Midterm Elections: Divided Congress is Coming
BU IN DC
President Robert A. Brown attended the fall meeting of the Association of American Universities on October 21 and 22. Vice President and Associate Provost for Global Programs Willis Wang gave a presentation at the meeting.
David Boas of the College of Engineering hosted a National Science Foundation workshop on neurophotonics on October 22 and 23.
James Bessen of the School of Law testified before the Federal Trade Commission on innovation and intellectual property policy on October 24.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law addressed the World Antimicrobial Resistance Congress on October 25 and 26.
Azer Bestavros and Mayank Varia of the Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computation and Computational Science & Engineering met with officials at the U.S. Department of Education regarding privacy preserving analytical technologies on November 5.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS: DIVIDED CONGRESS IS COMING
Democrats succeeded in capturing the majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections — giving them control of the chamber for the first time since 2010 — while Republicans increased their control over the U.S. Senate. Here’s what research universities can expect:
- Budget: Democrats have called on the White House to negotiate a new two-year budget agreement to lift the current discretionary funding caps and avoid major cuts to federal programs.
- Research: The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will be led by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), who plans to focus on topics such as climate change and broadening participation in science. Several Republican advocates for science and the humanities lost their elections, so a new group of champions will need to be cultivated.
- Education: The expected chairs of the House and Senate education committees have both identified the renewal of the Higher Education Act as a priority, but it is unclear if the two parties can reach agreement. House Democrats will increase their oversight of the U.S. Department of Education, holding more fact-finding hearings.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS: THE BU CONNECTIONS
After Tuesday’s election, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley becomes Boston University’s Congresswoman-elect and the Massachusetts delegation’s first African American congresswoman. Representative Richard Neal (D-Springfield) will ascend to the chairmanship of the House’s tax-writing committee, while Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) will lead the House Rules Committee. Alumnae of the University fared well in the election: Pressley, who attended the College of General Studies, and New York Congresswoman-elect Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez (CAS ‘11) will join Florida Congresswoman Lois Frankel (CAS ‘70) in the House. The outcome of Gina Ortiz Jones’s (CAS ‘03, GRS ‘03) Congressional race in Texas is currently too close to call.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Registration is now open for the tenth annual Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit, scheduled for July 8 – 10, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. It is the first of the agency’s innovation summits to be held outside of the Washington, D.C., area. The event is both a conference and a technology exhibition, presenting an opportunity for the academic, industry, and government sectors to showcase and learn about transformative energy technologies. Investigators who wish to strengthen or initiate relationships with ARPA-E program officers or participate in the technology showcase can sign up online.