta of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was also included.

The report was delivered to the deputy director for Operations of the DOE Office of Science Dr. Juston Fontaine and the DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geraldine Richmond in June 2024. <ref name=whistleblow />  It was released to the public one month later, after DOE officials did not respond. <ref name=whistleblow /> On July 29, 2024, Fermilab Director Lia Merminga issued a terse response to concerned scientists, saying:  "The [whistleblower] document asserts various challenges at Fermilab, some of which are inaccurate, and others of which [the Fermi Research Alliance] has been working hard to address for some time."<ref name=PWwhistle /> At an All Hands Meeting, Merminga allegedly also told scientific staff to "stop whining.”<ref name="strife24" />