News

Build Back Better, Chief Data Scientist, Pitching Your Research

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School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea delivered a book talk at a hybrid event hosted by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and the Pulitzer Center on November 2nd. 

Rena Conti of the Questrom School of Business moderated a panel during the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Industry Day on November 3rd.

PELL, NSF INCREASES NEARING A VOTE

The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to vote today on a revised budget reconciliation bill that reflects ongoing negotiations between the White House and Democratic lawmakers on President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda. The $1.75 trillion bill would provide $3.5 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), down from the $11 billion approved by the House this summer, with roughly half of the funds dedicated to a new NSF technology directorate. The new bill also includes a $550 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students, $50 more than the original House-passed proposal. Funding for both fusion energy and climate research are proposed in the new bill, but previous proposals to create an Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health (ARPA-H) and ameliorate the endowment excise tax for certain colleges were both removed. Congressional Democrats anticipate making additional changes as they work to send the bill to the President by Thanksgiving.

Read the bill

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• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its draft strategic plan for 2022-2026, which includes new climate and environmental justice strategic goals. The agency is seeking feedback from stakeholders, including the academic community, through November 12th. The final plan will be submitted to Congress in February 2022.
• Denice W. Ross has joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the U.S. Chief Data Scientist. Ms. Ross previously worked at several think tanks and co-led the Obama Administration's Police Data Initiative.
• The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the White House Council on Environmental Quality convened the Biden Administration's first Ocean Policy Committee meeting last week. The Committee discussed developing a climate mitigation action plan for oceans and a strategic oceans science and technology plan.

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Join the BU Office of Research and BU Public Relations | Social Media for a virtual "Strategic Communications: Pitching and Writing Workshop with The Conversation" on Wednesday, November 17th at 3 p.m. Michelle McAdams of The Conversationwill talk with researchers of all disciplines about the best practices for pitching, drafting, and placement for a variety of media outlets. McAdams will also highlight how to take advantage of The Conversation, an influential media outlet that publishes content exclusively from academics and researchers, and work most effectively with its editorial staff.

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A Note To Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will not publish next week due to the Veterans Day holiday.

USPTO, Social & Behavioral Research, Nelson Foundation

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President Robert A. Brown attended the fall membership meeting of the Association of American Universities between October 24th and 26th.

Daniel Segrè of the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering gave a talk at a meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on October 22nd.

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• On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Kathi Vidal as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Vidal is a long-time patent lawyer who has worked to diversify technology and legal professions.
• President Biden also announced his intent to nominate Gigi Sohn (COM '83) as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates telecommunications. If confirmed, Sohn would be the first openly LGBTQ commissioner in FCC history.
• The National Institutes of Health announced Dr. Dorit Zuk will be deputy director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Dr. Zuk is a molecular biologist who has served as NIGMS's acting deputy director since November 2020.

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Are you searching for research support in the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities? BU Federal Relations recently posted online an updated version of the popular Lewis-Burke Associates compendium of federal funding opportunities in the behavioral and social sciences, arts, and humanities. The document provides detailed information on research support available from a range of federal agencies and programs, including the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, Department of Education, and National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities.

Read the document

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The Office of Research and Foundation Relations are hosting a virtual workshop with Leah Bricker of the Spencer Foundation on November 8th at 3 p.m. The Spencer Foundation seeks to improve education, make education systems more equitable, and increase opportunities to learn across the lifespan through education-focused research projects, research training fellowships, and additional field-building initiatives. Bricker will describe the foundation's mission and how it evaluates proposals, and Foundation Relations will discuss the support it can provide BU faculty who want to engage with the Foundation.

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Senate Committee Proposes Large Investment in Research, Student Aid

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Pamela Templer of the College of Arts & Sciences gave a presentation at the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship meeting on October 18th.

SENATE COMMITTEE PROPOSES LARGE INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH, STUDENT AID

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed significant funding increases for student aid programs and federal research agencies in fiscal year 2022. The funding recommendations and their comparison to the current year are as follows:

• $48 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a 12% increase
• $9.5 billion for the National Science Foundation, a 12% increase
• $7.9 billion for NASA Science programs, an 9.2% increase
• $3 billion for Department of Defense basic research, a 14.5% increase
• $182.5 million each for the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts, a 9% increase
• $814.5 million for the Institute for Education Sciences, an 2.7% increase
• $6,895 for the Pell Grant maximum award, a 6.1% increase
• $1.23 billion for Federal-Work Study, a 2.1% increase

The Committee had previously recommended $7.5 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science, which would be a 6.6% increase. The Senate and the  U.S. House of Representatives, which passed its own spending bills this summer, are aiming to reconcile the differences between their proposals before the current continuing resolution funding government operations runs out on December 3rd.

Find out more

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• Last week, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) launched an initiative to solicit ideas from the public on how the federal government can dramatically improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in science. "The Time Is Now: Advancing Equity in Science and Technology Ideation Challenge" will run through November 19th, and responses will be used to inform OSTP's equity agenda.
• The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) met this week to discuss the role of science in addressing climate change. The Council heard from scholars on climate change mitigation technologies, fusion energy, and the national security risks posed by climate change.
• On a party-line vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Catherine Lhamon to lead the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday. OCR oversees colleges' compliance with federal anti-discrimination and harassment laws, and Lhamon previously led the office when the Obama Administration adopted stricter oversight of sexual misconduct on college campuses.

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What does it mean to flourish? How can people living in conditions of physical, psychological, or material adversity attain personal growth, purpose, happiness, social connectedness, and generativity? "Human Flourishing in Diverse Populations and Contexts," the Office of Research's next Research on Tap on November 3rd at 4 p.m., will be hosted by Professor Deborah Carr, director of the BU Center for Innovation in Social Science. A multidisciplinary group of scholars from across BU schools and colleges will give microtalks on their research, which uses methods including population-based surveys, ethnography, big data, in-depth interviews, and community-based participatory research. This event will be held in-person, with an option for live streaming.

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BUzz Bits

• Last week, the White House and the National Institutes of Health released a summary of this summer's 15 listening sessions regarding the proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). ARPA-H is the Biden Administration’s proposal to “drive transformational health research innovation and speed medical breakthroughs.” The feedback from the listening sessions will help shape ARPA-H’s scale, scope, and approach. Registration is currently open for another listening session to be held on October 20th.
• The Biden Administration unveiled climate adaptation and resiliency plans from over 20 federal agencies last week to demonstrate its commitment to a whole of government strategy to combatting climate change. Several research agencies and the U.S. Department of Education were among those that released their plans.
• The U.S. Senate confirmed Monica Medina as assistant secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State last month. Ms. Medina is a lawyer who served in a variety of environmental policy roles during the Obama Administration.

GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encouraging applicants for programs across the agency to pursue interdisciplinary research aimed at combatting climate change and reducing emissions. The Letter, titled "Critical Aspects of Sustainability (CAS): Innovative Solutions to Climate Change," signals that NSF intends to create a path for sustainability, environmental, and climate change mitigation studies to have a role across NSF’s existing core programs. The letter calls for interdisciplinary workshops, high-risk high-reward Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals, and standard research projects, and encourages interested researchers to expand their scope to include climate change mitigation efforts. Applicants are encouraged to email cas@nsf.gov with a brief outline of the project to determine if the idea is suitable through the DCL.

Read the letter

EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE

Are you looking to engage with target research funders, collaborators, academic journals, media reporters and publications, or the general public? BU Public Relations and the Office of Research are hosting a workshop on how to use social media for your research on Wednesday, October 27th at 3 p.m. Dr. Matthew Partridge of Errant Science will share helpful tips and tactics for faculty members at every level of comfort on social media. This virtual workshop will cover the value and impact of different social media platforms, how to effectively communicate your work, how to engage with target audiences, how to develop and refine your strategy, and how to measure success.

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Congress Probes Research with International Collaborators

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Megan Bair-Merritt of the School of Medicine spoke at a National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health event on fostering gender equity in research institutions on October 5th.

Lee McIntyre of the Center for Philosophy and History of Science spoke about building trust in science at a Research! America meeting on October 6th.

CONGRESS PROBES RESEARCH WITH INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS

On Tuesday, two subcommittees of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing entitled "Balancing Open Science and Security in the U.S. Research Enterprise." Dr. Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explained how universities are redoubling their efforts to ensure that research with foreign partners is conducted appropriately and urged lawmakers not to stifle international scientific collaboration. She was followed by Candice Wright from the Government Accountability Office, who testified that some scientific agencies lack clear guidelines for federal grantees as they engage in research with foreign partners. Wright pointed out that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is slated to release uniform policies this fall. The final witness was Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi, who faced espionage charges that were later dropped when investigators determined he had not engaged in malicious conduct. He decried policies that specifically target Chinese scientists.

Watch the hearing

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• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins announced Tuesday he will step down as NIH director at the end of the year. Dr. Collins has served as the NIH director for 12 years, the longest tenure in the agency's history. President Joe Biden intends to nominate a replacement before Collins departs.
• On Tuesday, the President announced his intent to nominate Shelly Lowe as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  If confirmed, Ms. Lowe will be the first Native American to lead the NEH and Dr. Jackson will be the first African American and Mexican American to lead the NEA.
• The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) announced last week that Dr. William Riley will retire as its director at the end of the year. Dr. Riley has led the office since 2015. OBSSR Deputy Director Dr. Christine  M. Hunter will lead the office on an interim basis.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REVAMPS LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced an overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows borrowers to have their federal student loans forgiven after ten years of public service employment. Through October 2022, the Department is temporarily allowing all student loan payments made by borrowers in public service fields to count towards PSLF, regardless of the borrower's loan program or repayment plan. The Department will also automatically give PSLF credit to both military service members and federal employees and review previously rejected PSLF applications. With few borrowers currently achieving the goal of loan forgiveness after ten years, the PSLF program has been sharply criticized for its burdensome reporting requirements and confusing guidance. The Administration estimates that more than a half million borrowers will be positively impacted by the changes.

Learn more

Policymakers Focus on College Athletics

BU IN DC

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 29th and 30th. 

POLICYMAKERS FOCUS ON COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a memorandum on Wednesday which asserts that student athletes at private colleges should be classified as employees. While the memo does not immediately change the status of athletes on campus, it lays the groundwork for a future update to the NLRB's rules governing the ability of college athletes to form a union. The memo cites the Supreme Court's unanimous NCAA v. Alston decision this summer, which paved the way for student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). NIL was also the subject of a House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce hearing which took place on Thursday. At the hearing, NCAA President Mark Emmert urged lawmakers to enact a federal law governing NIL in order to avoid a patchwork of conflicting state laws.

Read the NLRB memo

BUZZ BITS...

• On Thursday, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the government operating at its current funding level through December 3rd. A CR is necessary because Congress did not complete the annual spending bills which determine federal budgets prior to the statutory deadline of October 1st.
• Last week, President Joseph Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Christopher Frey as the assistant administrator of the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dr. Frey was previously Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science Policy at the EPA, and had been a professor of environmental engineering at North Carolina State University since 1994.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a notice of proposed rulemaking on Tuesday for new regulations that would "preserve and fortify" the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Biden Administration is seeking to restore a path to legal status and work authorization for undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children. Public comments are due by November 29th.

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Are you interested in securing funding for medical research from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)? The BU Center for Military Health will host an online seminar on “How to Secure DoD Funding” on October 5th at 12:00 p.m. Experts from Lewis-Burke Associates will explain how the agency considers health research proposals and provide tips on increasing your chances of success. Professor Darren Roblyer of the College of Engineering will also share his experience in successfully applying for DOD funding, followed by a Q&A session.

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