News

NIH Director, Biosafety Hearing, AI Research

BU IN DC

Karen Antman, Provost of the Medical Campus and Dean of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, addressed the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Oncology Center of Excellence as part of its Icons in Oncology series on October 16th.

Brooke Blower of the College of Arts & Sciences discussed her recent book during the Washington History Seminar jointly sponsored by the American Historical Association and the Woodrow Wilson Center on October 16th. 

Associate Provost for Special Projects & Emerging Priorities Suzanne Kennedy and Jennifer Gómez of the School of Social Work spoke on panels at the 2023 summit of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education on October 17th and 18th. Jin In of the Office of the Senior Diversity Officer attended the summit.

Milos Popovic of the College of Engineering attended the Microelectronics Commons annual meeting sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense on October 17th and 18th. 

SENATORS QUESTION NIH NOMINEE

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday. Dr. Bertagnolli, currently director of the National Cancer Institute, was nominated in May to lead the agency, which has been without a permanent leader since December 2021. In her opening statement, Dr. Bertagnolli pledged to broaden and ensure better access to NIH technologies and innovations to underserved populations, as well as build a strong next-generation scientific workforce to carry out this mission. Senators asked the nominee about the Biden Administration's views on prescription drug prices, better outreach to rural communities, NIH's knowledge on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agency's support for women's health and youth mental health research. The Committee is scheduled to vote on her nomination next week.

Watch the hearing

CONGRESS FOCUSES ON BIOSAFETY, AI, COLLEGE SPORTS

Congressional committees held several hearings this week on a range of topics that impact colleges and universities.

• The House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing on biosafety practices at federally-funded research laboratories on Wednesday. Dr. Gerald Parker, former director of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, urged lawmakers to adopt a national strategy to support high-containment labs so they can continue their important work to prepare the nation for a pandemic. Members then questioned the witnesses on how to improve both federal and international oversight of biosafety labs globally.
• The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee heard from witnesses from government, academia, and a technology think tank on how to best manage the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Lawmakers queried the panel on how Congress should approach regulating the technology while still ensuring the technology can grow responsibly.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Tuesday regarding "Name, Image, and Likeness, and the Future of College Sports." College athletes, university athletic directors, and the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association shared their views on how college athletes should be compensated for their efforts. Most acknowledged some degree of support for a uniform national standard to replace the conflicting landscape of state laws currently in place.

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The Office of Research is hosting two events next week for researchers:

• The semester's second Research on Tap will take place on October 25th at 4 p.m. in the Kilachand Center. Researchers from across the University will give microtalks on their work on Responsible Artificial Intelligence: Privacy, Fairness, and Accountability. A networking reception will follow the presentations.
• The latest Strategic Communications workshop, in partnership with BU Public Relations | Social Media, will take place virtually on October 26th at 12 p.m. Come learn how to best utilize social media to promote your research from science communications firm SciComm Success.

Averted Shutdown, ED Actions, DARPA BAA

BU IN DC

School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea spoke on the future of epidemiology at a meeting of the National Institutes of Health Environmental Influxes on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Consortium on October 2nd.

Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman attended the Association of Graduate Schools meeting at the Association of American Universities from October 1st through 3rd.

FEDERAL SHUTDOWN AVERTED; HOUSE LEADERSHIP IN FLUX

On Saturday, Congress defied expectations and averted a government shutdown with a last-minute agreement to keep federal agencies operating at current funding levels through November 17th. The continuing resolution was supposed to provide both chambers more time to complete work on the fiscal year 2024 spending bills, which remain unfinished. However, legislative action is currently on hold in the U.S. House of Representatives after a group of Republicans moved to remove Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House on Tuesday afternoon. House Republicans intend to return to Washington next week to identify his successor. Until a new Speaker is named, the House cannot advance legislation.

Learn more

DEPT. OF ED TAKES ACTION ON GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, DEBT, ADMISSIONS

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently took several actions to advance its higher education priorities, including:

• Forming a negotiated rulemaking committee to determine a path forward for federal student debt forgiveness. The Department released an issue paper that identifies several policy questions that the negotiators will consider when they begin their work on October 10th. The rulemaking was launched after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration's proposal to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for certain borrowers earlier this year.
• Issuing final financial value transparency and gainful employment regulations, which are designed to steer students away from programs that do not meaningfully prepare graduates for a career. Colleges will be required to disclose information about the earnings and indebtedness of the graduates from each of their degree and certificate programs starting in July 2024.
• Publishing a report outlining best practices for building an inclusive and diverse student body at colleges and universities. The Department produced the report as a resource for universities following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down race-conscious college admissions practices.

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office recently released its annual broad agency announcement that seeks to support basic or applied research in the following technical thrust areas:

• "Novel Materials & Structures;
• Sensing & Measurement;
• Computation & Processing;
• Enabling Operations;
• Collective Intelligence; and
• Emerging Threats."

For each technical area, DARPA is particularly interested in research pertaining to artificial intelligence, quantum technology, modeling of complex systems, environmental catastrophes, and raw materials, among other interests. The agency will accept executive summaries, abstracts, and full proposals on a rolling basis until September 26, 2024.

Find out more

Shutdown, ARPA-H Hub, Cancer Research

BU IN DC

Raul Fernandez of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development gave a presentation at the D.C. Futures conference on college completion on September 23rd.

Dennis Carlberg of BU Sustainability spoke at the Greenbuild 2023 Conference on building a decarbonized future in Boston on September 26th.

Roscoe Giles of the College of Engineering participated in a meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on September 28th.

Mary Churchill of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development attended the American Council on Education's Moving the Needle summit to discuss expanding the pool of women leaders in higher education on September 28th.

WASHINGTON AWAITS SHUTDOWN

With both chambers of Congress far apart on their approach to a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government operating when the new fiscal year starts on October 1st, government agencies are expected to shut down over the weekend. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are planning to vote on a bill today that would sharply curtail federal spending for the next 30 days while lawmakers negotiate the spending bills that fund each federal agency. In contrast, the U.S. Senate is planning to vote on a bipartisan bill that would keep the government operating at its current funding level for seven weeks. Student financial aid and visa processing for international visitors should not be impacted by a government shutdown. However, program officers at federal research and cultural agencies will be furloughed and peer review of research proposals will not occur.

Get updates on the BU Research Admin blog

BUZZ BITS...

• Dr. Dorothy Koch is the new associate director of biological and environmental research in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Dr. Koch most recently worked in the weather program office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Dr. Patricia Gruber is the new science and technology adviser for the U.S. Department of State, providing guidance on global research trends. Dr. Gruber previously served as chief scientific officer of the Office of Naval Research at the Department of Defense. She also held roles at Battelle and The Pennsylvania State University.
• The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H) selected the Boston area as one of three sites for ARPA-H. The Cambridge-based hub will focus on the elements necessary to bring research ideas to the marketplace. The Dallas, TX, location will work with patients and providers, while the Washington, DC, location will be the operations home for the agency.

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Foundation Relations is hosting a virtual Meet the Funder event on October 11th at 12:00 p.m. with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the largest research organization dedicated to accelerating the cure and eradication of cancer. Dr. Judy Quong, director of scientific research and grants administration at AACR, will present and lead a discussion with Dennis Jones, a recent AACR grantee and assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Participants will come away with a better understanding of AACR's grants process and the types of research they are seeking to support.

RSVP today

A Note to Our Readers: Due to the expected government shutdown, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. Be sure to check our website and social media for updates on federal government operations.