News
Social Science Funding
The BU Center for Innovation in Social Science, Federal Relations, and Foundation Relations hosted a virtual workshop on seeking external research funding on February 7, 2022.
COMPETES Act, China Initiative, Diversifying Biomedical Research
BU IN DC
Stephanie Curenton and Hank Fien of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development spoke at the Institute of Education Sciences annual principal investigators meeting< on January 25th and 26th.
Joseph Fewsmith of the Pardee School of Global Studies testified before a U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing on January 27th.
School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig spoke at a virtual White House event about law schools' work to help tenants facing eviction on January 28th.
Michelle Durham of the School of Medicine testified at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on mental health and substance use disorders on February 1st.
Ha Jin of the College of Arts & Sciences was featured at a virtual book talk at Politics & Prose bookstore on February 1st.
RESEARCH FUNDING & SECURITY BILL NEARS PASSAGE
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521) later today. The bill proposes funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science over the next five years, as well as a new technology innovation directorate at NSF. It also would require universities to disclose more information about gifts and contracts from foreign sources, make it easier for international PhD holders in STEM fields to pursue American citizenship, and create new programs to broaden participation in federal research by underrepresented populations. The House bill is significantly different from the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed by the U.S. Senate last year; the chambers are expected to negotiate a final by this summer.
BUZZ BITS...
- Last week, a senior Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official indicated the FBI is planning to change its approach on "China Initiative" cases involving scientists. He said the Department of Justice would use a regulatory approach to ensure scientific collaborations with China are appropriately disclosed, rather than prosecuting scientists for espionage. This would mark a reversal from the Trump Administration's policies.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Shelly M. Lowe as the chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities on Wednesday. Ms. Lowe is a member of the Navajo Nation and an Arizona native; she previously served as executive director of Harvard University's Native American Program.
- President Joe Biden relaunched the Cancer Moonshot on Wednesday, revisiting the initiative he created as Vice President in 2016. Among other goals, the Administration plans "to expeditiously study and evaluate multicancer detection tests, [similar to] COVID-19 diagnostics, which could help detect cancers when there may be more effective treatment options."
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research is hosting a virtual presentation on "Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Biomedical Research" on Thursday, February 17th at 3:30 p.m. Drs. Ericka Boone and Robert Rivers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) UNITE Initiative will highlight opportunities for diversifying the biomedical research workforce and building new career pathways in the field. They will also touch on how the NIH supports research addressing health disparities and building health equity. Attendees will be able to talk with the speakers about how to best work with the NIH to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the life sciences.
International STEM Talent, Affirmative Action, Health Misinformation
BU IN DC
Hyeouk Chris Hahm of the School of Social Work spoke on a panel at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) annual meeting on January 15th.
Correction: In last week's edition, we incorrectly stated Eleanor Zambrano's role at the SSWR conference; she was an attendee.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WORKS TO RETAIN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS
Last week, the Biden Administration unveiled several new policies intended to attract and retain international students and scholars in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Nearly two dozen fields of study, including data science and climate change, were added to the STEM Optional Practical Training program, which permits international graduates of American universities to work in the United States for up to three years after earning a degree. In addition, the Administration is permitting individuals on J-1 student exchange visas in STEM fields to work in the U.S. for up to three years. The Department of State will also allow STEM PhD holders to receive a national interest waiver when applying for a green card, making it easier for them to remain in the U.S. The changes were applauded by universities and take effect immediately.
BUZZ BITS...
- On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments regarding the legality of affirmative action in college admissions. The Court will consider whether to overrule two lower court decisions which upheld practices by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that consider race in admissions to ensure a diverse student body.
- The President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology met last week to further discuss how the federal government can effectively address climate change. The group heard from experts on measuring greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating innovation in clean energy technologies.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee unveiled a discussion draft of legislation to bolster pandemic preparedness on Tuesday. The PREVENT Pandemics Act addresses coordination by public health agencies, public health communication and misinformation, and research to develop biomedical countermeasures. The Committee is seeking feedback from stakeholders by Friday, February 4th.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research will hold its next Research on Tap on Thursday, February 10th at 4 p.m. on "Health Misinformation: How It Affects Society and How We Can Deal With It." During the event, hosted by Gianluca Stringhini of the College of Engineering, BU researchers from a variety of disciplines will deliver micro-talks on their research on how health misinformation unfolds, how it affects public perception, and how to craft better messaging to influence behavior during a public health crisis. Join this virtual session to learn about the research on health misinformation being conducted at BU and to seed collaborations with potential research partners.
White House Honors Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Other Law School Deans for Helping to Avert Eviction Crisis
Addressing senior Biden administration officials, BU LAW dean on the toll of losing “your home, your community, your stability—all that you have known, all at once”
With Roe v. Wade on the Line, BU Will Continue Abortion Education Regardless of Ruling
School of Medicine clinical training even “more important” if SCOTUS overturns landmark case
Vaccines & Fertility, Child Tax Credit, Resolutions
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
COVID-19 Vaccines Don't Cause Infertility or Harm Pregnancy Chances
With support from the National Institutes of Health, BU researchers find no link between vaccines and the chances of getting pregnant. The team also finds that COVID-19 infection may have a short-term impact on male fertility.
FACULTY EXPERTS
Advanced Child Tax Credit Reduced U.S. Food Insufficiency by 26%
A study from the BU School of Public Health found that the first monthly CTC payment, which was issued to 35 million eligible families on July 15, 2021, significantly reduced food insufficiency among U.S. households with children.
What should policymakers do next?
COMMUNITY RESOURCE
Why Is It So Hard To Keep Our New Year's Resolutions?
Two BU experts on human behavior explain why we fail and offer some tips on how to improve your odds for sticking with your resolutions.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea, Dr. Sabrina Assoumou of the BU School of Medicine, and Vice President Jake Sullivan of BU Government & Community Affairs were appointed to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's COVID-19 Advisory Committee... The BU Initiative on Cities finds that mayors lack the support to address the homelessness crisis in its 2021 Menino Survey of Mayors... Christopher Robertson of the BU School of Law argues that the Food and Drug Administration's accelerated approval process is broken in The Washington Post... Kevin Gallagher of the BU Global Development Policy Center asserts that International Monetary Fund fees are hurting low-income countries trying to combat COVID-19 in The New York Times... Deborah Carr of the BU College of Arts & Sciences encourages families to have difficult end-of-life discussions in The Conversation.
Research Security, Arts Chair, Climate & Health
BU IN DC
Dean Jorge Delva of the School of Social Work delivered the Aaron Rosen Lecture at the Society for Social Work and Research annual meeting on January 14th. Eleanor Zambrano of the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health spoke on a panel at the conference.
Anita Patterson of the College of Arts & Sciences presented her research during a virtual panel discussion at the Modern Language Association Annual Convention on January 6th.
Elaine Nsoesie of the School of Public Health spoke at a meeting of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee to the Director about the future of the NIH's Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity program on December 9th.
WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS RESEARCH SECURITY AND INTEGRITY PLANS
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released its long-awaited guidance on how investigators, universities, and federal agencies should bolster research security. Under the guidance, federal scientific agencies will collaborate to produce model application forms this summer that will easily allow grant applicants to appropriately disclose foreign gifts and overseas support. The Administration guidance urged agencies to conduct oversight of foreign collaborations in a non-discriminatory manner and to make it easy for investigators to self-correct inadvertent mistakes in previous disclosures.
OSTP also released a report last week on "Protecting the Integrity of Federal Science." The report asserts that federal agency leaders must foster a culture of integrity, data collection and analysis should be shielded from political interference, federal communications staff should facilitate the free flow of timely information to the public, and agencies should have clear procedures to report concerns about violations of scientific integrity. Going forward, the Biden Administration plans to create a framework to regularly assess and improve the scientific integrity policies at all government agencies.
MORE PERSONNEL JOIN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) on December 18th. Before leading the NEA, Dr. Jackson was a professor at Arizona State University and a senior advisor at the Kresge Foundation. She previously served as a member of the National Council on the Arts.
- Last month, the Senate also confirmed Dr. Atul Gawande as assistant administrator for global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Dr. Gawande is a surgeon and best-selling author who previously worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the appointment of Dr. Katherine Calvin as NASA's chief scientist and senior climate advisor on January 10th. Dr. Calvin previously worked for the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research is hosting its first Research on Tap of the spring semester on Wednesday, January 26th, at 4 p.m. "Climate Change & Health: Understanding and Reducing Impacts" will be hosted by Greg Wellenius of the the School of Public Health and feature micro-talks from researchers across the University whose research seeks to better understand how climate hazards are affecting human health. Join this virtual session to learn about the research underway at BU and forge relationships with potential research collaborators.
COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Cause Infertility or Harm Pregnancy Chances, BU Research Shows
No link between vaccines and chances of getting pregnant, but COVID-19 infection may have short-term impact on male fertility
Advance Child Tax Credits Reduced US Food Insufficiency by 26 Percent
The federal pandemic benefit, which provided the majority of American households with an extra $250-$300 per month, expired on December 31, and now experts worry low-income families will struggle to afford adequate food and other necessities.
Homeschooling, Black Hair, Heliosphere
FACULTY EXPERTS
Homeschooling Up, Public Schooling Down During Pandemic
Research from a team that included BU education scholars found that the COVID-19 emergency drove many parents to remove their children from public schools altogether in favor of homeschooling or private schools.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Detangling the History of Black Hair
BU alumna Zenda Walker's (CGS '98, COM '00) picture book, Know Your Hairitage: Zara's Wash Day, aims to educate young readers about Black hair.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Another Breakthrough for Team Studying Our Solar System's Protective Bubble
Astrophysicists on BU's NASA-funded SHIELD team reach another milestone on their quest to understand the heliosphere.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
The BU Center for Antiracist Research is looking for a Law and Policy Fellow to join their Boston-based team working on the Model Legislation Project... Julie Dahlstrom of the BU School of Law discusses the treatment of victim-defendants in sex-trafficking cases in The Los Angeles Times... Deborah Carr of the BU College of Arts & Sciences explains why end-of-life conversations are important to have in The Washington Post... Carey Morewedge of the BU Questrom School of Business breaks down why you eat the same thing for breakfast every day in Time... and, finally, BU Federal Relations wishes you Happy Holidays! Thank you for reading, we will have more stories for you in 2022.