BUzz Bits
BU IN DC
Peter Fox-Penner of the Institute for Sustainable Energy co-hosted a virtual Capitol Hill briefing on clean energy and climate infrastructure on April 14th.
Dean Sandro Galea and Catherine Ettman of the School of Public Health discussed pandemic preparedness with staff from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on April 14th and 16th.
Dean Harvey Young was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre on April 18th.
BUZZ BITS…
- On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced his choices to lead the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He intends to nominate Dr. Asmeret Berhe, a soil scientist at the University of California – Merced, as director of the DOE Office of Science and former NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Rick Spinrad as administrator of NOAA.
- Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced that proposed human fetal tissue research would no longer need to be reviewed by an ethics advisory board, reversing a Trump Administration policy. Proposers will still need to justify the use of human fetal tissue in their submission.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on preventing undue foreign influence in biomedical research on Thursday. NIH Deputy Director Mike Lauer told lawmakers that international collaborations were critical to successfully addressing the pandemic, while also emphasizing that the NIH is vigilant against inappropriate activities by foreign governments. He testified that the NIH has contacted more than 90 awardee institutions with concerns about approximately 200 scientists.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
Did you miss “Mapping Your Research Path: An Early Career Workshop” offered by the Office of Research earlier this semester? The recording is now available for you to watch. Federal Relations and Foundation Relations introduced the wide range of BU resources available to junior faculty embarking on their research career. Participants learned about the tools needed to be successful at identifying and securing external funding for research.
GRANTS NEWS YOU CAN USE
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced the Racial Equity in STEM Education Program. Through this program, NSF will support bold and transformative fundamental and applied research on racial inequality and systemic racism in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Proposals must be led by or developed with communities that are impacted by systemic racism and their experiences must be central to the proposal for it to be competitive. The first application deadline for this program is July 13, 2021. It is recommended applicants submit a one-page concept paper ahead of submitting a proposal.