News

Rochelle Walensky, NIH Budget, AI at NSF

BU IN DC

Kevin Outterson of the School of Law and CARB-X testified about the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on April 28th.

Nahid Bhadelia of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research headlined an alumni event for Washington-area Terriers on May 4th. Vice President for Alumni Engagement Erika Jordan and Katherine Hargadon of Development and Alumni Relations were in attendance.

BUZZ BITS...

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky will step down on June 30th, she announced last week. Dr. Walensky, formerly the chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, oversaw the CDC for the first half of the Biden Administration. An interim CDC director has not yet been announced.
• The White House announced that Neera Tanden will serve as the President's domestic policy advisor when current advisor Susan Rice steps down next month. Tanden is the former president of the Center for American Progress and had been serving as a senior adviser and staff secretary at the White House.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that James Reuter will step down as head of the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate at the end of June. Reuter has led the directorate since 2018 and has been with NASA for forty years. The agency plans to conduct a national search to find his successor.

SENATORS REVIEW PROPOSED NIH BUDGET

Last week, a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing to examine the Biden Administration's proposed budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year 2024. Senators voiced bipartisan interest in growing the NIH budget above the President's proposed 1.7% increase and mentioned research in Alzheimer's disease, substance use, and mental health as priorities for their constituents. Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) expressed concerns about an NIH-funded researcher who was able to transfer his grants to a new institution after leaving a previous university in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) criticized the NIH FIRST initiative, which aims to support universities as they create environments that promote "inclusive excellence" through their faculty recruiting.

Watch the hearing

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

As part of the Biden Administration's growing focus on artificial intelligence (AI), the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released three funding and engagement opportunities in support of AI research, education, and workforce development:

• A Dear Colleague letter inviting proposals to the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program focused on research on the use and teaching of AI in K-12 education. One-page concept papers for the RAPID program will be accepted by NSF on a rolling basis and applicants can request up to $200,000 for a one-year project period.
• A Request for Information (RFI) on the ability of universities to produce graduates with AI training. The agency is seeking information on colleges' current AI programs, AI-related courses, faculty expertise in AI, and current AI research, as well as information on what can be done to increase the number of graduates with expertise in AI.
• An RFI focused on the opportunities and challenges of creating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pathways in emerging technology areas. The document identifies career paths in AI, advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, biotechnology, semiconductors, microelectronics, and quantum information science as priorities. Responses for both RFIs, which serve as a mechanism to inform NSF activities and potential investments related to AI, are due June 21st.