USPTO, Social & Behavioral Research, Nelson Foundation
BU IN DC
President Robert A. Brown attended the fall membership meeting of the Association of American Universities between October 24th and 26th.
Daniel Segrè of the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering gave a talk at a meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on October 22nd.
BUZZ BITS…
- On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Kathi Vidal as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Vidal is a long-time patent lawyer who has worked to diversify technology and legal professions.
- President Biden also announced his intent to nominate Gigi Sohn (COM ’83) as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates telecommunications. If confirmed, Sohn would be the first openly LGBTQ commissioner in FCC history.
- The National Institutes of Health announced Dr. Dorit Zuk will be deputy director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Dr. Zuk is a molecular biologist who has served as NIGMS’s acting deputy director since November 2020.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you searching for research support in the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities? BU Federal Relations recently posted online an updated version of the popular Lewis-Burke Associates compendium of federal funding opportunities in the behavioral and social sciences, arts, and humanities. The document provides detailed information on research support available from a range of federal agencies and programs, including the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, Department of Education, and National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research and Foundation Relations are hosting a virtual workshop with Leah Bricker of the Spencer Foundation on November 8th at 3 p.m. The Spencer Foundation seeks to improve education, make education systems more equitable, and increase opportunities to learn across the lifespan through education-focused research projects, research training fellowships, and additional field-building initiatives. Bricker will describe the foundation’s mission and how it evaluates proposals, and Foundation Relations will discuss the support it can provide BU faculty who want to engage with the Foundation.