News

Congress Probes Research with International Collaborators

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Megan Bair-Merritt of the School of Medicine spoke at a National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health event on fostering gender equity in research institutions on October 5th.

Lee McIntyre of the Center for Philosophy and History of Science spoke about building trust in science at a Research! America meeting on October 6th.

CONGRESS PROBES RESEARCH WITH INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS

On Tuesday, two subcommittees of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing entitled "Balancing Open Science and Security in the U.S. Research Enterprise." Dr. Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explained how universities are redoubling their efforts to ensure that research with foreign partners is conducted appropriately and urged lawmakers not to stifle international scientific collaboration. She was followed by Candice Wright from the Government Accountability Office, who testified that some scientific agencies lack clear guidelines for federal grantees as they engage in research with foreign partners. Wright pointed out that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is slated to release uniform policies this fall. The final witness was Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi, who faced espionage charges that were later dropped when investigators determined he had not engaged in malicious conduct. He decried policies that specifically target Chinese scientists.

Watch the hearing

BUZZ BITS...

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins announced Tuesday he will step down as NIH director at the end of the year. Dr. Collins has served as the NIH director for 12 years, the longest tenure in the agency's history. President Joe Biden intends to nominate a replacement before Collins departs.
• On Tuesday, the President announced his intent to nominate Shelly Lowe as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  If confirmed, Ms. Lowe will be the first Native American to lead the NEH and Dr. Jackson will be the first African American and Mexican American to lead the NEA.
• The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) announced last week that Dr. William Riley will retire as its director at the end of the year. Dr. Riley has led the office since 2015. OBSSR Deputy Director Dr. Christine  M. Hunter will lead the office on an interim basis.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REVAMPS LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced an overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows borrowers to have their federal student loans forgiven after ten years of public service employment. Through October 2022, the Department is temporarily allowing all student loan payments made by borrowers in public service fields to count towards PSLF, regardless of the borrower's loan program or repayment plan. The Department will also automatically give PSLF credit to both military service members and federal employees and review previously rejected PSLF applications. With few borrowers currently achieving the goal of loan forgiveness after ten years, the PSLF program has been sharply criticized for its burdensome reporting requirements and confusing guidance. The Administration estimates that more than a half million borrowers will be positively impacted by the changes.

Learn more

Policymakers Focus on College Athletics

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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 September 29th and 30th. 

POLICYMAKERS FOCUS ON COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a memorandum on Wednesday which asserts that student athletes at private colleges should be classified as employees. While the memo does not immediately change the status of athletes on campus, it lays the groundwork for a future update to the NLRB's rules governing the ability of college athletes to form a union. The memo cites the Supreme Court's unanimous NCAA v. Alston decision this summer, which paved the way for student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). NIL was also the subject of a House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce hearing which took place on Thursday. At the hearing, NCAA President Mark Emmert urged lawmakers to enact a federal law governing NIL in order to avoid a patchwork of conflicting state laws.

Read the NLRB memo

BUZZ BITS...

• On Thursday, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the government operating at its current funding level through December 3rd. A CR is necessary because Congress did not complete the annual spending bills which determine federal budgets prior to the statutory deadline of October 1st.
• Last week, President Joseph Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Christopher Frey as the assistant administrator of the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dr. Frey was previously Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science Policy at the EPA, and had been a professor of environmental engineering at North Carolina State University since 1994.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a notice of proposed rulemaking on Tuesday for new regulations that would "preserve and fortify" the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Biden Administration is seeking to restore a path to legal status and work authorization for undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children. Public comments are due by November 29th.

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Are you interested in securing funding for medical research from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)? The BU Center for Military Health will host an online seminar on “How to Secure DoD Funding” on October 5th at 12:00 p.m. Experts from Lewis-Burke Associates will explain how the agency considers health research proposals and provide tips on increasing your chances of success. Professor Darren Roblyer of the College of Engineering will also share his experience in successfully applying for DOD funding, followed by a Q&A session.

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BUzz Bits

• President Joe Biden appointed 30 members to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on Wednesday. In keeping with the Administration's goal of expanding participation in science, half of the PCAST appointees are women and more than one-third are people of color and immigrants.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, a bill that would set next year's priorities for the Department of Defense. Among other provisions, the House-passed bill would require personnel on Defense-funded research grants to complete research security training. The U.S. Senate has not debated its version of the NDAA yet.
• On Tuesday, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government operating at current funding levels through December 3rd. The CR is needed because Congress will not complete work on its annual spending bills before the expiration of the federal fiscal year on September 30th. Senate Republicans have expressed opposition to the bill due to a provision that would raise the national debt ceiling. If the standoff remains unresolved by October 1st, the federal government would shut down.

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Whether you are a new faculty member building a research team for the first time or a current faculty member expanding your work across disciplines or institutions, creating an effective team environment requires intention and skill. Join Assistant Provost Sarah Hokanson of BU Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs for a BU Research workshop on "Building and Supervising a Research Team" on September 29th. Dr. Hokanson will address how to recruit and bring onboard diverse team members, strategies to build trust and sustain productive interactions within teams, and approaches to keep projects and team members on task and on time.

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TIPS FOR TESTIFYING ON CAPITOL HILL

Testifying before Congress is an excellent way to share your expertise with policymakers and participate in the legislative process. But navigating a Congressional hearing may seem daunting. BU Federal Relations has produced a resource for members of the BU community who accept an invitation to testify on Capitol Hill. Our guide walks you through preparing separate written and oral statements, understanding the setup of a typical Congressional hearing room, and following up with lawmakers when the hearing concludes. We look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students as you engage with Congress.

Read our advice

Tax-Free Pell Grants, Legalization for DACA Recipients Advance

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Monday that Dr. Kelly Kyrc (GRS '03) has been appointed deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries. Dr. Kryc earned her Ph.D. in earth science at BU.

TAX-FREE PELL GRANTS, LEGALIZATION FOR DACA RECIPIENTS ADVANCE

Committees in the U.S. House of Representatives continued to approve portions of a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill this week. Of note, the following provisions received committee approval:

• Eliminating the taxation of Pell Grants. Under current law, low-income students are taxed when they use the grant for items other than tuition.
• Allowing schools to offset to their endowment tax liability based on how much institutional student aid they provide.
• Creating a new research infrastructure grant for public colleges.
• Providing a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented individuals, including those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
• Creating an Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health (ARPA-H) to fund breakthrough medical research.

Lawmakers will continue to modify the provisions as they merge the committee-passed bills into a larger package that can be voted on by both chambers of Congress and sent to the President.

BUZZ BITS...

• The U.S. Senate confirmed James Kvaal as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday. He will oversee the Department's higher education policies. Kvaal previously led The Institute for College Access & Success and, before that, led the Obama Administration's increased oversight of for-profit colleges.
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced this summer that Dr. Karen Marrongelle is NSF's chief operating officer. Dr. Marrongelle had been serving as the assistant director of the agency's Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate, which will now be overseen by EHR Deputy Director Dr. Sylvia James until a permanent replacement is named.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for 2021-2025, outlining the agency's research priorities for the next five years. Among other topics, the strategic plan focuses on five cross-cutting themes: improving minority health and addressing health disparities, enhancing women's health, addressing public health challenges across the life span, promoting collaborative science, and leveraging data science for biomedical discovery.

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Did you know that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports basic research in fields ranging from biomedicine and environmental science to high-performance computing and physics? Have you considered pursuing DOE funding, but are unsure where to start? Join the Office of Research and Federal Relations for a webinar on Understanding Department of Energy Research Opportunities on September 28th at 3 pm. Griffin Reinecke from Lewis-Burke Associates will provide an overview of DOE funding opportunities and guidance on engaging with program managers, and BU faculty from Biology, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Physics will offer their insights on successfully working with the agency.

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