General > Frauds
Ahna Skop, Professor
Advanced Smite:
--- Quote ---1/8/2008: Science Magazine "Following the Image" - By Anne Sasso
“President George W. Bush struck up a conversation with Skop--who is part Cherokee and was recognized for her innovative research and her mentoring of Native-American students--when he noticed a sticker of the Bushes' dog, Barney, on Skop's blouse. "I was being a goofy person. I put the sticker on, and the other faculty thought I was crazy," she says. "It turned out it was the only way to get him to talk to us."
Skop has built a career attending to details that other people pass over, whether it's cellular detritus, Barney stickers, or shy high school students. Focusing on the overlooked, she has found, can lead to important scientific discoveries, ignite conversations, and inspire outsiders to see the beauty in science.”
“Once back in Madison, Skop let educators at the local Indian reservations know that she was willing to host student visits to her lab. A steady stream of high school students has flowed through ever since. "I'm not this nerd who sits in a lab all day," she says. "I'm friendly. I make videos of embryos dividing, and we're understanding how nature works. It's easy to grasp. The kids start to relax and ask questions. And by the end of the day, they're totally excited."
Direct Link: https://www.science.org/content/article/following-image
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230118012052/https://www.science.org/content/article/following-image?cookieSet=1
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Advanced Smite:
The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) chose Ahna Skop as the inaugural recipient of the ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity in 2018. While award eligibility doesn't appear to be contingent on a nominee being a person of color, it is notable that the four subsequent award winners would likely all be considered people of color. Ahna Skop is referred to as being "part Native American" and "Eastern Band Cherokee" in press releases related to the award.
ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity
https://www.ascb.org/award/new-ascb-prize-for-excellence-in-inclusivity/
--- Quote ---10/4/2018: ASCB - "Ahna Skop Chosen Inaugural Recipient of ASCB Prize in Inclusivity" - By Mary Spiro
Ahna R. Skop, professor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW-Madison), has been chosen as the inaugural recipient of the ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity. Skop will receive a cash award of $5,000 that she can use to advance inclusion activities at her institution. She will be featured in a video at the 2018 ASCB|EMBO Meeting Keynote Address. In addition, Skop will contribute an essay to the Society’s basic research journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Skop was nominated by John Doebley, professor and chair of the Genetics department at UW-Madison. In his letter, Doebley wrote that, along with being recognized for her work in genetics and cell biology, “Ahna is also a highly visible advocate and role model for underrepresented students who might otherwise overlook our program in Genetics, as well as other STEM disciplines, here at UW-Madison.”
Doebley noted that Skop has been a leading figure at the national level for underrepresented STEM students, giving a keynote talk at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) annual conference and serving as a chapter advisor for both SACNAS and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society on the UW-Madison campus. She previously served on the SACNAS National Nominations Committee and is currently on the ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee. She has also been a member of the Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Structure/Function and Dynamics Study Section, a Cell Biology Integrated Review Group at the National Institutes of Health.
In these many roles, and being part Native American and also low-income, Skop understands well the challenges and difficulties facing underrepresented students and women, and she is committed to doing all she can to help students succeed. Skop is Eastern Band Cherokee, Lebanese, and Ukrainian, and her ever-growing family is a genetic melting pot of America, including Mexican, Chinese, and Haitian backgrounds. Her passion for STEM diversity is driven by her family and love of culture, food, and travel.
Award committee chair George Langford added, “Skop exemplifies the very best qualities that the ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity seeks to recognize. She is an accomplished scientist with a strong track record in research, has made a lasting impact on her institution and the broader scientific community by advocating for and creating an inclusive environment.” Langford, a long-time ASCB member and professor and dean emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, went on to say that Skop “cultivates inclusivity in her research laboratory, in the classroom where she practices active learning pedagogy, and throughout the UW-Madison campus. As one of her nominators stated, ‘Ahna participates in nearly every institutional minority recruiting and retention event.’ Her boundless energy, personal commitment, and advocacy for social justice made her the unanimous choice to be the inaugural recipient of the ASCB Prize.”
Direct Link: https://www.ascb.org/member-news/ahna-skop-chosen-inaugural-recipient-ascb-prize-inclusivity/
Archive Link:https://web.archive.org/web/20211104061336/https://www.ascb.org/member-news/ahna-skop-chosen-inaugural-recipient-ascb-prize-inclusivity/
--- End quote ---
Advanced Smite:
This post contains links to YouTube content in which Ahna Skop makes claims of Native American ancestry. The majority of the YouTube videos contain the same general lecture/presentation with minor variations.
Potentially of note: In the content I was able to locate on YouTube, Ahna Skop switched from using "Eastern Band of Cherokee" in 2017 to "Cherokee" in 2018 and then back to "Eastern Band of Cherokee" from 2019 to the most recent content in 2021. Did something occur in 2018/2019 to prompt the change?
--- Quote ---10/27/2017: YouTube "Too Creative for Science Dr Ahna Skop IMSD at UMass Boston"
5:15 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Eastern Band Cherokee & Lebanese” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
5:31 – Ahna Skop says “My mom is Eastern Band Cherokee and Lebanese.”
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgV3a35t1-g
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---11/16/2017: YouTube "Ahna Skop - Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium, The Science of Science Communication III (SSCIII): Inspiring Novel Collaborations and Building Capacity"
1:05 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Eastern Band Cherokee & Lebanese” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olNmFxX45Ts
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---2/8/2018: YouTube "LSC Colloquium: Ahna Skop “The Art of Science Communication: Stories from the Classroom”
1:25 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Cherokee & Lebanese” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVqmzaE8FlU
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---2/23/2018: YouTube "Weebly.com — Ahna Skop"
0:32 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Cherokee & Lebanese” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
0:45 – Ahna Skop says "I come from a very diverse background. My dad is Ukrainian and I’m Cherokee and Lebanese, as well. So, diversity is really important to who I am..”
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3IPwgM1mdE
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---5/31/2018: YouTube "Genetic Reflections" Art Installation, Angela Johnson & Ahna Skop
1:07 – Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Cherokee & Lebanese” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM5MkDMG-9o
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---April 10, 2019: YouTube "BIG IDEAS @ScienceStowers featuring Ahna Skop, PhD"
3:22 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Lebanese & Eastern Band Cherokee” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
3:40 - Ahna Skop says "My mother is Lebanese and Eastern Band Cherokee. So mixed - very mixed - family from different parts of the world."
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1WGlDDlkw
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---6/20/2019: YouTube "Ahna Skop - 2018 ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity"
3:30 - Ahna Skop says "My family is quite diverse. Um. You know - my family is Ukrainian and Lebanese and Native American. I'm Dyslexic. I'm also low-income. I also have a genetic disease."
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFe86WQA2zk
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---4/16/2021: YouTube "2021 Norma Slepecky Ceremony and Lecture"
17:39 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Lebanese & Eastern Band Cherokee” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
17:48 – Referring to family tree graphic, Ahna Skop says “That’s my mother -uh- who is on this call. Um. [She] is a ceramist and an art educator and she's Lebanese and Eastern Band Cherokee.”
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWAGgqsK1Ps
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---4/17/2021: YouTube "SAi Seminar - Too creative for science? - Dr. Ahna R. Skop"
4:04 - Ahna Skop shows family tree graphic which reads “Lebanese & Eastern Band Cherokee” under a picture of Skop’s mother.
4:30 - Ahna Skop says "My mom is of Lebanese descent and also Eastern Band Cherokee - my grandmother was."
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JROonrFNZxk
--- End quote ---
educatedindian:
Usually we see imposters in academia in English and literature, sometimes language teaching. It's her part in diversity programs or advocacy that gets undercut by her posing. I only see one article on diversity in her publishing or research.
https://skoplab.weebly.com/publications.html
https://genetics.wisc.edu/staff/skop-ahna/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahna_Skop
While there's some signs that at the beginning she was unsure about her ancestry, she can't claim that for years and over many public posts and appearances. It's not credible a geneticist, a profession where you have to be precise, could accidentally keep making theese mistakes. What seems right to me is that she admit the falsehood. Stepping away from diversity work? I don't know. Is there any sign she fabricated claims of Lebanese and Syrian ancestry?
Advanced Smite:
I haven't looked at the other branches of Ahna Skop's family tree, educatedindian. Your question has made me curious though. I will take a look. It is certainly upsetting to look at the poor quality of research contained in her public ancestry.com family tree and then see how far that incorrect work has spread into other ancestry.com users' family trees.
Beyond falsely representing herself in diversity programs and advocacy, I believe Ahna Skop has taken opportunities and funding from minority and disadvantaged students through her false claims. See below.
Below are links to different versions of Ahna Skop's CV, preserved by the Wayback Machine, as it has been changed and updated over the years on her website. I've listed four fellowships/awards that I was able to easily ascertain were intended for minority recipients. Strangely, the largest of the fellowships, Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for Graduate Studies, was removed on the 8/28/2017 version of Ahna Skop's CV. While I am unable to say how much Ahna Skop received from 1994-1996, I was able to locate the award letter for 2021 recipients at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. In 2021, the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for Graduate Students appears to cover all tuition, a stipend, and even a welcome payment for personal use. The Advanced Opportunity Fellowship "is provided by the State of Wisconsin and intended to provide financial support for minority and disadvantaged graduate students allowing them to focus attention on their graduate studies and to complete their degrees in a timely fashion." As someone who pays taxes in the State of Wisconsin, I'd be interested to know if any in-state applicants (minority OR disadvantaged) applied for and didn't receive the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for Graduate Students from 1994-1996.
--- Quote ---Ahna Skop CV Links
File Date: 8/3/2009
Internet Archive Date: 4/1/2011
https://web.archive.org/web/20110401004328/skoplab.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/5/7/865764/skopcv8-3-2009.pdf
File Date: 2011
Internet Archive Date: 1/30/2011
https://web.archive.org/web/20120130212141/http://skoplab.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/5/7/865764/skopcv2011.pdf
File Date: April 2012
Internet Archive Date: 7/14/2012
https://web.archive.org/web/20120714051437/http://skoplab.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/5/7/865764/skopcvapril2012.pdf
File Date: 8/28/2017
Internet Archive Date: 3/8/2019
https://web.archive.org/web/20190308112256/http://skoplab.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/5/7/865764/skopcv8-28-2017.pdf
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---Some of the Fellowships/Awards intended for minorities accepted by Ahna Skop...
Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for Graduate Studies (Minority Award Fellowship) (1994-1996)
Direct Link: https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/page.php?id=108211
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20210419072106/https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/page.php?id=108211
Offer Letter 2021: https://kb.wisconsin.edu/images/group86/26477/LS_AOFOfferLetter.docx
Carl Storm Underrepresented Fellowship Awardee, Gordon Research Conference, Motile & Contractile Systems 2009
Direct Link: https://www.grc.org/carl-storm-underrepresented-minority-fellowship-information/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20180223031239/https://www.grc.org/carl-storm-underrepresented-minority-fellowship-information/
ASCB Minority Poster Award, Honorable Mention, 1996
Direct Link: https://www.ascb.org/committees/minorities-affairs-committee-poster-awards/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220305162445/https://www.ascb.org/web/20220305162445/https://www.ascb.org/committees/minorities-affairs-committee-poster-awards/
ASCB (American Society for Cell Biology) Minority Travel Award Recipient, 1996, 1999
Direct Link: https://www.ascb.org/grants-awards/travel-grants/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220602180022/https://www.ascb.org/web/20220602180022/https://www.ascb.org/grants-awards/travel-grants/
--- End quote ---
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