News
Brink Bites: Prescribing Cheaper Energy Bills and the Bible’s Agricultural Connections
Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including a program to cut hospital patients’ energy costs, the environmental context of biblical parables, and lots of awards.
Sweating for Science: SPH Measures Heat Where Bostonians Work, Play, and Live
As the summer heat intensifies in Boston, teams of SPH researchers have deployed a variety of sensors across the city to assess heat exposure among vulnerable residents and evaluate cooling interventions.
BU Experts Served on Vatican Commission Urging Global Debt Relief
Debt-strapped developing nations need help, says Jubilee Year report, backed by Pope Leo XIV.
F&A Lawsuits; Grant Terminations; Gold Standard Science
BU IN DC
Brian Walsh of the College of Engineering and fellow members of the American Geophysical Union met with Congressional offices to discuss the importance of investing in heliophysics research on June 17th.
Helen Tager-Flusberg of the College of Arts & Sciences talked with lawmakers about autism research on June 17th and June 18th.
JUDGES BLOCK NSF, DOD CUTS TO RESEARCH REIMBURSEMENT
Last week, a federal judge ruled that the National Science Foundation's (NSF) 15% cap on reimbursements for facilities & administrative (F&A) costs is unlawful. As a result, NSF will not implement the cap. The agency indicated it would implement the cap, though, "if a subsequent court decision permits application of the policy." A different federal judge has halted the Department of Defense's (DOD) plan to implement a similar 15% cap, due to a lawsuit brought by the American Association of Universities and others. BU supported the NSF and DOD lawsuits. Proposed F&A caps for grants issued by the National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy are also on hold due to lawsuits.
CONGRESS QUESTIONS ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ON GRANT TERMINATIONS, RESEARCH CUTS
During hearings on Capitol Hill this week, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle questioned the Trump Administration's proposed budget cuts at science agencies, caps on reimbursement to colleges for facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, and grant terminations. On Wednesday, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) asked White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to work with Congress on properly reimbursing grantees for F&A costs "that are mission critical to research." Vought replied that he had met with many university leaders to discuss the Administration's attempt to cap F&A reimbursements to colleges and will work with Congress on a solution. Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee rebuked Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Trump Administration's proposed cuts to the NIH budget and termination of existing NIH grants during a hearing on Tuesday.
BUZZ BITS...
- Last Friday, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to implement the President's “Gold Standard Science” executive order by August 22nd. The memo suggests artificial intelligence can be used to support the effort with “automated tools for validating reproducible protocols, standardizing transparent data reporting, quantifying uncertainty, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, detecting biases in peer and merit review, and managing conflict-of-interest disclosures.”
- The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a tax package this weekend that would curtail federal lending options for graduate students and expand the endowment excise tax on certain universities. BU would not be subject to the tax. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a different version of the tax bill earlier this month; both chambers would need to reach an agreement on a final bill before it could be sent to the President.
- On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved the Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, which would require accreditors to measure colleges on additional standards related to student outcomes, such as median price versus value-added earnings. It would also allow colleges to change accreditors without the approval of the U.S. Department of Education.
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
Due to the federal holiday, Beltway BUzz will not publish next Friday. Please check our website or the University's federal actions page for updates.
Learning Through Screen Time
Consultants for PBS KIDS programming—two Wheelock faculty members and an alum—explain why informal education is more important than ever.
How BU’s Lawns Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
BU’s Campus Climate Lab is using native plants to turn the University’s 70 acres of lawnscape into sinks of emissions. Click and watch to learn more!
Rise of the Right, Disaster Season, International Students
FACULTY EXPERT
Loss of NOAA, FEMA Expertise "Will Be Really Difficult to Rebuild"
BU environmental epidemiologist Gregory Wellenius discusses how recent funding and staff cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency will affect disaster response ahead of what is expected to be an “above-normal” 2025 hurricane season.
ON THE CHARLES RIVER
Supporting Boston University’s International Community
“You matter deeply to us. Boston University would not be what it is without you,” BU President Melissa Gilliam tells international students and scholars in a Q&A that also features Willis Wang of BU Global Programs.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
BU Historian’s New Book Traces the Rise of Today’s Far-Right Movement
Boston University historian Quinn Slobodian charts the rise of the modern far right from the ashes of the Cold War—and details what he calls the bait and switch at its heart.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU joins 23 schools in supporting Harvard's court case on research funding... Michael Dietze of the College of Arts & Sciences spoke to The New York Times about the worsening tick situation... The BU Institute for Global Sustainability developed policy briefs on justice in U.S. solar and wind energy supply chains... Maria Glymour of the BU School of Public Health says Congress is moving backward on funding for Alzheimer's disease research in The Oklahoman... The BU Deaf Center is using social media to empower the deaf community... Michelle Amazeen of the BU College of Communication talks about the implications of YouTube loosening rules on online speech... BU backs a lawsuit to halt cuts to Department of Defense research funding.