The American Association for the Advancement of Science will revoke lifetime fellowships for scientists in cases of proven sexual harassment and other breaches of professional conduct under a new policy adopted Saturday.

AAAS currently awards fellowships to members who make significant contributions to their fields or show leadership in the sciences. Last year 396 AAAS members were named fellows, according to the association.

The practice has come under scrutiny in recent months after several cases in which high-profile scientists were accused of sexual harassment by colleagues and former students. A petition signed by 32 scientists and delivered to AAAS in August noting the organization had no procedures for removing fellows for misconduct. The signatories were all fellows in the association's science communication program.

"A number of perpetrators have been officially sanctioned for harassment by their universities, with punishments including the loss of their university positions and affiliations," the petition states. "However, individuals who have perpetrated such actions retain titles, honors, and privileges bestowed by AAAS." https://to.pbs.org/2NfyEYd

At the same time, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report in June concluding that sexual harassment was common in the sciences.

The AAAS Council—the association's governing body—adopted a fellow revocation policy during a meeting at the group's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The document establishes a framework for considering and potentially stripping members of their fellowship status, according to an AAAS statement. To initiate the process, the association must receive a request for revocation accompanied by documentation that another credible body—such as a government institution or scientific society—has taken action against an individual.

"Harassment has no place in science," AAAS' elected president, Margaret Hamburg, said. "We must do more as a scientific community to create a respectful and supportive environment for our colleagues and students."

AAAS noted that in addition to the new policy, it is working with other professional societies and research funding agencies to update policies concerning sexual harassment in the scientific community. The group also has launched an initiative dubbed SEA Change to shift the culture of academic institutions to better address sexual harassment and social inequities. http://bit.ly/2NNy0ka

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