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Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
I'm a public school kid who became a Harvard scientist. Trump's cuts impact me.
Growing up in Middle Tennessee, I often heard about Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a secretive location where brilliant scientists work. I was fascinated by Oak Ridge, classroom experiments and the concept of laboratories, but I never imagined becoming a scientist myself. It was just never in the cards. During the late 2010s, the curriculum in my public high school was not oriented towards higher education — it was geared solely towards getting students to graduate. Aiming higher and attending college — especially graduate school — wasn't included. But I took a shot and applied for scholarships. I was thankful for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship, the Middle Tennessee-based Scarlett Family Foundation and public funding from my college that allowed me to attend the University of Tennessee to study engineering. While at UT Knoxville, I got to live a dream and work at the Oak Ridge I had always heard about, and it turns out that it isn't just about nuclear reactors. I quickly learned that hundreds of scientists from around the world were in the hills of East Tennessee, finding solutions for problems in manufacturing and energy sciences for the United States. These experiences inspired me to continue my education and to help develop technologies that could improve people's lives. Several years have passed since my time at UT Knoxville and at Oak Ridge. I have since participated in U.S. Fulbright and National Science Foundation fellowships that gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge internationally, as I continue to work to solve important problems in manufacturing. More: As DOGE cuts federal funds, Tennessee departments balk at releasing details of lost money Today, I'm pursuing a Ph.D. in materials science and mechanical engineering at Harvard University, where I use 3D printing technologies to manufacture customized parts affordably. With 3D printing, we can customize everything we make for highly specialized uses, including for personalized medical devices or manufacturing in remote locations where there are long supply lines. The technologies I'm developing are designed for accessibility, so that communities like those in rural Tennessee can one day have access to them, whether for medicine or customized agricultural seeding and crop monitoring. However, the future of other prospective scientists is now in jeopardy. As you may have heard, the current presidential administration is actively attacking universities and pulling federal grant funding. I've been directly impacted: The primary grant that supports my team has been canceled, and my National Science Foundation fellowship has been terminated — simply because I'm affiliated with Harvard. These grant cuts aren't just numbers in a budget. They directly hurt students and young researchers like me. Federal grants like ours are not given away. They are awarded competitively, and research groups earn them based on their responses to goals posed by U.S. government agencies. From nuclear power and MRIs, to life-saving vaccines for diseases like measles and polio, none would have been possible without public scientific funding that was guided by expert review. But if defunding continues, we will lose our ability to track environmental changes that affect our food systems, and we will prevent the discovery of medical advancements that can save millions of lives. More: Nearly 400 Nashville nonprofits risk losing $1.5 billion in federal funding. What to know As researchers and scientists, our goal is simple: to understand, to improve and to serve, and we can't do any of that without financial support. I implore you to stand up for science in the coming elections and show your support by filling out the Citizens for Science Pledge. The fate of scientific progress is, in many ways, the fate of our country. If public school children in Tennessee can no longer dream of becoming scientists, astronauts or doctors — because we don't support them — what kind of future do we aim to build? Jackson Wilt is a Middle Tennessean and Ph.D. Candidate at Harvard University researching low-cost 3D printing technologies. He also teaches engineering and science to K-12 and college students. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Trump's research cuts hurt students, scientists and you | Opinion
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New semester, new records: University of Tennessee System may exceed its goal of 71,000 students
For the past year, the University of Tennessee System has made its enrollment mission clear: Increasing the student population at a record-breaking pace to reach 71,000 students by 2030. The goal is on track after the system broke records again in 2024. The UT System may even exceed that goal if recent numbers are any indication, and that's been the case since at least October when Knox News reported UT was on pace to enroll 73,416 students by 2030. In fall 2024, UT had 62,149 students enrolled across its five campuses. That's about 1,000 more than the end-of-year goal of 61,000. UT is prioritizing enrollment, in part, to account for the looming "enrollment cliff" when the 18-year-old population will begin to decline year-to-year after 2026. The spring semester's enrollment count at UT's flagship Knoxville campus is at 36,900 students, though a finalized figure will be released in February. If numbers stay about the same, UT Knoxville could surpass the spring enrollment record set last year by 2,000 students. This comes one semester after UT Knoxville celebrated a record 38,728 students enrolled for the fall. This number, like the UT System total, was about 1,000 more than what UT leaders expected. It's typical for enrollment to drop in the spring, though UT's focus on growing its retention rate has kept students in the classroom. UT celebrated a record-breaking 91.9% retention rate for freshmen during the fall 2024 semester. UT System President Randy Boyd shared his 2025 systemwide goals during an executive committee meeting last week, with a heavy focus on breaking more records related to enrollment, retention, research expenditures and donations across the system. Boyd's priorities could help address the 'enrollment cliff,' which relied on census data to predict a decline in the 18-year-old population following a peak in 2026. Higher education consulting firm Ruffalo Noel Levitz released a study in September predicting a slight increase to the population in 2033, followed by another cliff. UT is relying on data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which projects a 2% increase in Tennessee high school graduates from 2019 to 2037. Of the 62,148 students enrolled in the UT System for the fall 2024 semester, 44,152 were from Tennessee (about 71%). To make it easier on applicants, the UT System has switched to the Common Application across every campus and implemented a guaranteed admissions policy. Campus leaders at UT Knoxville are preparing for more than 60,000 applications for the 2025 fall semester. Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee System on track to break 2030 enrollment goal
