News
New Miniature Heart Could Help Speed Heart Disease Cures
Boston University–led team has engineered a tiny living heart chamber replica to more accurately mimic the real organ and provide a sandbox for testing new heart disease treatments.
NASA Gives Boost to BU-led Effort to Model Solar System’s Protective Bubble
Space agency’s five-year grant supports research into the heliosphere and work to diversify space physics.
Food@BU’s Idea to Solve Campus Hunger Wins $10,000 Prize at Innovate@BU Event
Students pitched to US Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and YMCA Boston CEO at Tuesday night’s Campus Hunger Challenge.
Justice Jackson, World War III, Civil Rights Victory
BU IN DC
"She's Earned It"
BU School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig, the first Black woman to be dean of a top-20 law school, reflects on Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's historic confirmation.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
How Close Are We to World War III?
Joshua Shifrinson of the BU Pardee School of Global Studies says that while we are now closer to World War III than we were last year, we are still “several steps away from a conflict akin to World Wars I and II.”
FACULTY EXPERTS
BU Faculty Hail Supreme Court's Civil Rights Ruling Against Police
An amicus brief filed by by members of the BU School of Law and the BU Center for Antiracist Research may have played a role in the Supreme Court’s recent decision to reject the previous "indications of innocence" standard for for suing state officials who violate someone's constitutional rights.
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
BU URBAN invites you to a virtual Capitol Hill briefing on Building the Next Generation Climate Workforce on April 28th... BU graduate programs rose in the latest U.S. News & World Reports rankings, including the BU School of Public Health and BU School of Medicine primary care program... Swathi Kiran of BU Sargent College explains what Bruce Willis' aphasia diagnosis means on NPR... Megan Elias of BU Metropolitan College discusses why returning office workers are struggling with lunch in The Boston Globe... Monica Wang of the BU School of Public Health urges policymakers to invest in behavioral research to transform public health in The Boston Globe.
NCI Director, Health Misinformation, Engaging Science Media
DC VISITS BU
The Pardee School of Global Studies hosted U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard (CAS '84) for a discussion of U.S. policy in Nigeria on April 6th.
U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development Roberto Rodriguez spoke at a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development forum on April 1st.
The Arts Initiative, Sustainability, and the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground hosted JoAnn Chase (COM '85), director of the American Indian Office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for a conversation on indigenous perspectives on sustainability and the arts on March 31st.
BUZZ BITS...
- The National Institutes of Health announced that Dr. Norman Sharpless is stepping down as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the end of April. Dr. Sharpless became NCI's director in 2017, and briefly served as acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. NCI Principal Deputy Director Douglas Lowy will serve as interim director until a permanent replacement is found.
- On Wednesday, President Joe Biden further extended the suspension of federal student loan repayments until August 31st. This is the Biden Administration's fourth suspension of loan repayments, which have been on pause since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress supported a 60-day pause in repayment with the enactment of the CARES Act pandemic relief package in March 2020, and the Trump Administration extended it twice.
- The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Katherine Vidal as the next director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property. She previously served as a patent litigator in the Silicon Valley office of a large law firm.
HHS SEEKS INPUT ON HEALTH MISINFORMATION
The Office of the Surgeon General within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a request for information (RFI) on the impact of health misinformation in digital media. The RFI seeks information on how digital misinformation impacted healthcare infrastructure and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety on issues, including quality of care, healthcare decisions, trust in the health system, and healthcare worker morale and safety. Responses are due by May 2nd, and may be used to inform future government policies and research.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you interested in communicating your research and expert perspective to journalists and other audiences? BU Public Relations | Social Media and the Office of Research are hosting a virtual, interactive workshop on April 27th at 3 p.m. with SciLine, a service from the American Association for the Advancement of Science that connects US scientific experts to journalists. This workshop will provide a primer on the U.S. media landscape and cover best practices for conveying research in compelling ways, the elements of a newsworthy story, interview techniques, and much more. Participants can expect to walk away from this session with the foundation to effectively position themselves as go-to media sources, and elevate their thought leadership platforms.
To Our Readers: Due to the upcoming Congressional District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will be on hiatus for two weeks.
“She’s Earned This”: Angela Onwuachi-Willig Rejoices in Historic Confirmation
BU LAW dean, 275 other Black women law profs, have had Ketanji Brown Jackson’s back since President Biden nominated her for the Supreme Court.
Biden Budget, Education Research, NSF Career
BU IN DC
Roscoe Giles of the College of Engineering participated in a meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on March 29th and 30th.
Heather Schoenfeld of the College of Arts & Sciences and Adrianna Spindle-Jackson of the School of Social Work discussed their research with Congressional offices as part of the virtual Social Science Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on March 29th.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law attended a dinner hosted by the Embassy of Denmark to discuss global antimicrobial resistance efforts on March 29th.
Nathan Jones of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development spoke at a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine webinar about a new report on the future of research at the Institute of Education Sciences on March 31st.
BIDEN BUDGET PRIORITIZES CLIMATE SCIENCE, PELL GRANTS
On Monday, President Joe Biden released his budget request for fiscal year 2023, outlining the Administration's priorities for the year ahead. The President proposed bold investment in both the National Science Foundation (18% increase), the maximum Pell Grant award for low income students (25.7% increase), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (11.5% increase). He proposed modest increases for the Department Energy Office of Science (4% increase) and NASA Science (5% increase), while proposing to cut Department of Defense Basic Research (14% cut) and Federal Work Study (1.7% cut). Climate change continues to be a Biden Administration priority, with the White House asking Congress to support $17 billion in climate research across federal agencies. While the President's Budget Request indicates the Administration's priorities, it will be up to Congress to write the annual spending bills that determine agency budgets.
REPORT RECOMMENDS NEW FOCUS FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report on Thursday which recommends a new approach to grantmaking at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The report argues that IES should prioritize new grant topics, such as teacher education and education technology; hold at least two grant application cycles annually; publicly share information on its applicants, reviewers, and trainees to track whether awards are being tracked equitably; and make IES-funded research more useful to practitioners and policymakers. It also urges Congress to provide more resources to the agency to meet the urgent need for more high-quality education research. Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Professor Nathan Jones served on the panel that wrote the report.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you considering applying for the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award? The Office of Research recently posted a recording and slides from its webinar for early career faculty on how to navigate the CAREER application process. Lewis-Burke Associates, a federal lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C., provided advice on how to best engage with NSF and make your proposal more competitive. BU faculty from the College of Engineering, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, and Sargent College who have successfully competed for NSF CAREER awards also shared their insights and guidance. NSF is expecting to fund more CAREER awards than usual this year as part of its COVID-19 relief efforts, making this a good time for faculty to apply.
COMPETES Act, Tribal Lands, Long COVID
ADVOCACY RESOURCE
BU Supports Pending Research Competitiveness Legislation
BU President Robert A. Brown urges Congress to pass a competitiveness bill that robustly funds federal research agencies, broadens participation in science, and retains international talent.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Protecting Tribal Lands
JoAnn Chase (COM '85), a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, was taught to revere the Earth. Now she's working with tribal leaders to protect human health and the environment across their lands as director of the EPA's American Indian Environmental Office.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Researchers Race to Understand Long COVID in National Study
BU researchers are leading a National Institutes of Health-supported effort to understand who is at risk for long COVID, how recovery varies in different people, and what can be done to prevent the condition and treat patients.
See what they hope to accomplish
THOUGHT LEADERS
In Case You Missed It...
President Joe Biden nominated BU Professor Jonathan Woodson to be vice chair of the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs... The BU Initiative on Cities Menino Survey of Mayors finds that a majority of mayors are worried about the racial wealth gap in their cities... Catherine Klapperich of the BU College of Engineering calls for wastewater surveillance to better track COVID surges in The Boston Globe... Janine Bempechat of BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development touts the benefits of homework in U.S. News and World Report... A new United for Medical Research report finds that there is an exponential return on investment for research funded by the National Institutes of Health.
ARPA-H, Misinformation RFI, Boston Public Schools
BU IN DC
School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig attended the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Count on March 23rd.
Michael Woldemariam and Eric Schmidt of the African Studies Center discussed international education and foreign language programs with Congressional staff on March 24th.
Christina Lee of the School of Social Work addressed a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism webinar on reducing stigma around alcohol use disorder in minority communities on March 21st.
Senior Vice President for External Affairs Steve Burgay and Vice President of Marketing & Creative Services Amy Hook attended the Association of American Universities Public Affairs Network meeting from March 20th to March 22nd.
CONGRESS GRAPPLES WITH ARPA-H
Congress recently provided the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with $1 billion to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health (ARPA-H), giving a green light to President Joe Biden's proposal to stand up a new federal agency tasked with rapidly driving medical breakthoughs for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. However, significant questions still remain about how the agency will work. Last week, a Senate committee passed a bill that would make ARPA-H a unit within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as the President had proposed. The following day, a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss its own legislation which would make the agency independent of NIH. Despite these areas of disagreement, both the House and the Senate agree that the ARPA-H director should have a finite leadership term and that the agency should be staffed by a time-limited group of rotating program managers.
BUZZ BITS...
- The National Science Foundation and the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development National Coordination Office are requesting input on research priorities for addressing misinformation. The agencies are seeking feedback on how the federal government can enable research on understanding the information ecosystem, preserving information integrity, and mitigating the impact of information manipulation. Responses are due by May 15th.
- Last week, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Nasser Paydar as assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Paydar is the former chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
- The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) met on Thursday to discuss improving science communication and detecting, tracking, mitigating, and preventing wildfires. This was the group's first meeting with Acting Science Advisor to the President Francis Collins serving as co-chair.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Are you interested in including Boston youth or the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in your research? The Office of Research is hosting a virtual workshop on April 6th at 3 p.m. with an expert panel of BU faculty who will share stories from their research and practice with BPS students, teachers, and staff. Led by BU Wheelock Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement Mary L. Churchill, the group will offer advice and reflections on engaging communities with consistency, seeding lasting and meaningful partnerships, and understanding the challenges and benefits of engaging with the Boston Public Schools.
COMPETES & BU, NSF Changes, Media Training
BU IN DC
Catherine Devlin, an undergraduate at the BU Center for the Humanities, and Eric Schmidt, assistant director of the African Studies Center, advocated for federal support for the humanities and international education during the virtual Humanities Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on March 15th.
Rena Conti of the Questrom School of Business testified before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on lowering drug prices in Medicare on March 16th.
Cecilia Han Springer of the Global Development Policy Center testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on China's energy plans and practices on March 17th.
Mary Churchill of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development attended a meeting of the Learner Success Laboratory at the American Council on Education, where she serves as an adviser, on March 17th and 18th.
BU WEIGHS IN ON COMPETITIVENESS BILL
BU President Robert A. Brown sent a letter to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation on Tuesday outlining the University's priorities for research competitiveness legislation currently being negotiated by both chambers of Congress. Brown asked lawmakers to keep portions of the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521) that recommend robust funding for science agencies, broaden participation in science, support graduate students, and update immigration policies to retain international talent. He urged them to oppose a Senate proposal to reserve 20% of the National Science Foundation budget for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research program, which is closed to scientists in Massachusetts and other states with significant research volume. Congress is expected to begin final negotiations on a comprehensive innovation and competitiveness bill in the coming weeks.
NSF LAUNCHES NEW TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE
On Wednesday, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the launch of the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), the agency's first new directorate in over 30 years. A priority for both NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and Congress, TIP will support use-inspired research and technologies that address grand societal challenges and broaden participation in science. The new entity is expected to support large, regional innovation hubs and programs to spur faster adoption of key emerging technologies, as well as oversee some existing NSF programs such as the Convergence Accelerators. Dr. Erwin Gianchandani, who previously worked in the agency's Computer Information Science and Engineering Directorate, will serve as TIP's inaugural leader.
EVENTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
Back by popular demand, the Office of Research and Public Relations | Social Media will host Brad Phillips of Throughline for a virtual, interactive media training and messaging workshop to help researchers deliver a message that audiences will remember, act upon, and share. Participants will learn how to develop memorable messages that resonate with reporters and stick with audiences, boil complex topics down into meaningful takeaways, and navigate challenging questions. The training takes place on March 31st at 3:00 p.m.