Federal Stem Initiative Announced
BU IN DC
Suchi Gopal of the College of Arts & Sciences participated in a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) workshop on principal investigator diversity on November 27 and 28.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law met with Congressional and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials regarding antimicrobial resistance on November 28.
Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman and Sarah Hokansonof Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs attended the Council on Graduate Schools annual meeting from December 5 through 8.
Mark Williams of the Questrom School of Business spoke at a BU Alumni association event on cryptocurrency on December 6.
FEDERAL STEM INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED
On Tuesday, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a report entitled “Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education.” The initiative focuses on training the next-generation workforce for scientific careers, with an emphasis on work-based learning and enhancing diversity. The National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) all contributed to the report and outlined their own initiatives aimed at improving STEM education.
BUZZ BITS…
- Congress passed a continuing resolution to keep agencies such as NSF and NASA operating at their current funding levels through December 21. Some agencies, including NIH and the U.S. Department of Education, have already received their funding for fiscal year 2019 and are not affected.
- Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA) was elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, placing her in the party’s leadership as it assumes control of the House next year.
- Dr. Craig Hoffman was appointed as the new chief scientist in the Office of Naval Research at the Department of Defense. He previously served as Superintendent for the Optical Sciences Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Department of Defense (DOD) released its broad agency announcement (BAA) for the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program for fiscal year 2020. The program focuses on improving environmental sustainability and reducing current and future environmental liabilities impacting DOD bases, land use, and operations. The BAA is soliciting applications for proposals in four areas: munitions response, weapons systems and platforms, environmental restoration, and resource conservation and resiliency. Proposals are due in early 2019.