Why Massachusetts women have fewer children and Trump’s $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ won’t help

Experts caution that much of the nuance gets lost in the political noise. To better understand what’s behind Massachusetts’ baby bust — and whether proposals like President Trump’s suggested $5,000 “baby bonus” could reverse it — the Globe spoke with leading demographers, epidemiologists, and public health researchers. These experts point not to a single cause, but to a tangle of interwoven factors — some personal, others structural.

Red line shutdown causes disruption to student commutes, MBTA looks for new solutions

Despite last year’s Red Line shutdown, MBTA announced that it will be temporarily closing the line again to perform “critical track renewal work” and necessary repairs throughout April, according to its website.
An entrance to the Harvard Red Line station. The Red Line will be closed for track maintenance and replaced with shuttle bus and train services during April. MBTA ran its usual shuttle bus from April 1 to April 9, and later switched to a shuttle train which will run until April 30. Deirdre Habershaw, Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer at MBTA, said these closures reduce the cost for the MBTA since shuttle buses are “extremely expensive to run,” especially during the week.

Dean’s Faculty Leadership Fellows Begin Work

Two mechanical engineering faculty members are undertaking curriculum projects with the support of the new Dean’s Faculty Leadership Fellows program. Associate Professor Scott Bunch (ME, MSE) is leading a review of the course sequence for graduate student teachers, while Master Lecturer Caleb Farny (ME) is working to tie the engineering curriculum to public infrastructure challenges in the Boston area.

Why Do Urban Trees Grow Faster than Rural Ones?

Established in 1954, the Los Angeles–based philanthropic organization supports science, engineering, and medical research with a focus on novel proposals that strive to break new ground. The latest BU project is being led by forest microbial ecologist Jennifer Bhatnagar, a College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of biology and director of the BU Biogeoscience Program. She and her colleagues hope to use a better understanding of how urban trees adapt to sometimes harsh conditions to support preservation initiatives.

Mass. winters are getting warmer. Climate scientist calls it a ‘Delightmare’

Massachusetts gets 11 more above-freezing days in the winter due to climate change, according to a new report. And while many New Englanders may welcome this change, it does come with downsides. The finding comes from the nonprofit research group Climate Central, which looked at winter warming trends across the Northern Hemisphere over the last decade, and analyzed how much of the warming was attributable to climate change.

Urban Refuge Alumni Reunion Highlights Careers and Impact

On November 18, the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies hosted a career networking roundtable as part of Professor Dr. Noora Lori’s Urban Refuge Reunion Initiative, bringing together alumni from the 2016 Forced Migration and Human Trafficking class with the 2024 cohort. Six distinguished alumni—Meaghan Delaney, Sara Lopez Gonzalez, Ellie Hitt, Raina Kadavil, Victoria Kelberer, and Taylor Resteghini—shared how they transformed a classroom innovation into a lasting humanitarian initiative.

Dani’s Queer Bar Seeks to Renew Boston’s LGBTQ+ Nightlife Scene

For Boston, Dani’s arrival (it opened in September) is huge—yes, nearly every neighborhood, from Fenway to Brighton to Seaport to Chinatown, has a place to eat and drink and dance (if you’re lucky), but how many of those specifically cater to Boston’s flourishing LGBTQ+ population? Almost none. To me, that makes Dani’s Queer Bar, the newest addition to the city’s queer nightlife scene, feel like a beacon.