Beltway BUzz

Washington, DC, is a busy place with a lot of moving parts. Beltway BUzz provides updates on Congressional and federal agency activities, announces key federal personnel changes, highlights grant solicitations, and features the many BU faculty and staff who participate in Washington activities.

If you’re a BU employee and are interested in joining our mailing list, provide us with your email below.

Student Data; NIH Strategy; Office of Naval Research

BU IN DC Harvey Young of the College of Fine Arts attended the Association for Theatre in Higher Education 2026 Annual Conference between July 22nd and 26th. Veronique Mintz (CAS '28) introduced Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) during the Committee on House Administration Intern Lecture Series on July 16th. SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES HIGHER ED... More

White House R&D Priorities; Immigration Town Halls; Genesis Mission

WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES UPDATES ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PRIORITIES The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released its annual memorandum detailing the Trump Administration's research priorities on Wednesday, alongside a new report titled "Science: A New Golden Age."  The documents reaffirm the Administration's enthusiasm for AI-enabled science and recommend new funding... More

Grants Rule; Medical Schools and DEI; Research Security

BU IN DC Robert (Bob) Vinci of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine addressed a Congressional briefing hosted by the Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus on July 15th. Julie Wickstrom and Jonathan Brett of Enrollment & Student Administration attended the NASFAA Annual Conference between June 29th and July 2nd. Yoonsook Ha and Kate Giapponi Schneider... More

Antisemitism; New Approach Methodologies; DARPA

BU IN DC Mary Churchill of Wheelock College of Education & Human Development attended the Scholars Strategy Network National Leadership Convening and met with Congressional offices between June 22nd and June 24th. HOUSE COMMITTEE ADVANCES EDUCATION BILLS On Thursday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved several higher education bills focused on civil rights. The... More

NIH & Pell Grants; NIAID Leader; College Sports

BU IN DC WBUR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Low met with Congressional offices during the National Public Radio Network Fly-In on June 11th. Renna Lilly and Ryan Russell of the Office of Sponsored Programs attended the COGR Membership Meeting on June 11th and 12th. Gannon Flynn of the College of Arts & Sciences addressed... More

Proposed Grant Changes; Fogarty Center; NIMHD

BU IN DC Eric Jacobsen of Information Services & Technology attended the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit between June 1st and 4th. Doctoral students Kathryn Rodgers and Lydia Lichtiger from the School of Public Health participated in the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology Conference and Advocacy Day from June 1st to 4th. PROPOSED... More

NIH; Defense Research; Limited Submissions

BU IN DC Julie Wickstrom of Enrollment & Student Administration attended the Higher Education Loan Coalition Board of Directors Meeting and spoke with Congressional offices about student aid policy from May 18th to May 20th. Thomas Perls of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine spoke with Washington-area BU alumni about the New England... More

DOE Science; NIH Changes; McMahon

BU IN DC Kevin Outterson of CARB-X met with Congressional offices to discuss antimicrobial resistance on May 11th. Brian Walsh of the College of Engineering talked with Congressional staff about federal investment in space weather research as part of the Heliophysics Coalition's Capitol Hill fly-in on May 12th. John Connor of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases... More

TRIO; NSF and NASA; Graduate Student Loans

BU IN DC President Melissa Gilliam attended the Association of American Universities Spring Meeting from April 26 to April 29th. School of Public Health Dean Adnan Hyder hosted a panel discussion on "The Future of Public Health in the United States" on April 29th, followed by an alumni reception. Erica Augustine, Jackie Bowes, and Luciano... More

Budget Hearings; SBIR; Foundation Funding

BU IN DC Yannis Paschalidis, Darren Roblyer, Shannon Stott, and Joyce Wong of the College of Engineering and Laisheng Chou from the Goldman School of Dental Medicine participated in the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Annual Event from April 11th to 13th. Lawrence Were of Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences spoke at the Consortium of Universities for Global... More