OSTP Director, ARPA-H, Lab to Market
BU IN DC
Gary Lawson of the School of Law spoke on a panel at an American Enterprise Institute book conference on nondelegation doctrine on February 4th.
College of Engineering Dean Kenneth Lutchen attended the American Society for Engineering Education public policy colloquium and subsequently met with Congressional staff to discuss pending life sciences innovation legislation between February 7th and 10th.
Sarah Ketchen Lipson of the School of Public Healthspoke about the impact of the pandemic on student mental health at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities annual meeting on February 9th.
WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE ADVISOR RESIGNS
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Dr. Eric Lander announced his resignation this week following press reports that a White House investigation had confirmed allegations of his abusive and bullying behavior in the workplace. Several staff members accused Lander of creating a hostile and demeaning work environment at OSTP, particularly for women. Lander had been the first OSTP director given a Cabinet-level appointment; when he leaves on February 18th, he will be the first member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to depart. He had been the face of two of the President’s science priorities: the relaunch of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative and the creation of a proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health.
BUZZ BITS…
- Congressional leaders made progress this week toward enacting the annual spending bills that set budgets for federal student aid programs and research agencies, agreeing to an overall spending framework for fiscal year 2022. Although the fiscal year began last October, appropriators are now aiming to complete the annual spending bills by March 11th.
- The House Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on Tuesday to discuss creating an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H), the Biden Administration’s proposed entity to accelerate transformational biomedical research. The panel’s witnesses supported Chairwoman Anna Eshoo’s (D-CA) bill, which would house the new agency outside of the National Institutes of Health — contrary to Administration’s proposal — in order to promote a culture of innovation.
- The U.S. Department of Education announced new updates to the College Scorecard, which shares data about the nation’s colleges so that prospective students can compare institutions. The tool provides updated metrics for comparison, including post-graduate earnings averages by institution.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
BU Technology Development is hosting a discussion on Wednesday, February 16th at 4:00 p.m. focused on demystifying the lab-to-market transition. Research often leads to discoveries that enable new products and services that solve critical problems and create positive societal impact. But the transition from research discovery to product development can feel mysterious. Join this virtual event to hear from a diverse group of current and former graduate students and faculty who have experience navigating this transition, and to honor BU Innovator of the Year Dr. Selim Ünlü.