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Harassment Charges: Injustice Done?

Harassment Charges: Injustice Done?

Colleagues urge UCI to acknowledge the possibility that its sanctions against Professor Ayala were enacted in haste and to reopen the case and investigate the matter more thoroughly.

Science Under Trump: Voices of Scientists across 16 Federal Agencies

Science Under Trump: Voices of Scientists across 16 Federal Agencies

We asked federal scientists what it's like to work in the Trump administration. Their answers point to widespread, serious problems that should concern all of us.

Survey of U.S. Government Scientists Finds Range of Attitudes Toward Trump Policies

Survey of U.S. Government Scientists Finds Range of Attitudes Toward Trump Policies

A survey suggests U.S. government scientists views are hard to pigeonhole and fall short of documenting widespread unhappiness with the Trump administration.

Science Under Trump: Voices of Scientists Across 16 Federal Agencies

Science Under Trump: Voices of Scientists Across 16 Federal Agencies

What does the Trump administration's assault on federal science look like to the people who experience it every day in their workplaces?

Scientists Stunned as Medical Non-Profit Group Abruptly Ends Research Grants

Scientists Stunned as Medical Non-Profit Group Abruptly Ends Research Grants

The US-based March of Dimes says it revoked awards to 37 researchers as part of a shift in its funding priorities.

DOI Restricts Scientists From Attending Scientific Conferences

DOI Restricts Scientists From Attending Scientific Conferences

The Department of Interior (DOI) and two agencies under the DOI have carried out policies that block or restrain federal scientists from attending or presenting at scientific conferences.

In Senate, Research Spending Lined Up for New High

In Senate, Research Spending Lined Up for New High

Under the current slate of legislation, moderate increases would allow agency research dollars to continue their recent growth.

Hidden Conflicts?

Hidden Conflicts?

An investigative report uncovers little recognized and unpoliced potential conflicts of interest among those who serve on FDA advisory panels that review drugs. FDA may also have missed or judged insignificant financial ties physicians had before their service on the drug approval advisory panels.

Scientists Applaud Resignation of Embattled US Environment Chief

Scientists Applaud Resignation of Embattled US Environment Chief

Scott Pruitt, administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, resigned on 5 July amid a series of ethical and spending scandals throughout his 16 months at the agency.

New Statement on Women and Computer Science

New Statement on Women and Computer Science

An instructor at the University of Washington set off a major debate there and elsewhere over his recent essay in which he says that the low proportion of women in computer science is at this point largely a result of women's choices and is unlikely to change. University officials immediately disputed his claims.

A Leading Climate Agency May Lose Its Climate Focus

A Leading Climate Agency May Lose Its Climate Focus

The Trump Administration appears to be removing references to climate from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s mission statement.

Knighthood in Hand, Astrophysicist Prepares to Lead U.S. Fusion Lab

Knighthood in Hand, Astrophysicist Prepares to Lead U.S. Fusion Lab

Steven Cowley takes over Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on 1 July.

Wide Racial Gaps Persist in College Degree Attainment

Wide Racial Gaps Persist in College Degree Attainment

Compared to White adults in the United States, Black adults are two-thirds as likely to hold a college degree and Latino adults are only half as likely – with both groups attaining degrees at a lower rate in 2016 than White adults did back in 1990, according to a new report by The Education Trust.

Why the Medical Research Grant System Could Be Costing Us Great Ideas

Why the Medical Research Grant System Could Be Costing Us Great Ideas

Funding is harder to find in general, and the current approach favors low-risk research and proposals by older scientists and white men.

U.S. Legislators Back Larger Facilities Budget for NSF

U.S. Legislators Back Larger Facilities Budget for NSF

Spending bills would boost construction account without cutting research grants, marking the second year that lawmakers have rejected President Donald Trump’s plans for the agency, which called for deep cuts in 2018 and flat funding in 2019.

 

Controversial NIH Study of "Moderate Drinking" Will Be Terminated After Scathing Report

Controversial NIH Study of "Moderate Drinking" Will Be Terminated After Scathing Report

The drinking study had raised concerns because NIH officials had solicited funding for the $100 million project from liquor companies, with the money funneled through the private NIH Foundation.

Trump's NASA Chief Changed His Mind on Climate Change. He Is a Scientific Hero.

Trump's NASA Chief Changed His Mind on Climate Change. He Is a Scientific Hero.

When asked why he changed his mind, Bridenstine told The Washington Post, "I heard a lot of experts, and I read a lot. I came to the conclusion myself that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, that we've put a lot of it into the atmosphere, and therefore we have contributed to the global warming that we've seen."

In the Trump Administration, Science Is Unwelcome. So Is Advice.

In the Trump Administration, Science Is Unwelcome. So Is Advice.

As the president prepares for nuclear talks, he lacks a close adviser with nuclear expertise. It’s one example of a marginalization of science in shaping federal policy.

US EPA Science Advisers Question ‘Secret Science’ Rule on Data Transparency

US EPA Science Advisers Question ‘Secret Science’ Rule on Data Transparency

Independent board will review agency decisions to repeal or change climate regulations and rules on the use of non-public data.

New Cancer Treatments Lie Hidden Under Mountains of Paperwork

New Cancer Treatments Lie Hidden Under Mountains of Paperwork

The National Cancer Institute has invested millions of dollars into determining the genetic sequences of patients’ tumors, and researchers have found thousands of genes that seem to drive tumor growth.  But until patients’ medical records are linked to the genetic data, life-or-death questions cannot be answered.

The Wealth Gap PLUS Debt: How Federal Loans Exacerbate Inequality for Black Families

The Wealth Gap PLUS Debt: How Federal Loans Exacerbate Inequality for Black Families

Something strange began happening with a U.S. Department of Education loan program known as Parent PLUS, under which parents borrow money from the government to finance their children’s education.

Michael Eisen Takes on Eric Lander and the Scientific Establishment

Michael Eisen Takes on Eric Lander and the Scientific Establishment

Michael Eisen is anything but silent. In his career as a scientist, which has included a slapdash U.S. Senate campaign, blog posts, and nearly 39,000 tweets, he has lobbed grenades at the powers that be.

Billionaires Are Rushing into Biotech. Inequality Is Following Them into Science

Billionaires Are Rushing into Biotech. Inequality Is Following Them into Science

In this era of billionaires and unequal funding, where is research going? And perhaps more importantly, how will our changing resources affect the training, success, and diversity of the scientists of our future?

National Science Board Reflects on Role in Spotlighting China’s R&D Rise

National Science Board Reflects on Role in Spotlighting China’s R&D Rise

With several members departing and new leadership incoming, the National Science Board used much of its May meeting to reflect on how it has ramped up its engagement on policy matters in recent years. One focus of discussion was how the board has increasingly drawn attention to the emergence of China as a global leader in science and engineering.