Averted Shutdown, ED Actions, DARPA BAA
BU IN DC
School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea spoke on the future of epidemiology at a meeting of the National Institutes of Health Environmental Influxes on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Consortium on October 2nd.
Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman attended the Association of Graduate Schools meeting at the Association of American Universities from October 1st through 3rd.
FEDERAL SHUTDOWN AVERTED; HOUSE LEADERSHIP IN FLUX
On Saturday, Congress defied expectations and averted a government shutdown with a last-minute agreement to keep federal agencies operating at current funding levels through November 17th. The continuing resolution was supposed to provide both chambers more time to complete work on the fiscal year 2024 spending bills, which remain unfinished. However, legislative action is currently on hold in the U.S. House of Representatives after a group of Republicans moved to remove Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House on Tuesday afternoon. House Republicans intend to return to Washington next week to identify his successor. Until a new Speaker is named, the House cannot advance legislation.
DEPT. OF ED TAKES ACTION ON GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, DEBT, ADMISSIONS
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently took several actions to advance its higher education priorities, including:
- Forming a negotiated rulemaking committee to determine a path forward for federal student debt forgiveness. The Department released an issue paper that identifies several policy questions that the negotiators will consider when they begin their work on October 10th. The rulemaking was launched after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s proposal to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for certain borrowers earlier this year.
- Issuing final financial value transparency and gainful employment regulations, which are designed to steer students away from programs that do not meaningfully prepare graduates for a career. Colleges will be required to disclose information about the earnings and indebtedness of the graduates from each of their degree and certificate programs starting in July 2024.
- Publishing a report outlining best practices for building an inclusive and diverse student body at colleges and universities. The Department produced the report as a resource for universities following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down race-conscious college admissions practices.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office recently released its annual broad agency announcement that seeks to support basic or applied research in the following technical thrust areas:
- “Novel Materials & Structures;
- Sensing & Measurement;
- Computation & Processing;
- Enabling Operations;
- Collective Intelligence; and
- Emerging Threats.”
For each technical area, DARPA is particularly interested in research pertaining to artificial intelligence, quantum technology, modeling of complex systems, environmental catastrophes, and raw materials, among other interests. The agency will accept executive summaries, abstracts, and full proposals on a rolling basis until September 26, 2024.