News
Class of 2022 Senior Breakfast Draws Record Crowd
Pulitzer-winning journalist and author Bob Woodward will be BU’s 149th Commencement speaker.
BU Funding Requests, Racial Equity, Ask a Reporter
BU IN DC
Rebecca Ray of the Global Development Policy Center spoke at an event cohosted by the Center and the Inter-American Dialogue on the China-Latin America economic relationship on April 12th.
Sabrina Assoumou of the School of Medicine participated in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop on addressing misinformation about biological threats between April 6th and 8th.
Joseph Fewsmith of the Pardee School of Global Studies served on a Heritage Foundation panel on what to expect from the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party on April 7th.
MA UNIVERSITIES ADVOCATE FOR STUDENTS, RESEARCH
Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University sent a memorandum to Massachusetts Congressional offices this month asking lawmakers to invest in student aid and research as Congress begins the fiscal year 2023 budget process. The universities requested lawmakers double the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students, robustly fund research agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and support cultural agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities. Congressional committees are holding hearings on federal agency budgets this month as they gear up to write the spending bills that determine the agencies' budgets.
BUZZ BITS...
- Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) delivered the keynote address at innovate@BU's Campus Hunger Challenge on April 12th. BU students pitched McGovern, the CEO of the YMCA Boston, and others on their innovative solutions to address college student hunger.
- Earlier this month, the White House released racial equity plans from 90 federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and others. The plans highlight goals for each agency, such as NSF's plan to extend its anti-harassment prevention efforts to research at field sites, as well as accountability metrics to measure progress.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Laurie Locascio as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on April 7th. Dr. Locascio is a 30 year veteran of NIST who had previously served as vice president for research at both the University of Maryland College Park and Baltimore.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
How did one quote from my entire interview get selected for the story? Why did the reporter pass on my pitch? How are deadlines determined? Come ask your questions directly to reporters on Wednesday, May 4th at 3 p.m. at a virtual, interactive workshop sponsored by BU Public Relations | Social Media and the Office of Research. Attendees will learn how the media selects topics and story angles, how journalists source experts, and best practices for media pitches, interviews, and relationship building. The session will also cover the professional expectations and challenges reporters face when covering science-related issues—and how to successfully weave your findings, perspectives, and insights into the news cycle.
College Hunger, Supporting Students & Research, Sun Science
ON THE CHARLES RIVER
Rep. McGovern Keynotes BU Campus Hunger Challenge
ADVOCACY RESOURCE
Investing in Students and Scientists
Boston University, Harvard University, MIT, and Tufts University ask the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to invest in federal student aid, research, and the humanities in fiscal year 2023.
See how Congress can invest in the future
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
NASA Gives Boost to BU-Led Effort to Model Solar System's Protective Bubble
The space agency awarded a five year, multi-million dollar grant to the BU SHIELD Center to study how the sun influences and shapes the solar system and to work toward diversifying the field of space physics.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
Elizabeth Bettini of the BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development explains why schools are having difficulty hiring special education teachers on National Public Radio... U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard (CAS '84) visited the BU Pardee School of Global Studies... Katherine Einstein of the BU College of Arts & Sciences describes the ways homeownership changes how people view their communities in The Atlantic... Stephen Prothero of the BU College of Arts & Sciences discusses why more Americans are choosing cremation in The Washington Post... Kevin Gallagher of the BU Global Development Policy Center describes why Ecuador is struggling to meet its climate goals in Foreign Policy.
New Miniature Heart Could Help Speed Heart Disease Cures
Boston University–led team has engineered a tiny living heart chamber replica to more accurately mimic the real organ and provide a sandbox for testing new heart disease treatments.
NASA Gives Boost to BU-led Effort to Model Solar System’s Protective Bubble
Space agency’s five-year grant supports research into the heliosphere and work to diversify space physics.
Food@BU’s Idea to Solve Campus Hunger Wins $10,000 Prize at Innovate@BU Event
Students pitched to US Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and YMCA Boston CEO at Tuesday night’s Campus Hunger Challenge.
Justice Jackson, World War III, Civil Rights Victory
BU IN DC
"She's Earned It"
BU School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig, the first Black woman to be dean of a top-20 law school, reflects on Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's historic confirmation.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
How Close Are We to World War III?
Joshua Shifrinson of the BU Pardee School of Global Studies says that while we are now closer to World War III than we were last year, we are still “several steps away from a conflict akin to World Wars I and II.”
FACULTY EXPERTS
BU Faculty Hail Supreme Court's Civil Rights Ruling Against Police
An amicus brief filed by by members of the BU School of Law and the BU Center for Antiracist Research may have played a role in the Supreme Court’s recent decision to reject the previous "indications of innocence" standard for for suing state officials who violate someone's constitutional rights.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU URBAN invites you to a virtual Capitol Hill briefing on Building the Next Generation Climate Workforce on April 28th... BU graduate programs rose in the latest U.S. News & World Reports rankings, including the BU School of Public Health and BU School of Medicine primary care program... Swathi Kiran of BU Sargent College explains what Bruce Willis' aphasia diagnosis means on NPR... Megan Elias of BU Metropolitan College discusses why returning office workers are struggling with lunch in The Boston Globe... Monica Wang of the BU School of Public Health urges policymakers to invest in behavioral research to transform public health in The Boston Globe.
NCI Director, Health Misinformation, Engaging Science Media
DC VISITS BU
The Pardee School of Global Studies hosted U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard (CAS '84) for a discussion of U.S. policy in Nigeria on April 6th.
U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Roberto Rodriguez spoke at a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development forum on April 1st.
The Arts Initiative, Sustainability, and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground hosted JoAnn Chase (COM '85), director of the American Indian Office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for a conversation on indigenous perspectives on sustainability and the arts on March 31st.
BUZZ BITS...
- The National Institutes of Health announced that Dr. Norman Sharpless is stepping down as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the end of April. Dr. Sharpless became NCI's director in 2017, and briefly served as acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. NCI Principal Deputy Director Douglas Lowy will serve as interim director until a permanent replacement is found.
- On Wednesday, President Joe Biden further extended the suspension of federal student loan repayments until August 31st. This is the Biden Administration's fourth suspension of loan repayments, which have been on pause since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress supported a 60-day pause in repayment with the enactment of the CARES Act pandemic relief package in March 2020, and the Trump Administration extended it twice.
- The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Katherine Vidal as the next director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property. She previously served as a patent litigator in the Silicon Valley office of a large law firm.
HHS SEEKS INPUT ON HEALTH MISINFORMATION
The Office of the Surgeon General within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a request for information (RFI) on the impact of health misinformation in digital media. The RFI seeks information on how digital misinformation impacted healthcare infrastructure and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety on issues, including quality of care, healthcare decisions, trust in the health system, and healthcare worker morale and safety. Responses are due by May 2nd, and may be used to inform future government policies and research.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you interested in communicating your research and expert perspective to journalists and other audiences? BU Public Relations | Social Media and the Office of Research are hosting a virtual, interactive workshop on April 27th at 3 p.m. with SciLine, a service from the American Association for the Advancement of Science that connects US scientific experts to journalists. This workshop will provide a primer on the U.S. media landscape and cover best practices for conveying research in compelling ways, the elements of a newsworthy story, interview techniques, and much more. Participants can expect to walk away from this session with the foundation to effectively position themselves as go-to media sources, and elevate their thought leadership platforms.
To Our Readers: Due to the upcoming Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will be on hiatus for two weeks.
“She’s Earned This”: Angela Onwuachi-Willig Rejoices in Historic Confirmation
BU LAW dean, 275 other Black women law profs, have had Ketanji Brown Jackson’s back since President Biden nominated her for the Supreme Court.
Biden Budget, Education Research, NSF Career
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 March 29th and 30th.
Heather Schoenfeld of the College of Arts & Sciences and Adrianna Spindle-Jackson of the School of Social Work discussed their research with Congressional offices as part of the virtual Social Science Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on March 29th.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law attended a dinner hosted by the Embassy of Denmark to discuss global antimicrobial resistance efforts on March 29th.
Nathan Jones of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development spoke at a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine webinar about a new report on the future of research at the Institute of Education Sciences on March 31st.
BIDEN BUDGET PRIORITIZES CLIMATE SCIENCE, PELL GRANTS
On Monday, President Joe Biden released his budget request for fiscal year 2023, outlining the Administration's priorities for the year ahead. The President proposed bold investment in both the National Science Foundation (18% increase), the maximum Pell Grant award for low income students (25.7% increase), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (11.5% increase). He proposed modest increases for the Department Energy Office of Science (4% increase) and NASA Science (5% increase), while proposing to cut Department of Defense Basic Research (14% cut) and Federal Work Study (1.7% cut). Climate change continues to be a Biden Administration priority, with the White House asking Congress to support $17 billion in climate research across federal agencies. While the President's Budget Request indicates the Administration's priorities, it will be up to Congress to write the annual spending bills that determine agency budgets.
REPORT RECOMMENDS NEW FOCUS FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report on Thursday which recommends a new approach to grantmaking at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The report argues that IES should prioritize new grant topics, such as teacher education and education technology; hold at least two grant application cycles annually; publicly share information on its applicants, reviewers, and trainees to track whether awards are being tracked equitably; and make IES-funded research more useful to practitioners and policymakers. It also urges Congress to provide more resources to the agency to meet the urgent need for more high-quality education research. Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Professor Nathan Jones served on the panel that wrote the report.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you considering applying for the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award? The Office of Research recently posted a recording and slides from its webinar for early career faculty on how to navigate the CAREER application process. Lewis-Burke Associates, a federal lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C., provided advice on how to best engage with NSF and make your proposal more competitive. BU faculty from the College of Engineering, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, and Sargent College who have successfully competed for NSF CAREER awards also shared their insights and guidance. NSF is expecting to fund more CAREER awards than usual this year as part of its COVID-19 relief efforts, making this a good time for faculty to apply.