The economic effects of international students go far beyond their tuition dollars. Many stay, innovate, & shape the productivity of the entire economy. My co-authors & I estimate the impact of US international student exclusion policy in this new paper commissioned by the @nationalacademies.org.

Researchers are typically assessed by traditional criteria such as grants, publications, and citation counts — but new approaches aim to change that. Explore strategies for implementing these changes at U.S. universities at our upcoming workshop: https://ow.ly/KIQv50XgtMj

Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs - Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75% - Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60% - Social Sciences by 50–70% - History by 60% - Biology by 75% - The German department will lose all PhD seats - Sociology from six PhD students to zero

The pointed clarity with which each of the universities rejecting the compact have made this point is incredibly refreshing. From the University of Arizona's president: president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...

After getting zero firm commitments to this point from the first nine invitees, the Trump administration is extending its proposed compact to all colleges. Expect some red-state publics to say yes.

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

The problem with every post-Millennial generation is they got to go straight to high speed internet. Of course you'll get computer madness that way. Make them start with those old screeching modems and work their way up

Rainbow! On the metro (Fort Totten) 🌈 @capitalweather.bsky.social

If this is turning into a battle, then the researchers’ possible counter is to normalize updating preprints and CVs with “accepted at journal x” as sufficient for getting publication credit and not pay the fees.

“We feel like the lost generation.” A story on the collapse of US science, which is hitting young scientists hardest www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

we used to build household shrines to Going On The Computer and it's no coincidence that as we abandoned these we started straying further from god's light

New: Both NIH and NSF have put out their gold-standard science plans. NIH: www.nih.gov/sites/defaul... NSF: nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/NSF-GS... Our story from May:

Just got an email that the NIH Early Independence award is "not going forward." This was an award that catapulted promising PhD students into faculty positions and is part of the High-Risk High-Reward grant program in the NIH Office of the Director. Deadline was 9.6.25!

FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research. By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...

Pandemic preparedness in the US has been leveled a crippling blow with the cancellation of multiple #BARDA contracts to help develop mRNA vaccines. No other vaccine platform produces vaccine so quickly; without mRNA, Americans will have a long wait for pandemic vax. www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/m...

The whiplash continues: the WaPo now reports that OMB halted, and then hours later unhalted, these NIH funds. I'll be watching for any sign of NIH fund restriction this week and will post as soon as I hear more. Know what's going on? DM me on Signal (mkozlov.01). You can stay anonymous.

The NIH can’t award ANY grants to outside researchers under new WH restriction, reports @wsj.com. The pause came in the form of a footnote from OMB Director Vought, in a document that doles out federal funds to the NIH. Prelude to rescissions, especially after his comments over the weekend?

These cuts will cost us dearly, not save us: “The authors point to NIH budget cuts decimating the scientific workforce, diminishing support for public health programs that have increased life expectancy, and creating gaps in scientific knowledge that are not likely to be filled by private industry.”

“Every time you go to your doctor or get treated by a nurse, there’s a chorus of researchers, public health workers, policy experts, epidemiologists and advisory panels arrayed behind them, aided by laboratories, databases, websites… Our current government seems determined to wrench this away”

We’re hiring for a major role in the US, an investigative journalist to cover what’s happening with science in the US and beyond. This is extremely important territory for us. 🧪 workforus.theguardian.com/jobs/795 The Guardian :: Senior Science Investigative Reporter

Honored to speak this morning at the @nationalacademies.org I'm presenting ongoing research on the effects of the current policy program to deter international students from coming to the United States, with Jeremy Neufeld & Amy Nice www.nationalacademies.org/event/44967_... cc @piie.com

Long-standing issues and recent societal disruptions have negatively impacted many in the U.S. STEMM research ecosystem, particularly #GradStudents and #Postdocs. Join us July 22 and 23 for a discussion on ways to support U.S. STEMM talent: buff.ly/CsrCWL4

This is the latest of a flotilla of attacks on international students at US universities. It won’t be the last. Several more are currently in preparation. The White House is pursuing its stated goal keeping out as many international students as possible.

Sad news: The dataset behind this famous chart on the decline in costs of genome sequencing has had its NIH funding cut. I loved this chart because it was the first that made me appreciate the impact of dataviz. But it also tracked progress towards an ambitious goal ($1000 genome) that succeeded.

A take worth reading on #scipol reform debate by @issuesinst.bsky.social's @lisamargonelli.bsky.social. Esp by science advocates. Back to Vannevar Bush or to what's next in the Endless Frontier? issues.org/innovation-h...

Neil Shubin, an evolutionary biologist best known for discovering an important fish fossil, has been nominated to head the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. scim.ag/46IG9hG

When Marcia McNutt's term ends next year, @neilshubin.bsky.social will take the reins at NAS to lead the organization through what may continue to be a fraught landscape for government-funded science. Quick story w/ Jeff Tollefson: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

It's easy to take institutions for granted when they've been around longer than we have, and when they've become so thoroughly embedded in the fabric of our lives. But look back to their early days, and it becomes clear that their present form wasn't inevitable and won't inevitably remain.

NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding. NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.

As someone who has studied online discourse for a decade, I know things don't look that great. All I can say is this: Look for joy wherever it hides. Hold on to kindness. Offer help when your hands are free. Talk to your friends and neighbours. And somewhere deep down, keep a little room for hope.🤞

NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years. NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."

BREAKING: Judge denies NSF's 15% indirect rate plan. Like the DOE and NIH attempts, it too has now been rejected by courts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The university of California is a powerhouse of innovation, healthcare, and social mobility for California and the US.

Are you watching the #StateOfTheScience presentation? You can watch live here: www.nationalacademies.org/event/44894_... And thank you to Sara for live posting!

Excited to have @whysharksmatter.bsky.social at my local watering hole tonight. Can’t wait to learn all about sharks!

The war on science in the US is already having an effect on private sector research like AlphaFold. Bears repeating but the private sector builds on top of things created by academic research for the public good. This hurts everyone.

The sense of sadness and despair that many of us who left countries, where science and research were not valued or that simply there were no resources, feel about the wanton and deliberate destruction of US science (a beacon for the world) is immeasurable.

“You work so hard to put yourself in a position where you don’t have to worry, and then that’s taken away from you,” said Camila Valderrama-Martínez...She can get a job, but that “takes away time from my research and my time in lab and focusing on my studies and my thesis.” 🧪

All NSF GRFPs to students choosing to attend Harvard in the Fall were just terminated

OPT is the program that allows foreign students graduating with STEM degrees stay and work for up to three years. Because of the oversubscribed H-1B lottery, OPT is one of the main ways that foreign students manage to transition to jobs in the US. Ending it would destroy a major STEM pipeline.

On June 3, @nasonline.org President Marcia McNutt will explore the current status of the U.S. research enterprise and strategies for navigating a rapidly changing scientific landscape. Register now: events.nationalacademies.org/44894_06-202... #StateOfTheScience

Trump’s science adviser and OSTP head, Michael Kratsios, vowed to reduce scientists’ administrative burdens and defended proposed funding cuts in remarks before the National Academy of Sciences. My latest for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/t...

One of the more amazing stories from the Apollo 13 saga. Never underestimate duct tape! Belated notice of Ed Smylie's passing on 21 April. #GiftLink. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/s...

There is a false dichotomy drawn between "the ivory tower" and "the real world," and I'm here to report that in a post-industrial society, your real-world economy absolutely hinges on the university. University towns are factory towns. Universities drive economic activity, not the other way around.

This is completely false. Even the largest university endowment cannot sustain large-scale scientific research. In my 25 years at my school, the most monumental research fund drive raised $325M in *total*. Federal research here costs $200M per *every year*. This is an extinction-level event.

Dozens of responses to my essay summarized. 1. Why aren’t scientists in an uproar? 2. Most Americans don't know that defunding science will make their lives worse. Bluesky, tell your neighbors, science matters. Scientists, roar. 🧪💙📚 #scicomm #science 🌎 🔬 ⚒️ theconversation.com/unprecedente...

The Trump administration this week eliminated funding for Harvard research projects across a host of areas, from the origins of breast cancer and the impact of nutrition on fertility to antibiotic resistance.

Breaking: NSF will pause the 15% indirect cost cap until June 13 in order to proceed to a summary judgment, thereby avoiding a preliminary hearing. www.courtlistener.com/docket/70143...

What cutting science and biomedical grants mean for the nation... www.npr.org/2025/04/25/n...