US societies reverse rules on Iranians

Two American academic societies have reversed their policies toward Iranian scientists. One, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), has decided to no longer prohibit Iranian authors from publishing in its journals, while the American Concrete Institute (ACI) has decided to install a new ban barring Iranian students from taking part in an annual engineering competition they routinely enter each year.

Last month, the AIAA board of directors decided to permanently rescind the ban on publishing Iranian authors it had enacted in May. The organization had temporarily suspended the ban in June pending its September meeting. Susan Ying, a board member, told The Scientist that "most of the membership" opposed the embargo and many had complained about it since May. AIAA has more than 31,000 members worldwide and publishes seven journals, including the AIAA Journal, the Journal of Aircraft, and the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

AIAA enacted the ...