Climate and Health Research, Title IX, Convergence Accelerators
BU IN DC
Robert Hefner of the Pardee School of Global Studies spoke at a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom event on democracy and religious freedom on December 7th.
Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences Azer Bestavros, Dean David Chard and Nathan Jones of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, and Mayank Varia of the College of Arts & Sciences discussed the confluence of data science and education research with officials at the Institute of Education Sciences on December 15th.
NIH APPROVES CLIMATE AND HEALTH INITIATIVE
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a special meeting of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) advisory council last month to present a formal framework for NIH’s new Climate Change and Health (CCH) Initiative. NIEHS staff presented a concept clearance framing four core tenets of the CCH Initiative:
- Health effects research of climate change influences on health outcomes and vulnerability risks across the lifespan;
- Health equity awareness to assess and respond to the needs of populations most at risk of climate change health impacts;
- Intervention research to prevent disease and disability and promote health and resilience; and
- Training and capacity-building for scientists and community members to translate findings and facilitate understanding of climate change effects on health
While NIEHS will play a leading role in organizing the program, the CCH Initiative will be an NIH-wide effort, reflecting the complexity and wide-ranging impacts of climate change on human health.
BUZZ BITS…
- The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it plans to propose new Title IX rules prohibiting gender discrimination in educational settings in April 2022, accelerating its previously announced timeline by one month. The Department held a series of listening sessions on sexual harassment and campus safety in June 2021.
- The Department of Education also announced plans to improve customer service for borrowers under the federal student loan programs by creating a single portal for Direct Loan borrowers and reducing paperwork for Public Service Loan Forgiveness applicants. The announcement is part of a series of “customer experience improve commitments” planned by the Biden Administration at 17 federal agencies.
- Dr. Liza Bundesen has been installed as deputy director of extramural research at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bundesen is a neuroscientist who has held a series of science policy roles at NIH since 2006.
NSF SOLICITS ACCELERATOR TOPICS
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking input on potential tracks for its next Convergence Accelerator competition, which is anticipated to be released in fiscal year 2023. The NSF Convergence Accelerator program utilizes “user-inspired convergence research” to address national priorities and facilitate collaboration around “exploratory, potentially high-risk proposals addressing selected convergent research topics.” Responses are due via an online questionnaire by February 28, 2022.
A Note To Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will take a break for Intersession.
We wish you happy holidays and will see you in the New Year!