Campus Free Speech; NAIRR; Instagram
BU IN DC
Dean Penny Bishop and Leslie Dietiker of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development discussed investments in education research at the LEARN Coalition meeting on September 18th and 19th.
Rena Conti of the Questrom School of Business testified before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on lowering health care costs on September 17th.
Roscoe Giles of the College of Engineering presented an update on behalf of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot Subcommittee at the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure Fall Meeting on September 13th. He co-chairs the Subcommittee.
HOUSE PASSES BILLS TO REGULATE COLLEGE FREE SPEECH, PARTNERSHIPS ABROAD
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the End Woke in Higher Education Act (H.R. 3724), which would restrict public colleges’ ability to determine security and space usage plans for campus events and require universities to allow single-sex social organizations, such as fraternities and sororities. The Senate has no plans to take up the measure, which was offered during a series of legislative activity that House Republicans dubbed Woke Week. “Woke Week” followed “China Week,” during which the House passed a bill to curb colleges’ partnerships with Chinese organizations. While that bill is also unlikely to be adopted by the Senate, the measures were intended to demonstrate House Republicans’ policy views in advance of the November elections.
BUZZ BITS…
- Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Kevin Kiley (R-CA) sent a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights requesting the agency brief Congress and issue recommendations for Congress and the Administration to address antisemitism on college campuses. Twenty-three Members of Congress signed the letter, including BU alumna Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL).
- The House Space, Science, and Technology Committee recently passed the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (CREATE AI) Act (H.R. 5077), which would authorize the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR). The NAIRR, a testbed for AI research, is currently being piloted by the National Science Foundation. A Senate committee has passed a companion measure, increasing the chances that a NAIRR bill could be completed before the end of the year.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued updated rules governing research misconduct in federally-funded medical research. The rules, last updated in 2005, clarify how grantee institutions should investigate and disclose scientific misconduct.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research and Public Relations | Social Media will host “Instagram Insights: Exploring Strategy, Timing, and Creative Success for Researchers” on Thursday, October 17th at 1 p.m. Suzanne Whitby, founder of SciComm Success, will explain how researchers can effectively use Instagram’s visual platform to connect with new audiences and showcase their work. The virtual workshop will cover hashtag strategy, posting techniques to beat the algorithm, finding or creating the perfect visuals for content, and managing content to stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed. The event is part of the popular Strategic Communications series that helps BU researchers hone their communication skills and promote their work.