Latest news with #scienceFunding
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
The Panel with Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Chris Wikaira (Part 1)
business life and society about 1 hour ago Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Chris Wikaira. They discuss cuts to science and tech funding in Budget 2025, speed sign confusion around schools in Auckland, and an iconic NZ fashion label shutting down their retail store.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UNM post-docs forewarn threats to research at Stand Up for Science event
Graduate student Alex Connolly signs a letter to U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) as part of the New Mexico Stand Up for Science outreach on the last day of spring semester classes. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) On the last day of classes for the spring semester, organizers for the New Mexico Stand Up for Science tabled at the University of New Mexico, asking more students to join efforts to protest White House efforts to dismantle funding mechanisms for science research. 'The intent really is to make sure that people don't lose steam throughout the summer,' said Nina Christie, a post-doctoral researcher studying substance use. The group is part of a national movement seeking an expansion of research science funding and reinstating research cuts under anti-diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. UNM could face $20 million in lost funding under NIH rule The cuts, led by Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, have impacted billions of dollars in research — including a UNM neuroscience researcher studying impacts of repeated traumatic brain injuries, who spoke at an earlier protest at the New Mexico Legislature. About two dozen students stopped by over the course of 45 minutes. Some UNM employees also visited, including undergraduate advisors Madison Castiellano-Donovan and Dylan Velez. Velez told Source NM some of the psychology students whom they advise are expressing uncertainty in finding future jobs, wanting to graduate early or 'considering switching majors altogether' due to the cuts to higher education. Matison McCool, a post-doctoral researcher in substance abuse research, said lost funding will close doors for upcoming students. 'Without general training grants in place, without that infrastructure, there simply won't be pathways to get into science anymore, for people who want to do that,' he said. McCool said he also hoped the effort to organize will push the university to further protect funding. 'I want to hear concrete steps the administration is going to take and plan on taking to help continue funding researchers who lost their grants, and finding the resources for funding science,' he said. McCool said the recent 2026 Budget Request from the White House proposes Congress halve the National Science Foundation by more than $4.7 billion, and cut the National Institutes of Health budget by more than $17 billion dollars. 'That will devastate cancer trial research, substance trial use research — that is a fact,' he said. 'We cannot fund these studies that are solving these problems, people will die if these studies don't exist.' His own five-year research grant hasn't been impacted yet, but he's concerned that research will only get more limited, and he worries the grant could be rescinded at any time. 'The hardest part is looking at these White House proposed budgets and thinking 'I don't have a job in five years,'' he said. 'This may be the only science I ever get to do.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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.
