In this episode, Matt and Kevin discuss a new proposal from the US Office of Management and Budget that would (among other things) wrench control of funding decisions out of the hands of experts and put it in the hands of political hacks.
Also… no actually that’s it. We spend our whole time on this. Go write a comment on the proposed rule change, contact your representatives. This is it folks - American science doesn’t recover from this, at least not for a long time.
Links
The paper (that we didn’t end up talking about): Gut microbiota promotes immune tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface
The best summary of the new rule and what to do about it, from a former NIH insider
A tool from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to help you craft an original comment with the help of AI, if you’re into that sort of thing. But don’t be lazy - make it personal!
A guide from Stand Up For Science on how to writing a comment opposing the rule change
NIH reporter, where you can look up everything you could ever want to know about funded grants
If you are a professor, sign up for the American Union of University Professors
