MA Universities Advocate; NEH; NSH Infrastructure
BU IN DC
Doctoral students Matilde Carrera and Emma Daily of the College of Arts & Sciences, Meagan Lauber and Sita Ramaswamy of the Avedisian & Chobanian School of Medicine, and Dora Balog of the College of Engineering attended the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop and discussed science policy with Congressional offices between April 6th and 9th.
Koritha Mitchell of the College of Arts & Sciences attended a Johns Hopkins University Press Board meeting on April 11th.
MA RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS, SCIENCE
Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University sent a memorandum urging lawmakers to invest in student aid and research as they craft spending bills this year.
The memo shared the institutions’ joint federal budget priorities, which include funding for Pell Grants, Federal-Work Study, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others. In particular, the schools raised the importance of the federal government and university partnership as a “cornerstone of the U.S. competitive advantage.”
BUZZ BITS…
- The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a fiscal year 2025 concurrent budget resolution on Thursday, laying the groundwork for lawmakers to enact a package of tax cuts this year. The resolution passed the U.S. Senate last week and instructs the Congressional education committees to find up to $330 billion in education-related savings, such as from federal student loans, to help offset the cost of the tax cuts.
- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and founder of a payment processing company, faced questions about his ties to Elon Musk and the Administration’s focus on Mars exploration. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) asked Isaacman to pledge to restore climate data removed from the NASA website.
- The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently terminated more than 1200 grants, including awards to cultural organizations, individual scholars, and all state and jurisdictional humanities councils. Several dozen NEH employees have been placed on leave, and The New York Times reports that the Trump Administration plans to eliminate 70 to 80 percent of the agency’s staff.
- The House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on Tuesday entitled “Game Changer: the NLRB, Student-Athletes, and the Future of College Sports.” Witnesses, including two former student athletes, were divided on whether college athletes should be considered employees with the right to bargain collectively.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research is hosting two upcoming events.
Professors Margarita Guillory and Wesley Wildman will host “AI and the Humanities” on Wednesday, April 16th at 4 p.m. in the Kilachand Center. This Research on Tap will feature BU faculty delivering microtalks on their research examining artificial intelligence’s societal and cultural impacts while highlighting its innovative applications in the humanities, from natural language processing to reasoning machines.
On Monday, April 28th, the BU community can join a virtual event entitled “Unlocking NSF Funding Opportunities for Infrastructure and Instrumentation.” Join Dr. Alicia Knoedler, head of the Office of Integrative Activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF), as she discusses the range of funding opportunities for research infrastructure across the NSF. Whether you’re preparing your first proposal or refining your approach, Dr. Knoedler will share perspectives on building strong NSF partnerships, crafting compelling proposals, and navigating the funding process.
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication during the Congressional District Work Period. Please visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn, or visit the University’s Frequently Asked Questions about Federal Actions page for updates.