This week’s cover image is one of the many great shots taken by the crew of the Artemis II. It sort of reminds me of the Hungarian sci fi classic Ikarie XB-1.
The caption is from the terrific 2013 mockumentary Operation Avalanche, where it is the first attempt at would eventually become Neil Armstrong’s “one small step for mankind” speech. The film is free on Youtube.
Given everything else going on this week, there’s been a certain poignancy in keeping up with the Artemis II. The space industry is not exactly unentangled, of course. But my journey into science started as a desire to be an astronaut (or a paleontologist or an astronaut paleontologist). Sometimes I am still that 10 year old wearing out my VHS of Apollo 13.
In other news…
Federal Research Policy
After the release of the president’s budget request last week, several federal agencies release their more detailed budget requests. The HHS budget includes some details on the plans for NIH.
The budget proposes to consolidate the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism into the new National Institute of Substance Use and Addiction Research.
The budget proposes the elimination of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Fogarty International Center, and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
There is a renewed push to cap IDC rates at 15% and language intimating that a limit will be placed on publication costs that can be paid through grant funds. Earlier this week, the administration dropped its appeals on lawsuits filed to prevent their attempts to cut IDC rates last year.
Under NSF's proposed budget, the agency’s funding would be cut in half.
The proposal also includes a 70% cut to the Biological Sciences directorate and the elimination of the Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate.
In response to this request, the agency appears to have already begun the process of shuttering the SBE directorate.
The NIH is soliciting feedback as it develops its strategic plan for FY27-FY31. Comments will be accepted until May 26.
Public Health
The Washington Post is reporting that the CDC has delayed publication of a report showing the covid-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated its charter this week.
Last month a Federal judge ruled that the recent changes to ACIP under HHS Director RFK Jr. and its subsequent changes to the childhood vaccine schedule were likely illegal.
Higher Education
The Department of Education terminated multiple settlement agreements on Monday, all of which were aimed at ensuring transgender students’ rights to equal opportunity to an education.
The Department of Education also quietly released draft regulations [PDF] on Monday that - if implemented - would substantially change the accreditation system for institutions of higher education in the United States. According to reporting by the Chronicle, Bloomberg, and others, the new regulations would tie a university’s federal funding to adherence to Administration priorities like eliminating DEI initiatives and promoting “viewpoint diversity”.
Editor’s Note
Update from last week: My Minolta Hi-Matic arrived and it is incredibly satisfying to take pictures with this metal brick of a camera. We’ll have to see if the photos come out though…
