Universities Object to Travel Ban
BU IN DC
Michael Woldemariam of the Pardee School of Global Studies spoke at a New America Foundation briefing on African security on January 27.
School of Public Health faculty Kathleen Carey and David Jones and Austin Frakt of both the School of Medicine and SPH attended the AcademyHealth 2017 National Health Policy Conference on January 30 and 31.
UNIVERSITIES OBJECT TO TRAVEL BAN
On January 27, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that halts immigrant and non-immigrant entry to the U.S. from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Libya for 90 days. In response, universities scrambled to account for students, faculty, and staff who might be adversely affected, while states and civil rights organizations filed lawsuits to block the order. The Massachusetts Congressional delegation opposed the executive order and called on Customs and Border Protection at Logan Airport to comply with a temporary restraining order issued by a federal court in Boston. BU has voiced its opposition to the order by joining letters to the Trump Administration, including one from 48 university presidents and another led by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and through an op-ed in The Boston Globe by President Robert A. Brown.
BUZZ BITS
- On Tuesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee forwarded the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary to the full U.S. Senate for a final vote. A close vote is expected early next week.
- Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-Medford) was named to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education this week, giving Massachusetts a seat at the table when spending decisions are made concerning student aid programs, international education, and the National Institutes of Health.
- Republicans on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee released a list of priorities for the year ahead, including prioritizing basic research over commercialization at the U.S. Department of Energy, renewing cybersecurity programs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and ensuring a balance between space exploration and space science at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) on Science and Technology New Initiatives. DTRA is looking for research proposals that that will help the agency “tackle tough, long-term” challenges related to countering weapons of mass destruction. The BAA is a new way for researchers to engage DTRA program managers, to gauge the agency’s interest in a research idea, and to receive feedback on preliminary proposals. It will be continuously open through 2021.