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
AIAA enacted the...