5/30/25: Scientific Community Fears for Future of STEM Workforce Amid NSF Overhaul (Inside Higher Ed) The National Science Foundation says major budget cuts, restructuring and priority changes are designed to build a more robust STEM workforce. But experts say the changes, which include axing education-related programs, will have the opposite effect. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2025/05/30/future-stem-workforce-jeopardy-amid-nsf-overhaul
5/30/25: Attacks on Chinese Students Could Wreak Havoc on Higher Ed (Inside Higher Ed) The Trump administration’s latest effort to revive its student deportation campaign could drastically curtail the largest population of international students in the country. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/global/international-students-us/2025/05/30/trump-targets-chinese-students-harsh-blow-higher
See also: Targeting Chinese Students Threatens the Bottom Line at American Universities (Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/targeting-chinese-students-threatens-the-bottom-line-at-american-universities-c64a89b5?mod=education_news_article_pos1
5/30/25; Judge Keeps Restraining Order in Harvard Challenge to International Student Ban (Inside Higher Ed) The hearing before Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts District Court came a week after the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students and required those currently at the university to transfer. Harvard quickly sued to block that decision, and Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order May 23. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/05/30/judge-keeps-block-harvard-international-student-ban
5/30/25: 16 states sue National Science Foundation over wide-reaching research cuts (Higher Ed Dive) The lawsuit takes aim at the agency’s cap on indirect research costs and its mass termination of grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion. https://www.highereddive.com/news/16-states-sue-national-science-foundation-research-cuts-indirect-costs-dei-grants/749339/
5/29/25: National Institutes of Health: Monitoring of External Research Can Be Improved (GA)-25-107362) NIH staff oversee such funds by reviewing financial and progress reports from the universities and other institutions that receive grants. But NIH didn’t consistently take action when those reports were late. Also, NIH’s component institutes and centers don’t consistently track unused funds. These issues might make it harder for NIH to detect misspending and ensure its awards are made in appropriate amounts. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107362
5/29/25: White House MAHA Report may have garbled science by using AI, experts say (Washington Post) Of the 522 footnotes to scientific research in an initial version of the report sent to The Washington Post, at least 37 appear multiple times, according to a review of the report by The Post. Other citations include the wrong author, and several studies cited by the extensive health report do not exist at all, a fact first reported by the online news outlet NOTUS on Thursday morning . https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/05/29/maha-rfk-jr-ai-garble/
5/29/25: Medical Researcher Granted Bail in Immigration Case (Inside Higher Ed) A federal judge has granted a Harvard Medical School research associate bail in her immigration case, but she still faces a criminal charge and remains in detention, media reported Wednesday. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/05/29/harvard-medical-researcher-granted-bail-immigration-case
5/29/25: RFK Jr. May Bar Scientists From Publishing in ‘Corrupt’ Journals (Inside Higher Ed) “ We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and those other journals because they’re all corrupt,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said on the Ultimate Human podcast, The Washington Post and other outlets reported Tuesday . https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/05/29/rfk-jr-may-bar-publishing-federal-research-top-journals
See also: RFK Jr. Slams Medical Journals, Floats In-House Publishing Plan (Bloomberg Law) https://news.bloomberglaw.com/pharma-and-life-sciences/rfk-jr-slams-medical-journals-floats-in-house-publishing-plan?context=search&index=19
5/29/25: Will NSF’s flagship training program survive under Trump? (Science) The future of the U.S. government’s premier training program for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate students is uncertain after a recent scaling back of the program has led to talk that it will be essentially privatized. https://www.science.org/content/article/will-nsf-s-flagship-training-program-survive-under-trump
5/29/25: Researchers who ‘pivot’ into new fields should not be given a citation penalty (Nature) The COVID-19 pandemic showed the value of changing direction in research. It should be incentivized, encouraged and celebrated. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01637-4
5/28/25: Notice of Temporary Policy Exception to NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIHGPS) Section 12.3.7 to Permit Continued Eligibility for Mentored Career Development Award When an Award Ended Early (NOT-OD-25-115) https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-115.html
