News
Online Privacy
Gabe Kaptchuk of the BU Hariri Institute spoke on the consequences of backdoors for online privacy at a Center for Data Innovation forum on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Sen. Warren, Talking to Journalists, ARPA-H
BU IN DC
Joyce Wong of the College of Engineering met with staff in Massachusetts Congressional offices and attended the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering annual meeting on March 26th and 27th.
Gabriel Kaptchuk of the College of Arts & Sciences cohosted a workshop on privacy enhancing technologies for the public interest at the Georgetown University Law Center on March 27th.
Graduate students Kathryn Atherton of Bioinformatics, Hannah Puttre of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, Jourdan Ewoldt of the College of Engineering, and Katharine Babcock of the School of Medicine attended the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering workshop sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and met with Massachusetts Congressional delegation offices between March 26th and 29th.
BUZZ BITS...
- Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged greater oversight of colleges and universities in a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona earlier this week. Warren asked the Department to more stringently regulate online program managers, make more data about student outcomes and the accreditation process public, and impose accountability measures on poor-performing certificate programs.
- The House Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the impact of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal-making rights for student athletes in collegiate sports. Lawmakers and witnesses, including the Commissioner of the Patriot League, largely agreed on the need for Congress to implement a federal NIL standard to replace the current patchwork of state laws. However, views differed on the advisability of providing employee status for college athletes.
- The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday examining how college campuses address free speech. Witnesses described a repressive atmosphere that inhibits robust debate of political viewpoints in higher education and urged Congress and school administrators to take steps to restore balance.
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On April 13th at 2:00 pm, BU Public Relations is hosting a remote, interactive workshop for researchers to learn how to play an active role in accurate science reporting. Meredith Drosback and Tori Espensen from SciLine will give advice on deciding whether to speak to a reporter, preparing for an interview, how to conduct yourself during an interview, and successful follow-up strategies to ensure factual reporting. The presenters will also set aside time for a facilitated discussion with attendees about their own experiences in working with reporters, highlighting what’s gone well, what hasn’t, and the top takeaways.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H) is hosting its first Proposer's Day virtually on April 4th at 11:00 am. The webinar is an opportunity for prospective applicants to hear from ARPA-H program managers on the agency's recently released Broad Agency Announcement and its four strategic focus areas of health science futures, scalable solutions, proactive health, and resilient systems. Participants must register before 5:00 pm Eastern on April 3rd.
A Note To Our Readers: During the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will be on hiatus. Be sure to check our website and Twitter feed for updates.
CDC’s Rochelle Walensky Visits BU’s School of Public Health
Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reflects on agency’s pandemic mistakes and successes.
The High Ground
The play written and directed by a BU duo is at Arena Stage in Washington, DC from Friday, February 10, 2023 through Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox Scaled the Blue Wall of Silence
Alum was beaten by fellow police officers who mistook him for a suspect. Now, he’s Boston’s top cop.
Anti-Trans Laws, Noisy Drones, BU Innovates
FACULTY EXPERTS
How Will Anti-Trans Laws Impact Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Mental Health?
As states ban gender-affirming care and participation in sports, a BU study finds more than half of trans and gender-diverse kids report depression and self-harm — but that peer and school supports can help.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Delivery Drones and Rotor-Powered Rideshares Sound Great—and Noisy
With support from NASA, BU researchers will lead a multi-million dollar, multi-institution project to help develop quieter vertical lift air vehicles.
ON THE CHARLES RIVER
BU Appoints New Executive Director of Innovates@BU
Siobhan Dullea (CAS '91), who formerly served as president and CEO of MassChallenge, will lead BU's training hub for future entrepreneurs.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
During the 12th annual Boston Scholars Recognition event, Mayor Michelle Wu congratulated the City of Boston employees enrolled in BU Metropolitan College graduate programs... Renée Spencer of the BU School of Social Work celebrated Big Sisters Boston with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)... The 2023 Economic Report of the President cited research from Andrew Bacher-Hicks, Olivia Chi, and Alexis Orellana of the BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development on staffing shortages in K-12 education... Scientists confirmed a theory by BU art historian Jonathan Ribner that artist Claude Monet may have been inspired by air pollution says CNN.
How to Help Kids Become Better Readers
BU researchers identify solutions to improve reading and literacy skills and help children struggling with reading.
New FAFSA, Climate Research, Collaborating with Policymakers
BU IN DC
Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Dean David Chard discussed research on learning disabilities with Congressional staff on March 23rd and 24th.
Arunima Krishna and Michelle Amazeen of the College of Communication presented their research on climate misinformation to staff with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development on March 22nd.
Senior Vice President for External Affairs Steve Burgay and Vice President of Marketing & Creative Services Amy Hook attended the Association of American Universities Public Affairs Network meeting from March 19th to March 21st.
BUZZ BITS..
- The U.S. Department of Education published the implementation timeline for the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form on Tuesday, revealing that the form will be available in December rather than the more typical October release. Students and schools are expected to use the streamlined application for financial aid for the 2024-2025 academic year, in accordance with the FAFSA Simplification Act signed into law at the end of 2020.
- On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm appeared before the Energy & Water Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to discuss the Administration's proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Energy. Granholm touted the Department's pivotal role in addressing climate change, broadening participation in science, and revitalizing the infrastructure of the agency's national labs.
- The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing yesterday on the Biden Administration's proposal to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for certain borrowers. Members and witnesses debated the fairness of the debt cancellation proposal and the merits of other policy options to address college affordability.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The President signed several bills into law last year that include significant new funding for energy, climate, microelectronics, and transportation research, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The Federal Relations web site now includes a compendium written by Lewis-Burke Associates which details the role university-based researchers can play in the new and forthcoming funding calls available at the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The document includes both solicitations that have already been announced and others expected to come out later this year.
Review the grant opportunities
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How can faculty share their research findings in a way that successfully influences policy? Join Federal Relations as we host Dr. Adam Seth Levine for an in-person workshop on how scholars can develop effective, collaborative relationships with policymakers. Dr. Levine will present new research on why these relationships require effort and intentionality to cultivate, and evidence-based practices for scholars seeking to forge new connections. Dr. Levine is co-founder and president of research4impact, an organization that connects experts from diverse fields in collaborations to better understand and solve complex social problems.
How Will Anti-Trans Laws Impact Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Mental Health?
As states ban gender-affirming care and participation in sports, BU study finds more than half of trans and gender-diverse kids report depression and self-harm—but that peer and school supports can help.
MA Universities, ARPA-H, Environmental Equity
BU IN DC
Dean Sandro Galea, Jennifer Beard, David Jernigan, Mary Murphy-Phillips, Rea Shqepa, Lisa Sullivan, Karla Todd, Monica Wang, and Greg Wellenius of the School of Public Health all attended the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health annual meeting from March 15th through 17th.
Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman attended the Association of Graduate Schools Executive Committee meeting at the Association of American Universities on March 13th and 14th.
Elizabeth Loizeaux of the Office of the Provost and colleagues from the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities discussed the Boyer Commission 2030 report with senior leadership of the U.S. Department of Education on March 2nd.
MA UNIVERSITIES URGE ROBUST FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, STUDENT AID
This week, Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University sent their annual memorandum to Massachusetts Congressional offices urging elected officials to advocate for strong investments in student aid and research as Congress begins the fiscal year 2024 budget process. The letter encourages Congress to build upon the bipartisan support for federal research demonstrated in last year's CHIPS & Science Act (P.L.117-167) by providing robust funding for science agencies. The universities also requested lawmakers double the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students and support cultural agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities. Congress will hold hearings this spring to prepare for drafting the annual spending bills that determine the agencies’ budgets.
ARPA-H RELEASES FIRST COMPETITIONS
On Wednesday, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H) released its first funding opportunities to the public. Its inaugural broad agency announcement requests proposers submit abstracts of no more than three pages in length for "unconventional approaches" to improve health outcomes with a focus on health science futures, scalable solutions, proactive health, and resilient systems. Proposals addressing the Administration's Cancer Moonshot are encouraged, though not required. The agency also announced the Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes (DASH) prize competition with a $15,000 award. A "bracket format" with online debate and voting will be used to narrow down the winning ideas between March and April.
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The Institute for Global Sustainability hosts the next Research on Tap on March 22nd at 4 p.m. in the Kilachand Center. "Environmental Cultures, Power and Equity" will bring together BU experts in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences to share research on how humans have inhabited, crafted meaning around, and dealt with power and inequity in their environments. The microtalks will explore how to design and implement technological and social systems that can simultaneously sustain human well-being with equitable and effective responses to climate change. A networking session will follow the presentations.