News
Anonymous $1M Gift Bolsters American & New England Studies Program
It will create a Public Humanities Fund to support PhD students with research projects, internships.
First-Gen Students, Framingham Heart Study, Classroom Air
YOU'RE INVITED
Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price
Join Boston University Professor Anthony Jack and officials from the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and The Education Trust for a conversation about first-generation student success at the Library of Congress on Thursday, April 18th.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Framingham Heart Study: 75 Years of Lifesaving Research
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the iconic study operated by Boston University and funded by the NIH. The nation's longest-running epidemiological study has improved the world's heart health.
COMMUNITY RESOURCE
Can Cleaner Classroom Air Help Kids Do Better at School?
In a collaborative project with Boston Public Schools, a BU environmental health researcher is studying ways to improve indoor air quality in classrooms with funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
Sarah Bagley of the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Boston Medical Center testified before the Senate Finance Committee on opportunities to improve substance use disorder care... Joan Donovan and Michelle Amazeen of the BU College of Communication addressed a National Academies workshop on solutions to counter disinformation in social media... Timothy Longman of the BU Pardee School of Global Studies speaks with Nature about what we have learned from the genocide in Rwanda thirty years ago... David Jernigan of the BU School of Public Health explains how curbing liquor sales hours cut crime rates in a Baltimore neighborhood in U.S. News and World Report.
MA Research Universities; IES Director; Language & Culture
BU IN DC
Joyce Wong of the College of Engineering addressed the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Annual Event on March 24th and 25th. Wong is the president of AIMBE.
Deborah Carr of the Center for Innovation in the Social Sciences addressed a National Institute of Aging workshop on the Impacts of Extreme Weather Conditions and Disasters on Older Adult Health on March 26th. She served on the workshop steering committee.
Heather Schoenfeld and student Meghann Lucy of the College of Arts & Sciences advocated for federal investments in social and behavioral science during the Consortium of Social Science Associations Advocacy Day on April 8th and 9th.
Sarah Bagley of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine testified before the Senate Finance Committee on opportunities to improve substance use disorder care on April 9th.
Leslie Dietiker of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development discussed investments in education research with federal officials during a meeting of the LEARN Coalition on April 10th.
Joan Donovan and Michelle Amazeen of the College of Communication addressed a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine workshop on "Evolving Technological, Legal and Social Solutions to Counter Disinformation in Social Media" on April 10th and 11th. Donovan co-chaired the workshop planning committee.
MA RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS, SCIENCE
In a memorandum sent to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation earlier this month, BU, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University urged lawmakers to invest in student aid and research. The memo shared the institutions' joint federal budget priorities, which include funding for Pell Grants, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others. In particular, the schools implored elected officials to reverse the harmful cuts to the NSF and to continue prioritizing college access programs such as the Pell Grant and Federal Work Study as Congress kicks off the appropriations cycle for fiscal year 2025.
BUZZ BITS...
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Dr. Kathleen Neuzil has been named director of the Fogarty International Center and NIH associate director for international research. Neuzil currently leads a center on vaccine development and global health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She is expected to replace Acting Director Peter Kilmarx in May 2024.
- Dr. Matthew Soldner is now serving as acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. He replaced Mark Schneider, whose five-year term expired. Until a nominee for IES Director is named by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Soldner will also continue as the agency's Chief Evaluation Officer, a role he has held since 2018.
- Cyndee Landrum was appointed acting director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services while the agency waits for a nominee to be named by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Landrum has been deputy director of the agency's Office of Library Services since 2019. She replaces Crosby Kemper, whose five-year term expired in March.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
An "Overview of Federal Funding Opportunities for Foreign Languages and Culture Initiatives" written by Lewis-Burke Associates is now available on the Federal Relations website. The document provides a select catalog of funding opportunities for foreign languages and culture initiatives offered by federal agencies. It covers programs that aim to foster cultural understanding and global cooperation by supporting language learning and exchange initiatives between the United States and international educational and research communities.
Framingham Heart Study: Celebrating 75 Years of Research
On Monday, April 8, 2024, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli celebrated the 75th anniversary of the iconic study operated by Boston University and funded by the NIH.
Substance Use Disorder Care in the Federal Health Programs
Dr. Sarah Bagley (CAMED) testifies before the Senate Committee on Finance - Health Care Subcommittee on substance use disorder care in Medicare and Medicaid | CHIP on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
BU Marks 50 Years of Changing Lives behind Bars
Prison Education Program feted at milestone anniversary event.
It’s Not Just a Pharmacy—Walgreens and CVS Closures Can Exacerbate Health Inequities
BU researcher talks about the long-term impacts of pharmacy deserts on primarily Black and brown neighborhoods, as well as potential solutions.
Protecting the Vote
Political scientists Christine Slaughter and Max Palmer on why every American should care about voting rights—presidential election year or not.
NIH & Student Aid Budgets; DOE Science Leader; Africa
BU IN DC
Dean Sandro Galea and Lisa Sullivan of the School of Public Health addressed the ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health on March 21st and 22nd.
Robert Tsai of the School of Law discussed his new book on lawyer Stephen Bright during a book talk with National Public Radio journalist Carrie Johnson at Politics & Prose on March 20th.
Mary Churchill of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development attended the American Council on Education's Women’s Network Leadership Conference and Dinner on March 20th and 21st. She is a member of the Network's executive committee.
Arielle Derival-Joseph and Emily Walton of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development attended the Council on Opportunity in Education Policy Seminar and discussed BU's TRIO and Upward Bound programs with Massachusetts Congressional offices between March 17th and 20th.
Vice President for Marketing & Creative Services Amy Hook and Rachel Lapal Cavallario and Dave MacDonald of Public Relations | Social Media attended the Association of American Universities Public Affairs Network meeting between March 17th and 19th.
NIH AND STUDENT AID FUNDING STAY STABLE, DEFENSE RESEARCH CUT
Congress is poised to approve a spending package today that sets funding for student aid and biomedical and defense research for the remainder of fiscal year 2024. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 will keep the budgets for the National Institutes of Health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health (ARPA-H) similar to their current levels. Within the U.S. Department of Education, the bill maintains the current funding level for the Pell Grant maximum award, the Federal Work Study program, and research programs at the Institute of Education Sciences. However, basic research programs at the Department of Defense will be cut slightly, while DARPA will increase slightly. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the measure shortly after it is approved by Congress.
BUZZ BITS...
- Science magazine reported last week that Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe will step down as the director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science on March 28th. Dr. Berhe joined the office in 2022 after being nominated by President Joe Biden in April 2021. Deputy Director Harriet Kung will serve as acting director; Dr. Kung has been with the DOE Office of Science for more than two decades.
- Dr. Greg Hager will become the new leader of the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (NSF CISE) directorate on June 3rd. Hager is currently a computer science professor at Johns Hopkins University and has served as chair of the Computing Community Consortium. Dilma da Silva has been serving as acting director of NSF CISE.
- NSF Assistant Director Erwin Gianchandani will visit the Charles River Campus on Thursday, March 28th for a fireside chat. RSVP today and learn how you can engage with the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships directorate, the agency's first new directorate in more than 30 years.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The BU Office of Research will host a Research on Tap session entitled "BU and Africa: Culture, Development, Health, Environment, and Governance" on April 8th at 4 p.m. Scholarship and research related to Africa are on the rise at BU, with the BU African Studies Center celebrating its 70th anniversary and a growing, multidisciplinary portfolio of African research programs spanning the Charles River and Medical Campuses. Faculty hosts Kevin Gallagher, Peter Rockers, and Mark Storella will convene BU experts across fields, campuses, and colleges for microtalks to expand researchers' knowledge of this strategically vital region and plant seeds for deeper collaboration.
A Note to Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. Be sure to check our website and social media for updates.
The Signal and the Response
The BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases held a conversation with Dr. Paul Friedrichs of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.