News

International Education; College Sports; October Events

BU in DC

The Women's Soccer Team defeated Loyola Maryland 1-0 at the Ridley Athletic Complex on September 26th.

WHITE HOUSE MOVES TO CANCEL INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDING

The White House announced Friday that President Donald J. Trump would withhold $810 million in congressionally approved funding through a "pocket rescission," a rarely used budget maneuver that allows funds to expire before Congress can act on the proposed cuts. Among the targeted funds is $70 million for the Department of Education's International and Foreign Language Education programs, which support language learning, global diplomacy, and international business initiatives at American universities. The Government Accountability Office stated that pocket rescissions are illegal, and the move received bipartisan criticism. Seven state attorneys general have also filed a lawsuit challenging the action.

Learn more

BUZZ BITS...

• The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act by a vote of 77-22 on Monday. The bill would establish standards for student-athlete name, image, and likeness agreements and expand revenue-sharing opportunities, among other provisions. The measure now advances to the House of Representatives, which is not scheduled to return until November 9th.
• The Department of Education published a final rule formally rescinding the Biden Administration's Title IX regulations, which expanded protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The new rule takes effect immediately, without a public comment period.
• The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health recently released the NIAID Strategic Plan for 2026-2030. The plan emphasizes NIAID’s focus on a "person-centered approach to infectious and immune-mediated diseases," identifies antimicrobial resistance, HIV, and vaccine research as priorities, and details the agency's interest in implementation science and community-engaged research.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Throughout October, the Office of Research will host several events for the BU community, including:

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Event: Join a special session for PhD students, postdocs, and faculty highlighting upcoming HHMI funding competitions and opportunities on October 9th at 2:00 pm at the BU School of Law.
• After the Ambulance: Convergent Science for Trauma, Recovery, and Lifelong Health: The Research on Tap series continues on October 28th at 4:00 pm at 72 E. Concord Street with microtalks from BU researchers who study injury and stress, systems that deliver care, and the social conditions of recovery that shape health following a traumatic injury.
• Developing an ARPA-H Proposal: Lessons from BU Faculty: Join BU faculty for a candid discussion of their experiences developing ARPA-H proposals. The session, which will take place via Zoom on October 29th at 12:00 pm, will offer practical lessons for navigating ARPA-H funding opportunities and preparing competitive submissions.

A Note To Our Readers: Due to the Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication. In the meantime, be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn

NSF Strategy; Republican Letter on NIH; Urban Biodiversity

BU IN DC

Douglas Densmore, Ioannis Paschalidis, and Keith Brown of the College of Engineering participated in the Engineering Biology Research Consortium's National Network of AI-Programmable Cloud Laboratories Summit on September 24th and 25th.

NSF OUTLINES "GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE" STRATEGY

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently released a memorandum outlining the agency's plans to implement the "Golden Age of Science" strategy published by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) this summer. The memo details the NSF's plans to shift towards a portfolio-based approach to grantmaking that may include funding mechanisms with novel approaches to peer review and a variety of grant award durations. It also establishes four new Frontier Initiatives to organize cross-disciplinary collaboration across NSF directorates: Future of Intelligence, Frontier of Quantum Phenomena, Advanced Materials and Matter, and Foundations of Biological Design. NSF intends to issue Dear Colleague letters and funding opportunities "in the coming weeks and months" aligned with the agency's revised approach to grantmaking.

Read the memo

BUZZ BITS...

• Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) and five Senate Republicans asked the Trump Administration to reconsider “terminating ongoing, multi-year research grants after significant federal resources have already been invested.” The Senators asked that the National Institutes of Health instead “bring existing research projects into alignment with current priorities” to preserve “the value of taxpayer investments already made” and allow the scientific work to be completed.
• The National Institutes of Health announced the selection of Dr. Jonathan Burke as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) last week. Dr. Burke is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who previously held faculty appointments at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Temple University School of Dentistry. Burke succeeds Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque, who has served as acting NIDCR director since April 2024.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Request for Information on a proposal to change the information provided to NIH applicants and agency staff following peer review. Under the proposal, NIH would move away from its current approach to providing peer review outcomes and instead categorize applications in one of three designations: most competitive, competitive, or not discussed. Comments are due no later than October 13th.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

You are invited to join the Office of Research for "Research on Tap: Imagining New Futures for Urban Biodiversity" on Tuesday, September 29th at 4 p.m. in the Kilachand Center Colloquium Room. Urban areas are at the center of converging climate crises, from intensifying weather events and accelerating biodiversity loss to persistent social inequities. Initiative on Cities Director Loretta Lees and Anne Short Gianotti of Earth & Environment will bring together BU researchers working across terrestrial, coastal, and human systems to explore the intersection of ecological systems and social life in cities for a series of microtalks. The event will model the kind of convergent research needed to expand the scope of urban research at BU and address complex urban challenges.

RSVP today

ARPA-H; Student Visas; Biotechnology Hearing

BU IN DC

Nathan Jones of Wheelock College of Education & Human Development discussed federal investment in education research with Congressional offices as part of the LEARN Coalition's Advocacy Day on September 15th.

Kevin Outterson of the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) and the School of Law met with Congressional offices to discuss issues related to antimicrobial resistance on September 14th.

George Murphy of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine chaired a session during a National Institutes of Health virtual workshop titled "Novel Alternative Methods in Basic Mechanisms of Brain Aging and AD/ADRD" on September 10th.

EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

On Thursday, September 24th, Research Development, Federal Relations, and the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Grants Strategy Office will co-host a virtual workshop for faculty interested in pursuing funding from the Advanced Research Program Agency for Health (ARPA-H). ARPA-H invests in high-risk, high-reward biomedical and health breakthroughs through a funding model that differs from traditional research agencies. Dr. Carrie Wolinetz, an internationally recognized science and health policy expert and former senior government official currently at Lewis-Burke Associates, will share strategies to help BU faculty better understand ARPA-H's unique landscape and funding mechanisms.

Register here

COURT PAUSES NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

On September 14th, a federal district court in Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction delaying the effective date of the Department of Homeland Security's final rule ending the Duration of Status framework for international students with F, J, and I visas. Boston University submitted an institutional declaration supporting the lawsuit, outlining the harms the rule would pose to the University and its students. While the federal government is expected to appeal the court's decision, it is prohibited from implementing the rule as litigation continues. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for October 2nd.

Learn more

BUZZ BITS...

• On September 16th, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, "Balancing Biotechnology Innovation and Biosecurity: Securing U.S. Leadership in a Global Race." Lawmakers raised concerns about national security risks associated with AI-enabled discoveries, competition with China's biotechnology sector, and "gain-of-function" research.
• On September 8th, Jack Dennerlein, dean of BU Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, and Lucy Hutyra, professor of Earth & Environment in the College of Arts & Sciences, participated in a Union of Concerned Scientists Town Hall featuring Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA). Dean Dennerlein and Professor Hutyra shared their perspectives on how changes in federal policies and research funding are affecting institutions, researchers, and students.
• On September 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, legislation that would make universities ineligible for federal student aid programs if they participate in boycotts of Israel. The bill received bipartisan support but is unlikely to advance in the Senate.