News
Success! BU Telescope Lands on the Moon Aboard NASA’s Blue Ghost Mission 1
In a historic first for BU, the LEXI telescope is operating from the lunar surface and will image Earth’s magnetic shield.
Gilliam in DC; OSTP; Budget
PRESIDENT GILLIAM VISITS CAPITOL HILL
President Melissa Gilliam met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to discuss the importance of the partnership between the federal government and universities. In conversations with Congresswomen Jen Kiggans (R-VA, PAR '93), Lois Frankel (D-FL, CAS '70), and Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Gilliam touted the impact of federal investments in science and student aid at BU. She also shared her concerns about proposals to cut the National Institutes of Health budget and the recent layoffs of science agency staff. Gilliam continued to emphasize the government-university partnership during an evening reception attended by nearly 150 alumni, Congressional and federal agency staff, and BU Washington, DC Study Away interns.
SENATORS ASSESS WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE NOMINEE
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing to consider the nomination of Michael Kratsios to lead the White House Office of Science Technology Policy (OSTP). He described China as "our most formidable technological and scientific competitor" and explained that the "shape of future global order will be defined by whomever leads across AI, quantum, nuclear, and other critical and emerging technologies." In response to Senators' questions about the recent layoffs at science agencies, Kratsios said he thinks, "it's entirely reasonable for a new president to be able to evaluate the team that he has on the field across his agencies and sort of make the necessary changes to ensure that he can achieve the goals that he campaigned on and won." A vote to advance his nomination is expected early next month.
BUZZ BITS...
- On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a confirmation hearing to consider Dr. Stephen Miran's (CAS '05) nomination as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. Miran mentioned earning his bachelor’s degree in economics from BU during his opening statement. He served as an economic policy adviser in the Treasury Department during Trump’s first term.
- On Tuesday evening the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget resolution that instructs Congressional committees to cut $2 trillion from federal spending, including $330 billion from education activities. The bill's passage is an early step in Congressional Republicans' plans to pass an extension of the tax cuts enacted in 2017.
- Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley extended a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) proposed 15% cap on facilities and administrative costs. Kelley had issued an initial TRO earlier this month in response to three lawsuits that had challenged the NIH's actions.
BU Professor Tracks the Many US Pregnancy-Related Deaths
Mortality is about “the way we treat women in healthcare,” Eugene Declercq says.
President Gilliam Visits Capitol Hill
President Melissa Gilliam met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 to discuss the importance of the partnership between the federal government and universities. In conversations with Congresswomen Jen Kiggans (R-VA, PAR ’93), Lois Frankel (D-FL, CAS ’70), and Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Gilliam touted the impact of federal investments in science and student aid at BU. She also shared her concerns about proposals to cut the National Institutes of Health budget and the recent layoffs of science agency staff. Gilliam continued to emphasize the government-university partnership during an evening reception attended by nearly 150 alumni, Congressional and federal agency staff, and BU Washington, DC Study Away interns.
Born with Muscular Dystrophy, Justin Moy Now Seeks to Defeat It
“My life’s goal is to cure my disease, and that’s really what drives me every day,” says the BU PhD candidate.
NIH Cuts, Constitutional Crisis, Displacement
ON THE CHARLES RIVER
How National Institutes of Health Investments Lead to Life-Changing Medical Research
What's at stake when lawmakers propose cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget? Explore some of the research that investments in NIH make possible at BU.
FACULTY EXPERT
Is the United States in a Constitutional Crisis?
Yes, says BU Law Professor Jessica Silbey, but it’s up to elected representatives and individual citizens—not the courts—to save democracy.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
BU’s Initiative on Cities Builds a Tool for Fighting Displacement
The open source tool keeps people in their neighborhoods in Louisville, Ky., by assessing proposed developments.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU College of Arts and Sciences Professor Jonathan Mijs helped shape Hulu's political drama, Paradise... BU's Living Our Values Project sponsored a panel discussion on antisemitism featuring Professors Jeremy Menchik and Jonathan Feingold... Jay Zagorsky of the BU Questrom School of Business talks about the volatility of food prices with Marketplace... BU School of Law Professor Aziza Ahmed explains what the confirmation of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. means for abortion access in The Nation.
HHS Personnel; Budget Resolutions; DEI Guidance
BU IN DC
President Emeritus Robert A. Brown spoke at the Summit on Higher Education Finance and the Economy on February 14th.
Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering Yannis Paschalidis spoke at the National Science Foundation's Inaugural National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Annual Meeting on February 19th.
TRANSITION UPDATES: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made several significant personnel changes:
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was sworn in as HHS Secretary. The White House subsequently announced that Secretary Kennedy would chair a Make America Healthy Again Commission focused on chronic disease.
- Principal Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Lawrence Tabak retired from the NIH after more than two decades in leadership roles, including two years as acting director. Tabak was the agency's second most senior official and previously led the dental institute.
- NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research Dr. Mike Lauer also retired after nearly twenty years with the agency. He led the extramural research office since 2015 and was the NIH's primary liaison with university grantees.
- Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Director Dr. Renee Wegrzyn was removed from her position. Dr. Wegrzyn was the founding director of ARPA-H and had one year remaining in her four-year term.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Senior Advisor and Acting Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah announced he would step down from the CDC at the end of February. Shah is the second-ranking official at the agency. He previously led Maine's public health agency.
- HHS agency staff were impacted by the Trump Administration's widespread layoffs of federal employees. News reports indicate that 1,200 NIH employees and 750 CDC employees were told they were being fired.
BUDGET BILLS ADVANCE IN CONGRESS
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate are advancing separate budget resolutions that set the stage for their plan to extend the 2017 tax cuts enacted during President Donald J. Trump's first term in office. A resolution passed by the House Budget Committee last week asks Congressional committees to find $2 trillion in spending cuts, including $330 billion in education cuts. According to a menu of options released by House Republicans, they are considering reducing nonprofit sector tax benefits, expanding the taxation of university endowments, and reducing spending on graduate medical education. The Senate approved the first of two planned budget bills this week; the second bill is expected to identify how much to cut from federal education and health activities.
BUZZ BITS...
- On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions approved Linda McMahon's nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Education on a party line 12-11 vote. The full U.S. Senate is expected to vote on her nomination in the next two weeks.
- Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rescinded a Biden Administration memorandum that had recognized student-athletes as employees eligible to collectively bargain. The action restores the NLRB's position under President Trump's first term that student-athletes do not have the legal protections afforded to employees.
- On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter that asserts a broad, new interpretation of civil rights law and says that schools may be investigated for considering race in financial aid, graduation ceremonies, housing, and other aspects of campus life. Given the letter's significant departure from existing law, educational institutions are currently awaiting further clarifying guidance from the Department.