News
Boston University-Based Biopharmaceutical Accelerator Boosts New Drugs’ Chances of Success, Study Finds
CARB-X-backed novel therapeutics to combat antimicrobial resistance are nearly five times more likely to reach clinical development.
Boston University Announces Leadership Updates
BU welcomes new provost and chief academic officer, and new senior vice president for people, belonging, and culture—while other senior leaders announce departures.
How Augmented Reality Could Help Engineers Better Insulate Older Homes
A Boston University-based manufacturing innovation center is developing an AR-guided insulation system to reduce energy loss.
Space Weather, Social Movements, Vaccine Hesitancy
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
We Can Predict Space Weather. What If We Could Also Stop It?
Solar flares and geomagnetic storms can kill satellites and mess with GPS. A BU researcher has designed a space-based system to better protect us from rogue interplanetary weather.
FACULTY EXPERTS
How Do Social Movements Emerge—and Why Do Some Radicalize?
Boston University scholars explore protest and polarization in the social media era.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Can Vaccine Hesitancy Be Understood as Religious Expression?
BU alumna Kira Ganga Kieffer (GRS’23) argues that vaccine hesitancy in the US should be understood not merely as ignorance, misinformation, or anti-science—but religious expression.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU Pardee School of Global Studies Professor Quinn Slobodian appears on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart podcast to discuss Elon Musk and tech oligarchy... BU nutrition expert Joan Salge Blake shares five things to know about the updated Mediterranean diet... Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba of the BU School of Public Health writes to The Boston Globe about the impact of increasing health insurance premiums on children and families... Susan Eckstein of the BU Pardee School of Global Studies shares her perspective on the Cuban immigrant experience during the second Trump Administration with The Guardian... BU's Launchpad interns are strengthening their professional skills at Boston-area nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
NIH & Pell Grants; NIAID Leader; College Sports
BU IN DC
WBUR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Low met with Congressional offices during the National Public Radio Network Fly-In on June 11th.
Renna Lilly and Ryan Russell of the Office of Sponsored Programs attended the COGR Membership Meeting on June 11th and 12th.
Gannon Flynn of the College of Arts & Sciences addressed a Senate roundtable on college athletics on June 10th.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ADVANCES INCREASES TO NIH, PELL GRANTS
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2027 spending bill that would reject cuts to student aid and medical research proposed by the Trump Administration. The committee-approved bill would increase the National Institutes of Health budget by 0.2% over its current level, provide a $50 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students, and grow the TRIO college preparatory programs by $6 million. The bill would also eliminate subsidies for undergraduate student loans, curtail funding for Federal Work-Study, and reduce support for research activities at the Institute of Education Sciences. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released its proposed spending bill for health and education activities.
BUZZ BITS...
- Dr. John H. Powers III has been named the acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health. Powers had been serving as principal senior advisor to the director of NIAID and director of collaborative research with Leidos Biomedical Research. He replaces Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, who had been acting NIAID director since April 2025.
- Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on Wednesday regarding the Department of Energy's (DOE) budget request. Chairman Brian Babin (R-AZ) praised the Administration's reorganization of DOE, saying that it refocused the agency on its core mission of basic science. Committee Democrats sharply questioned Secretary Wright about his plans to restore grants that courts have ruled were improperly terminated.
- Last week, the House Armed Services Committee advanced the National Defense Authorization Act, which annually sets defense policy. Among other provisions, the bill would increase authorized funding for the Department of Defense University Research Initiatives. The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to release their version of the bill later this month.
SENATORS HOLD ROUNDTABLE ON COLLEGE SPORTS
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) hosted a roundtable on college sports on Wednesday featuring participants from outside the "Power Four" dominant athletic conferences. The Senators heard from athletic coaches, a college president, a commissioner, and two student-athletes -- including Gannon Flynn (CAS '28) of BU Men's Swimming & Diving -- who support the Protect College Sports Act coauthored by Cruz and Cantwell. In response to a question from Cruz, the participants expressed concern that non-revenue sports and women's sports would be harmed if Congress did not enact a bill governing college athletics.
A Note To Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication on Juneteenth. In the meantime, be sure to visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
The World Cup Is Coming to Boston—and BU’s Soccer Fans Are Ready for Kickoff
Special photo essay celebrates the University’s international community.
Outbreak Tracker, AI Ethics, MLB Success
COMMUNITY RESOURCE
Measles, Cholera, and Mpox: BU-Based Outbreak Tracker Monitors World’s Most Dangerous Infectious Diseases
In its first year, Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON) has helped direct public health responses globally, monitoring 181 pathogens in 169 countries—and 1 in space.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
AI Ethics Index
BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and Just Horizons launched the AI Ethics Index for K-12 Education to help educators, policymakers, and companies evaluate the ethical dimensions and real-world impact of artificial intelligence systems used in schools.
FACULTY EXPERT
Does Spending Big in Major League Baseball Equal On-Field Success?
BU Professor Mark Williams and a team of researchers built MLB Toolbox to compare payrolls, performance, and roster value across the league.
Find out what leads to success
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU economist Florian Ederer theorizes what might be behind the unusual availability of FIFA tickets in Newsweek... BU Institute for Global Sustainability scholars have developed two online data tools to make it easier for towns to go green... BU College of Communication Professor Monique Kelley shares what she learned about freedom from her time in Iran in People... Katharine Silbaugh of the BU School of Law coauthors an op-ed in STAT News about "nicotine-free generation" laws... Leora Halpern Lanz of the BU School of Hospitality Administration discusses loud budgeting with WalletHub.
Proposed Grant Changes; Fogarty Center; NIMHD
BU IN DC
Eric Jacobsen of Information Services & Technology attended the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit between June 1st and 4th.
Doctoral students Kathryn Rodgers and Lydia Lichtiger from the School of Public Health participated in the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology Conference and Advocacy Day from June 1st to 4th.
PROPOSED RULE SEEKS TO CHANGE FEDERAL GRANTMAKING
Last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposal to significantly change the federal rules governing grant competitions and awards. The draft regulation follows President Donald J. Trump's August 2025 executive order on "Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." The proposal would require senior political appointees to review grant award decisions, allow federal agencies to more easily terminate grants, curtail foreign collaborations, restrict federal support for conference travel and publication costs, and give competitive preference to grantees with lower facilities and administrative reimbursement rates. The public is invited to submit comments on the proposal by July 13th. OMB is required to review and address comments prior to issuing a final rule.
BUZZ BITS...
- Dr. Steven Schiff has been named as director of the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NIH Associate Director for International Research. Schiff previously served as vice chair for global health in the neurosurgery department at Yale University. Dr. Peter Kilmarx had served as Fogarty's acting director since April 2025.
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) renamed two technical offices. The Information Innovation Office will return to an earlier name, the Information Processing Techniques Office, while the Microsystems Technology Office will now be the Multi X Office, reflecting a broader focus beyond "traditional microsystems."
- The Department of Defense (DOD) announced additional members of DOD's Science and Technology Innovation Board (STIB), bringing the total number of appointees to 33. STIB is the result of a merger between the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board and serves as the advisory body for military research activities. Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, the leader of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the first Trump Administration, is one of the new appointees.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the National Institutes of Health will host a webinar, "Shaping the Next Era of NIMHD Science: Current Status, Emerging Opportunities, and Scientific Priorities" on June 22nd from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Dr. Monica Webb Hooper, the NIMHD acting director, and other NIMHD leadership will provide updates on the institute's current scientific priorities and vision for health disparities science, including emerging research opportunities. Presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session.