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Forbes
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Science Cuts Threaten The Next Generation Of Innovators
Cutting science and research funding may appear fiscally responsible in the short term, but it risks ... More stalling discovery, exporting our talent, and missing opportunities to develop transformative solutions in education. Getty Images In labs, classrooms, and research centers across the United States, a quiet shift is underway. American scientists—long the backbone of global innovation—are considering taking their expertise overseas. This follows the Trump administration's deep cuts to federal research agencies, science funding, including grants and contracts. The impact is evident at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which recently canceled over 1,000 active awards and whose prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program posted its lowest acceptance rate in 15 years. Our European allies see this as the opportunity it is. The EU announced $556 million in new funding to ' make Europe a magnet for researchers ' over the next two years. NPR paints a similar picture : academics, facing shrinking financial support in the U.S., are increasingly drawn to countries doubling down on their public investments in scientific inquiry and innovation. President Trump says he wants America to lead in ' critical and emerging technologies .' And for nearly a century, we have. But steep cuts to NSF, the Institute of Education Sciences, and other research and development agencies undermine this vision. These cuts trade long-term scientific leadership for short-term budget relief. For example, Dan Garisto, who writes for the journal Nature , found that roughly $322 million of NSF's cancelled projects were in the STEM education division, which funds research on improving math and science teaching to grow the future U.S. science workforce. Furthermore, the public supports those kinds of STEM-improvement programs. A recent poll by the Association of Science and Technology Centers found that 90% of Americans believe that federal investment in STEM education is essential for the nation's future economic success. (The poll also found that a bipartisan majority expressed concern that Trump's cuts could prevent the U.S. from attracting and keeping top scientific talent.) What makes the prospect of a scientific brain drain concerning to me and many in the scientific community isn't just the loss of talent in research labs—it's the ripple effect that could reach directly into the nation's K-12 classrooms. Advances in neuroscience, behavioral science, and cognitive psychology are the foundation of many effective educational innovations, from AI-powered tutoring systems to evidence-based literacy instruction. Consider the decision of many school districts to delay high school start times—a change inspired by research showing that teenagers' sleep patterns shift later due to natural biological development. Another example is how learning platforms like Quizlet and Khan Academy incorporate behavioral science principles, like ' nudging ,' to help students stay motivated and engaged. These breakthroughs didn't happen in isolation. They came from a robust, well-funded pipeline of interdisciplinary research, and they've made real-world improvements in how students learn. But as NSF and the Education Department's Institute of Education Sciences see their staff and budgets significantly downsized, the momentum behind such discoveries could slow—or stop entirely. Instead of walking away, now is the time to invest. A coalition I lead recently set forth a framework for a 'reimagined' federal R&D system that includes multidisciplinary research and innovation, pathways that have been supported by agencies like NSF. An approach such as this gives the nation a chance to strengthen its R&D ecosystem and ensure that researchers across disciplines can continue translating insights into tools and techniques that help all students succeed. States Can Lead, But They Need Strong Research Partners The Trump administration has argued that more control should be returned to states , allowing governors and local boards to decide how education dollars are spent. This could include a bigger role for states to play in education R&D. That sounds promising, and I'm hopeful that states and their elected leaders are willing and able to step into the breach and drive improvements that will work best for their students. However, that may also mean that our state and local officials will need more, not fewer, education researchers who can help them test and prove what works and what doesn't. Merely shifting the responsibility from the federal level to the states doesn't really change the R&D braintrust needed to do the work. Nor does it eliminate the need for research infrastructure. It only makes that infrastructure more essential. Science As The Foundation For Innovation If the U.S. wants to remain a global leader in innovation, we must sustain the research ecosystem that fuels our progress. A strong evidence base in learning science is critical, not just for advancing knowledge but for empowering educators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to create tools and strategies that meet the needs of today's learners. Cutting staff, grants, and contracts may appear fiscally responsible in the short term, but the longer-term risks are clear. We risk stalling discovery, exporting our talent, and missing opportunities to develop transformative solutions in education. But with the right investments and a renewed national commitment to science, we can chart a different course—one that supports the next generation of researchers and ensures our students are prepared to lead in the decades to come. Follow Sara Schapiro on LinkedIn.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Young scientists see career pathways vanish as schools adapt to federal funding cuts
As an infant, Connor Phillips was born three months premature with cerebral palsy. The science that saved his life was the inspiration that led to his role studying brain processes as a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He had hopes of continuing his work at NIH through a partnership with Brown University, where he was invited to interview for a program that would lead to a doctorate in neuroscience. But training programs at the NIH have been suspended, a casualty of funding cuts by the Trump administration. He is applying to other programs — and hoping policies putting strains on science might be reversed. 'You don't take these jobs that pay worse and have insane hours and are really stressful unless you care about helping others and taking our love for science and translating that into something that can improve people's lives,' Phillips said. Reductions to federal support for research at universities and other institutions under President Donald Trump are dimming young scientists' prospects, cutting off pathways to career-building projects and graduate programs. Universities are cutting back offers of admission for graduate students due to the uncertainty. Many also are freezing hiring as the Trump administration threatens to take away federal money over their handling of a wide range of issues from antisemitism complaints to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Students are pivoting from carefully laid plans Mira Polishook, a Duke University research technician, recently heard from one of the programs she applied to that "government decisions' had left it unable to offer her admission. She applied to the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship which would guarantee three years of graduate school funding, but lately NSF has been silent on timing for awards. She's uncertain the agency will have funding at all. 'It's beyond frustrating,' she said. 'It's made me feel like I am in limbo.' Cuts to NIH funding have been delayed by a legal challenge from a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions. But the uncertainty already has put some projects on hold as universities deal also with delays or cuts in grants from other agencies including USAID and NSF. Admissions in some graduate programs have have been cut in half or paused altogether, said Emilya Ventriglia, president of UAW 2750, the union representing around 5,000 early career researchers at NIH facilities in Bethesda, Maryland, and elsewhere. 'At this rate, with the hiring freeze, there may be no Ph.D. students next year if it's not lifted soon, because usually people make their decisions by April,' Ventriglia said. Ventriglia's research focuses on how the brain responds to anti-depressants. But now she is unable to continue recruiting another researcher she planned to mentor this spring. She said she also is worried that new purchasing restrictions, and firings of employees who processed those purchases, mean she will be unable to acquire reagents she needs for experiments. 'We're expecting this to play out for generations,' said Levin Kim, the president of a union that represents 8,000 academic workers at the University of Washington. The financial and emotional toll on those navigating the uncertainty is mounting. 'I love the work that I do. It's all I want to do,' said Natalie Antenucci, a first-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Her work at a lab researching the ways social experiences can impact health is funded by an NIH grant. 'I'm not in a financial position where I could continue to do it if there wasn't funding available for this sort of work.' Scholars see impact for the U.S. as a destination for researchers Some American students are looking to institutions overseas. Marleigh Hutchinson, who will graduate from Kansas State University in May with an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering, said getting hired in the U.S. as a graduate teaching assistant or researcher seems unlikely because of the uncertainty. 'I've always told people I do want to work in the international development space. I want to work on food security and water security issues,' she said, 'and if that's something that the United States is no longer going to value, then I would like to go somewhere else.' Hutchinson was notified last month that funding was slashed to a USAID-funded lab where she was working. Its focus was making crops more resistant to drought in places like Africa as the world grows warmer. At the University of Nebraska, an institute that works to improve water management for agriculture offered to host a doctoral candidate in hydrology from Ghana and was talking to three other international students. But it had to rescind the offer after it lost USAID funding, said Nicole Lefore, associate director of the school's Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. She now worries about the diplomatic fallout, noting she has met with agriculture ministers in other countries who were educated at land grant universities in the U.S. through USAID programs. 'The university you go to, people have a loyalty to it. And so bringing in generations of students for education and agriculture in the U.S. helped to create those personal connections and then later scientific and diplomatic connections. That's really important to the soft diplomacy side of what the innovation labs were doing.' She said she is barraged with emails asking what this will mean. 'The only winner out of this is China, she said. 'Because the countries that are being cut off there, I think they will turn to someone.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Carolyn Thompson, Heather Hollingsworth And Makiya Seminera, The Associated Press
The Independent
16-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Young scientists see career pathways vanish as schools adapt to federal funding cuts
As an infant, Connor Phillips was born three months premature with cerebral palsy. The science that saved his life was the inspiration that led to his role studying brain processes as a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He had hopes of continuing his work at NIH through a partnership with Brown University, where he was invited to interview for a program that would lead to a doctorate in neuroscience. But training programs at the NIH have been suspended, a casualty of funding cuts by the Trump administration. He is applying to other programs — and hoping policies putting strains on science might be reversed. 'You don't take these jobs that pay worse and have insane hours and are really stressful unless you care about helping others and taking our love for science and translating that into something that can improve people's lives,' Phillips said. Reductions to federal support for research at universities and other institutions under President Donald Trump are dimming young scientists' prospects, cutting off pathways to career-building projects and graduate programs. Universities are cutting back offers of admission for graduate students due to the uncertainty. Many also are freezing hiring as the Trump administration threatens to take away federal money over their handling of a wide range of issues from antisemitism complaints to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Students are pivoting from carefully laid plans Mira Polishook, a Duke University research technician, recently heard from one of the programs she applied to that "government decisions' had left it unable to offer her admission. She applied to the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship which would guarantee three years of graduate school funding, but lately NSF has been silent on timing for awards. She's uncertain the agency will have funding at all. 'It's beyond frustrating,' she said. 'It's made me feel like I am in limbo.' Cuts to NIH funding have been delayed by a legal challenge from a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions. But the uncertainty already has put some projects on hold as universities deal also with delays or cuts in grants from other agencies including USAID and NSF. Admissions in some graduate programs have have been cut in half or paused altogether, said Emilya Ventriglia, president of UAW 2750, the union representing around 5,000 early career researchers at NIH facilities in Bethesda, Maryland, and elsewhere. 'At this rate, with the hiring freeze, there may be no Ph.D. students next year if it's not lifted soon, because usually people make their decisions by April,' Ventriglia said. Ventriglia's research focuses on how the brain responds to anti-depressants. But now she is unable to continue recruiting another researcher she planned to mentor this spring. She said she also is worried that new purchasing restrictions, and firings of employees who processed those purchases, mean she will be unable to acquire reagents she needs for experiments. 'We're expecting this to play out for generations,' said Levin Kim, the president of a union that represents 8,000 academic workers at the University of Washington. The financial and emotional toll on those navigating the uncertainty is mounting. 'I love the work that I do. It's all I want to do,' said Natalie Antenucci, a first-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Her work at a lab researching the ways social experiences can impact health is funded by an NIH grant. 'I'm not in a financial position where I could continue to do it if there wasn't funding available for this sort of work.' Scholars see impact for the U.S. as a destination for researchers Some American students are looking to institutions overseas. Marleigh Hutchinson, who will graduate from Kansas State University in May with an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering, said getting hired in the U.S. as a graduate teaching assistant or researcher seems unlikely because of the uncertainty. 'I've always told people I do want to work in the international development space. I want to work on food security and water security issues,' she said, 'and if that's something that the United States is no longer going to value, then I would like to go somewhere else.' Hutchinson was notified last month that funding was slashed to a USAID-funded lab where she was working. Its focus was making crops more resistant to drought in places like Africa as the world grows warmer. At the University of Nebraska, an institute that works to improve water management for agriculture offered to host a doctoral candidate in hydrology from Ghana and was talking to three other international students. But it had to rescind the offer after it lost USAID funding, said Nicole Lefore, associate director of the school's Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. She now worries about the diplomatic fallout, noting she has met with agriculture ministers in other countries who were educated at land grant universities in the U.S. through USAID programs. 'The university you go to, people have a loyalty to it. And so bringing in generations of students for education and agriculture in the U.S. helped to create those personal connections and then later scientific and diplomatic connections. That's really important to the soft diplomacy side of what the innovation labs were doing.' She said she is barraged with emails asking what this will mean. 'The only winner out of this is China, she said. 'Because the countries that are being cut off there, I think they will turn to someone.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
16-03-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Young scientists see career pathways vanish as schools adapt to federal funding cuts
As an infant, Connor Phillips was born three months premature with cerebral palsy. The science that saved his life was the inspiration that led to his role studying brain processes as a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He had hopes of continuing his work at NIH through a partnership with Brown University, where he was invited to interview for a program that would lead to a doctorate in neuroscience. But training programs at the NIH have been suspended, a casualty of funding cuts by the Trump administration. He is applying to other programs — and hoping policies putting strains on science might be reversed. 'You don't take these jobs that pay worse and have insane hours and are really stressful unless you care about helping others and taking our love for science and translating that into something that can improve people's lives,' Phillips said. Reductions to federal support for research at universities and other institutions under President Donald Trump are dimming young scientists' prospects, cutting off pathways to career-building projects and graduate programs. Universities are cutting back offers of admission for graduate students due to the uncertainty. Many also are freezing hiring as the Trump administration threatens to take away federal money over their handling of a wide range of issues from antisemitism complaints to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Students are pivoting from carefully laid plans Mira Polishook, a Duke University research technician, recently heard from one of the programs she applied to that 'government decisions' had left it unable to offer her admission. She applied to the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship which would guarantee three years of graduate school funding, but lately NSF has been silent on timing for awards. She's uncertain the agency will have funding at all. 'It's beyond frustrating,' she said. 'It's made me feel like I am in limbo.' Cuts to NIH funding have been delayed by a legal challenge from a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions. But the uncertainty already has put some projects on hold as universities deal also with delays or cuts in grants from other agencies including USAID and NSF. Admissions in some graduate programs have have been cut in half or paused altogether, said Emilya Ventriglia, president of UAW 2750, the union representing around 5,000 early career researchers at NIH facilities in Bethesda, Maryland, and elsewhere. 'At this rate, with the hiring freeze, there may be no Ph.D. students next year if it's not lifted soon, because usually people make their decisions by April,' Ventriglia said. Ventriglia's research focuses on how the brain responds to anti-depressants. But now she is unable to continue recruiting another researcher she planned to mentor this spring. She said she also is worried that new purchasing restrictions, and firings of employees who processed those purchases, mean she will be unable to acquire reagents she needs for experiments. 'We're expecting this to play out for generations,' said Levin Kim, the president of a union that represents 8,000 academic workers at the University of Washington. The financial and emotional toll on those navigating the uncertainty is mounting. 'I love the work that I do. It's all I want to do,' said Natalie Antenucci, a first-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Her work at a lab researching the ways social experiences can impact health is funded by an NIH grant. 'I'm not in a financial position where I could continue to do it if there wasn't funding available for this sort of work.' Scholars see impact for the U.S. as a destination for researchers Some American students are looking to institutions overseas. Marleigh Hutchinson, who will graduate from Kansas State University in May with an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering, said getting hired in the U.S. as a graduate teaching assistant or researcher seems unlikely because of the uncertainty. 'I've always told people I do want to work in the international development space. I want to work on food security and water security issues,' she said, 'and if that's something that the United States is no longer going to value, then I would like to go somewhere else.' Hutchinson was notified last month that funding was slashed to a USAID-funded lab where she was working. Its focus was making crops more resistant to drought in places like Africa as the world grows warmer. At the University of Nebraska, an institute that works to improve water management for agriculture offered to host a doctoral candidate in hydrology from Ghana and was talking to three other international students. But it had to rescind the offer after it lost USAID funding, said Nicole Lefore, associate director of the school's Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. She now worries about the diplomatic fallout, noting she has met with agriculture ministers in other countries who were educated at land grant universities in the U.S. through USAID programs. 'The university you go to, people have a loyalty to it. And so bringing in generations of students for education and agriculture in the U.S. helped to create those personal connections and then later scientific and diplomatic connections. That's really important to the soft diplomacy side of what the innovation labs were doing.' She said she is barraged with emails asking what this will mean. 'The only winner out of this is China, she said. 'Because the countries that are being cut off there, I think they will turn to someone.' ___
