President Joseph Biden issued an executive order on Wednesday charging the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with coordinating and overseeing scientific integrity policies across the federal government. The order directs a review to ensure that federal scientific integrity policies prevent improper political interference and prohibit the suppression or distortion of scientific findings. The order also directs federal agencies to expand open access to federal data, in accordance with the Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) will chair the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, which oversees the budgets for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Pingree is a consistent champion of the arts who is expected to advocate for robust budgets for the cultural agencies.
The Office of Research will host its first Research on Tap of the semester on February 4th at 4:00 pm. Hosted by Professors Evan Johnson (MED) and Daniel Segrè (CAS), "Cancer and the Microbiome" will highlight the broad range of microbiome research in cancer being conducted by BU faculty. Sign up and meet future research collaborators from throughout the university.RSVP today
BU international relations and environmental policy expert reflects on whirlwind of climate action issued from the Oval Office
Vice President Kamala Harris (from left), White House science advisor Eric Lander, and national climate advisor Gina McCarthy watch as President Joe Biden signs three executive orders aimed at curbing climate change on January 27. Photo by Evan Vucci/AP.
With just over a week in office, President Joe Biden has moved quickly to reinstate the United States into multiple international agreements and agencies through new executive actions that undo moves by the Trump administration—including rejoining the Paris Agreement and halting US withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
“There’s not a single person in the international climate change arena who was sad to see Trump leave office,” says Henrik Selin, a BU Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies associate professor of international relations and associate dean for studies, who specializes in researching international environmental politics and policies. “I do think most are fairly happy that it is Joe Biden [in office] in particular since he has a long-standing history of valuing international cooperation more broadly.”
A pioneer in treating anxiety, one in turning moon dust into oxygen, and one in developing disease diagnostics for low-resource communities recently appointed fellows
Each year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recognizes scientists who have made major contributions to their fields of expertise. As the chaotic and uncertain year of 2020 neared its close, three Boston University researchers joined those ranks as new AAAS fellows, honored and acknowledged for their deep expertise, one in biomedical engineering, one in sustainable energy solutions, and one in clinical psychology. The Brink reached out and asked each of them to reflect on joining the AAAS fellows and the highlights of their research careers.
Up to 30 undergrads will matriculate in fall 2022, with all expenses paid
BU will partner with California nonprofit QuestBridge to provide all-expense-paid scholarships to the University, starting in fall 2022. Photo by Cydney Scott.
As many as 30 low-income high-achieving students will matriculate at BU in fall 2022—on full scholarships, with no loans or parent contributions—thanks to a new partnership between the University and a nonprofit promoting college access.
California-based QuestBridge matches member universities and colleges with high school students, most of them the first in their family to attend college, says Kelly Walter (Wheelock’81), BU’s associate vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions. BU becomes the 45th institution to partner with Questbridge, and the partnership caps two years of work on the collaboration, Walter says.
Money for the scholarships will be provided by BU, which spent $290 million on financial aid in the 2020 fiscal year. QuestBridge recruits applicants and culls the number down to finalists (nearly 7,000 this year), who are asked to name the member institutions they’d like to attend. QuestBridge then forwards their applications to those schools for consideration.
“There is no required commitment to select a predetermined number of students as QuestBridge Scholars,” Walter says. “As is often true, the number of offers will depend on the strength of our applicant pool. However, it is likely that BU will welcome between 20 and 30 QuestBridge Scholars in the fall of 2022.”
The University's Center for Antiracist Research and Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences are bringing antiracist researchers together with data scientists to expose and eliminate racial inequities. Find out more
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
How the Biden Administration Can Expand Healthcare Access in Its First 100 Days
BU healthcare experts Paul Schafer and Nicole Huberfeld outline the tools the new Administration has at its disposal to quickly improve coverage during the current crisis and beyond. See what they recommend
FACULTY EXPERT
Why the Attack on the Capitol Was an Act of Terrorism
BU researcher Jessica Stern, an expert on far-right violence and white supremacists, discusses the attackers' motivations and what can be done to prevent further violence. Read her insights
The Biden Administration recently announced the appointments of the following BU alumni:
Wendy Sherman (CAS '71) has been nominated as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of State. She previously served as the lead negotiator of the Iran nuclear deal for the Obama Administration.
Kei Koizumi (UNI '91) is chief of staff to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Koizumi worked at OSTP for the entire eight years of the Obama Administration.
Gina Lee (CGS, '08, COM '10) is director of scheduling for First Lady Jill Biden. Lee previously worked on the Biden campaign and for the Biden Foundation.
Justin Maxson (GRS '96) has been named Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Maxson led an economic justice foundation prior to joining USDA.
BIDEN ISSUES ORDERS ON LOANS, IMMIGRATION
Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States on Wednesday. Within hours of taking office, Biden issued a series of executive actions to jump-start the Administration's policy agenda:
Racial equity: Revoking the previous Administration’s executive order on race and sex stereotyping, which prohibited federal agencies from supporting certain types of diversity training. The Biden order also mandates federal agencies conduct an equity assessment, instructs federal officials to gather data to measure and advance equity, and cancels the authority of the Trump Administration's 1776 Commission on American history.
Last Friday, President Biden announced nominees for key science posts in his administration:
Dr. Eric Lander will serve as both Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Dr. Lander is founder of the Broad Institute. For the first time, the Presidential Science Advisor will also be a member of the President's Cabinet, reflecting the important role the Administration expects science to play.
Dr. Alondra Nelson will be deputy director of OSTP. Dr. Nelson is a social scientist at Princeton University who is expected to focus on how science can better serve all Americans.
Dr. Frances Arnold and Dr. Maria Zuber will serve as as co-chairs of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Dr. Arnold is a chemist and Nobel Laureate at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Zuber is the vice president for research at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.
In a letter to his science team, President Biden tasked his science leaders with envisioning the ideal role of public health, identifying new solutions for climate change, developing the nation’s readiness for the “industries of the future,” ensuring that science benefits all Americans, and planning for the long-term health of America’s science enterprise.
Last week, President Biden nominated Rohit Chopra to serve as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Mr. Chopra is currently a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, and previously helped regulate the private student loan industry at CFPB in the Obama Administration.
On Thursday, President Biden appointed new personnel at the U.S. Education Department. Student loan expert Rich Williams will be the chief of staff for the Office of Postsecondary Education, and gender and sexuality legal scholar Suzanne Goldberg will serve as the acting assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights.
Some members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation have received new committee assignments. Freshman Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-Brookline) will serve on the banking and transportation committees, while sophomore Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-Lowell) has secured a spot on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The 2021 US Presidential Inauguration was held January 20 under sunny skies, presaging a new beginning of hope and reconciliation for the United States of America. Rev. Silvester Beaman (STH’85), pastor of the Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Del., a decades-long friend of President Joe Biden, gave the ceremony’s final benediction. Beaman prayed that Americans would “seek the good in all our neighbors…make friends of our enemies…become a beacon of life and goodwill to the world…” Photo by AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool.
The president-elect lists COVID-19, racism, climate change, and the economy as his most pressing issues
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, celebrating after being nominated at last summer’s Democratic National Convention, have begun tackling the pandemic, racism, climate change, and economic recovery. Photo by Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images.
Shortly after their November election victory, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris signaled that there were four urgent, out-of-the-gate priorities their administration would address. Their pledges on each are expansive and ambitious. But achievable? Here is what they have said about each:
COVID-19: Free testing for Americans, ramped-up personal protective equipment (PPE) production while ensuring future American manufacturing of PPE, and “equitable” vaccination.
The economy: Aid to states, localities, and businesses; investing in education and healthcare; and making good on an infrastructure upgrade.
Racial equity: Ensuring access for people of color to jobs, homeownership, higher education, retirement savings, and other necessities.
Climate change: Spending on clean energy, building retrofits, and green infrastructure, while helping communities that bear the brunt of pollution.
An ambitious menu, certainly. But are Biden and Harris targeting the best step in addressing each problem?As their administration prepares to take office on January 20, BU Today asked University experts on each priority to evaluate the Biden-Harris approach and offer their thoughts on the issue.
Steve Ramirez of the College of Arts & Sciences was featured on the NIH Director's Blog on January 5th. The post highlighted the Ramirez lab's image of the physical manifestation of a memory.
DEMOCRATS TO CONTROL U.S. SENATE
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock won special run-off elections for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats on January 5th, giving Democrats a narrow governing majority in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are eager to quickly confirm President-elect Joseph Biden's Cabinet nominees, including Miguel Cardona for Secretary of Education, while also grappling with an impeachment trial for President Donald J. Trump in the aftermath of last week's Capitol riot. Student aid proponent Patty Murray (D-WA) will chair the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which has jurisdiction over both higher education policy and the National Science Foundation. New Englander Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will chair the Appropriations Committee, which oversees all federal spending.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES MORE KEY PERSONNEL
President-elect Joseph Biden announced his intention to nominate the following individuals when he assumes office:
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.Walsh, a long-time ally of the labor community, would oversee federal wage and collective bargaining regulations. His appointment will also set off a competitive race to replace him as mayor.
Judge Merrick Garland as U.S. attorney general. Judge Garland would lead the U.S. Department of Justice, an agency which has taken an active role in affirmative action and free speech matters on college campuses.
Ambassador Samantha Power as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which supports global humanitarian aid and research. Power, a member of the Harvard University faculty, previously served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama Administration.
BUZZ BITS...
The Energy Act of 2020, the first comprehensive update to energy policy and Department of Energy (DOE) applied energy research and development programs in 13 years, was signed into law at the end of December. The bill authorizes up to $35 billion in clean-energy investments, expands DOE research and development programs across a range of technologies, and renews the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced last week it will establish an Office of Nutrition Research within the NIH Office of the Director, upgrading the office in recognition of the impact nutrition has on health and disease. The Office was previously situated in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Last week, Dr. Carrie Castille began a six-year term as director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Dr. Castille has served in a variety of USDA roles since 2003.
