12/8/25: Report: Impact of Chinese Research ‘On Par’ With U.S. (Inside Higher Ed) China’s rise in research output and influence has coincided with the U.S. government’s increased focus on research security over the past several years, according to a new report. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2025/12/08/report-impact-chinese-research-par-us
12/8/25: NIH shut out hundreds of young scientists from funding to start their own labs (STAT) Dispersing federal research funding, largely concentrated at private universities on the coasts, to the rest of the country is another NIH goal, and scientists supported by transition awards have a track record of migrating away from the coasts, and from private institutions to public ones . But none of that mattered. https://www.statnews.com/2025/12/08/trump-nih-cuts-impacts-next-gen-researchers-american-science-shattered-series/
12/8/25: How to get science back into policymaking (Nature) Misunderstanding and hubris have broken public trust in governments’ use of science, but it can be restored. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03978-6
12/5/25: OSTP Seeks Input to Accelerate US Scientific Innovation (ExecutiveGov) The Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued a request for information seeking public input on federal policy changes that could support U.S. scientific leadership and accelerate technology transition. Comments are due by Dec. 26, according to the notice recently published in the Federal Register. https://www.executivegov.com/articles/ostp-public-input-us-science-policy
12/5/25: Deals With Trump Will Haunt Universities (The Chronicle, Opinion) The dollar amounts involved — $75 million from Northwestern and $221 million from Columbia , among others — have drawn headlines and stoked controversy over why institutions are paying fines absent any legal findings, much less court judgments. But it is the fine print of the deals that will determine whether they are, as the administration claims, landmark compacts reshaping American campuses, or practical bargains that let the universities get back to business without major compromise. Those details, involving not just the text of the agreements but how they are interpreted and implemented, will shape the independence and operations of universities for generations to come. https://www.chronicle.com/article/deals-with-trump-will-haunt-universities
12/5/25: AI is saving time and money in research — but at what cost? (Nature) Artificial intelligence tools are boosting researchers’ productivity, but some worry about the effect of a growing reliance on them. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03936-2
12/4/25: Studying Science in an Anti-Scientific Time (The Chronicle) “Was I wrong to participate in the invention of this field known as science studies?” asked Bruno Latour, the most famous sociologist of science in the world, in 2003. “Should we apologize for having been wrong all along? Or should we rather bring the sword of criticism to criticism itself and do a bit of soul-searching here: What were we really after when we were so intent on showing the social construction of scientific facts?” https://www.chronicle.com/article/studying-science-in-an-anti-scientific-time
12/4/25: Increasing the Value of Federal Investigator-Initiated Research through Agency Impact Goals (Federation of American Scientists) American investment in science is incredibly productive. Yet, it is losing trust with the public, being seen as misaligned with American priorities and very expensive. To increase the real and perceived benefit of research funding, funding agencies should develop challenge goals for their extramural research programs focused on the impact portion of their mission. https://fas.org/publication/federal-research-agency-impact-goals/
