In His Own Words: BYU and Prof. Steven Jones Revisited

The following is from Prof. Steven E Jones in his own words.

A few days ago I was asked by a Professor at the University of Massachusetts what happened to me at BYU, in my own words. My response follows:

"0. In September 2005, I presented a colloquium at Brigham Young University (BYU) in a large auditorium, presenting the physical evidence I had accumulated by then that the “official story” of the 9/11 disaster was highly suspicious. I had invited professors from across campus and many came, from numerous disciplines including physics, math, psychology, engineering. I asked them to take the “kid gloves off” and tell me where I was in error. In particular, we watched the rapid, nearly-symmetrical collapse of WTC 7 and discussed this at length. After two hours, we had to leave because a class had the room scheduled. But before they left, I asked the audience (about 70 in all) if they agreed with me that an investigation into 9/11 events was warranted. By show of hands, all agreed with this proposition, except one, a geology professor. The next day, he saw me on campus and said that he had changed his mind and that he now supported a full investigation into 9/11. A number of those in attendance provided helpful, critical comments for my nascent paper published later in a volume by Profs. David Ray Griffin and Peter Dale Scott, and available on-line here:
http://journalof911studies.com/volume/200609/Why_Indeed_Did_the_WTC_Buil...

In February 2006, I presented a 2-hour colloquium at Utah Valley State College (which soon became Utah Valley University). That seminar was taped and aired on BYU’s TV station, KBYU. Later in 2006, I was invited to speak on my 9/11 research at a colloquium sponsored by the BYU Mathematics Department – the reception to my 9/11 research was cordial and supportive at this colloquium.


1. BYU put me on administrative leave on Sept. 6, 2006, for my research on 9/11 -- but while clearly stating that "The university doesn't have an opinion regarding the theory."

Quote:
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/193556/4/
“Jones was placed on administrative leave for publishing a theory that explosives
were involved in the towers' collapse through channels university officials deemed inappropriate,"
BYU spokesperson Carri Jenkins said.
"The university doesn't have an opinion regarding the theory," she said.

This was an important distinction -- BYU was specifically NOT denigrating my "theory" that explosives were involved in the World Trade Center towers' collapse, as you see from the statement to the press by the BYU spokesperson.

It was never clear to me why the channels I chose were "inappropriate" (one was the Utah Academy of Arts and Sciences, April 2006 which was reviewed and approved by a fellow BYU Physics Professor), but the point is that BYU did NOT take a position on my 9/11 work and they made that point very clear.



2. BYU allowed me to continue my research on 9/11 after I was placed on admin leave, particularly regarding the dust generated during the collapse of the Towers, and even encouraged that research. It was important to the work that I was allowed to use the electron microscopes at BYU for this research. Dr. Jeffrey Farrer, director of the Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory at BYU was (and still is) permitted to work with me. 



3. Based on that research at BYU, a group of scientists wrote the paper now published in the Open Chemical Physics Journal, "Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe," April 2009. BYU reviewed the paper prior to publication and found it to represent sound science, and approved it for publication in the Open Chemical Physics Journal. Specifically the chair of the BYU Department of Physics and Astronomy approved publication and told me personally this was sound scientific research and that he was now persuaded that explosives/pyrotechnics were involved in the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11.

4. There were two authors from BYU listed on that paper, Dr. Farrer (as second author) and Daniel Farnsworth. Their affiliation with the BYU Department of Physics and Astronomy was listed in the paper, with the approval of BYU.

http://www.bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/000000...
Deseret News article on the paper:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705295677/Trace-explosives-in-911-dus...

5. About the same time as this paper was published, I was made an Emeritus Professor of Physics at BYU.

6. BYU explained that they had been under considerable pressure to let me go, which is to their credit to admit this. We know from press releases that Dick Cheney's office contacted BYU; and this resulted in Cheney's coming to BYU to give a commencement address just three months after my "early retirement" from BYU. BYU -- also to its credit -- allowed TWO on-campus demonstrations against the policies of Dick Cheney. I understand that outside of Utah, it was these on-campus protests against Cheney that received favorable attention. (How many protests has BYU allowed through the years? Very few!)

7. BYU provided a nice (not large) pension as I accepted their offer of early retirement, gave me a (shared) office that I still use. They allowed me to keep my research web page, which links to three formally-published peer-reviewed papers regarding 9/11 in technical journals, here: http://www.physics.byu.edu/research/energy/


In view of these contributions to 9/11 research, my friend and fellow 9/11-researcher Kevin Ryan said "Hurray for BYU!" And I have to agree.

Reply from Professor Niels Harrit, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (March 13, 2010)

Steven: I am glad that you can see beyond your own (and ours!) annoyance and point to the positive aspects of BYUs handling of their situation.

Let me hasten to join Kevin and cheer for BYU – loud and clear.
We have to acknowledge the political space they live and operate in, and BYU deserves the credits you point out.

One senses a high level of decency at BYU.

Kind of the same thing I feel in the mainstream press these days. The young journalists try to squeeze some information in and take the discussion as far as they can before they run their head into the editors hammer.

Regards
Niels

Steven E. Jones

Emeritus Professor of Physics"

[end of quote]

Original Source here.