Spending Panel Seek Science, Humanities Increases
BU IN DC
School of Medicine Dean Karen Antman attended the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Deans Administrative Board meeting and the AAMC Leadership Forum on Community Engagement on June 11.
Goldman School of Dental Medicine Dean Jeffrey Hutter, Maria Kukuruzinska, and Marianne Jurasic met with the director of National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research on June 13.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law discussed antibiotic policy with officials at the Food and Drug Administration and on Capitol Hill on June 13 and 14.
Jeanne Kelley of Global Programs attended the Council for Global Immigration symposium and discussed immigration policy with Congressional staff between June 10 and 13.
Leslie Dietiker of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development participated in a forum for education researchers funded by the National Science Foundation and discussed mathematics education with Congressional officials on June 7 and 8.
SPENDING PANEL SEEKS SCIENCE, HUMANITIES INCREASES
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved two spending bills that would boost funding levels for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Science Mission Directorate, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Committee-passed bills would increase NSF’s budget by almost 4% over its current level; NASA’s Science budget by nearly 3%; and both the NEH and NEA budgets by 1.4%. The spending increases are similar to those recommended by the House Appropriations Committee, which means each agency is likely to receive a spending boost when final appropriations bills are negotiated and passed by both chambers of Congress.
ACADEMIES ISSUES REPORT ON HARASSMENT IN ACADEMIA
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine unveiled its long-awaited report on sexual harassment in higher education, finding that the behavior remains pervasive despite increased awareness. The report states that the current legalistic approach to addressing harassment has been unsuccessful and is having adverse effects on the research enterprise. The authors urge universities to address campus culture and climate, diffuse power dynamics between advisors and trainees, and improve transparency about the consequences harassers face. Policymakers are urged to better protect accusers from retaliation, ban mandatory arbitration for discrimination claims, and require institutions to disclose data on on harassment cases and campus climate.
BUZZ BITS…
- The U.S. Department of State announced its slate of five new Science Envoys for the 2018-2019 academic year on Monday.
- Thomas Brock will be stepping down as director of the National Center for Education Research at the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Brock had previously served as interim director of the IES.
- The National Science Board released a Congressionally-requested report last week about “the balance between funding researchers and building, operating, and maintaining cutting-edge science facilities.”