Jeffrey Mervis

U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies

The US government lost more than 10,000 STEM PhDs last year, according to an analysis by Science of newly released OPM data, with 11 departures for every hire. And many OPM calls "voluntary" separations were probably pushed. www.science.org/content/arti...

Which of Trump’s upheavals to U.S. science are likely to stick? A future president could reverse many changes, but greater White House control of science agencies may be here to stay

One year into Trump's second term, we parse the lasting impact of his policies and executive orders. Here's the first of a four-story package appearing this week. www.science.org/content/arti...

Purdue blocks admission of many Chinese grad students in unwritten policy Faculty members say university is overreacting to pressure from the Trump administration and Congress

Why isn't Purdue talking about its new policy to halt graduate student admissions from China and other "countries of concern"? www.science.org/content/arti...

Appeals court agrees that NIH cannot reduce overhead payments to academic institutions Judges uphold injunction by lower court against a 15% flat rate for indirect costs

Trump's plan to slash indirect costs gets another drubbing in the courts--and in Congress www.science.org/content/arti...

Congress set to reject Trump’s major budget cuts to NSF, NASA, and energy science Appropriators agree instead to keep this year’s spending nearly level

Prending"minibus" would fund NSF, DOE and NASA science programs at roughly 2025 levels www.science.org/content/arti...

The National Science Foundation just had a big reorganization. Here are five things to know Divisions and rotators disappear as more career staff become supervisors

The National Science Foundation starts 2026 with a new management structure that affects every scientist with--or applying for--NSF funding. Here's what you need to know. www.science.org/content/arti...

Five things to know about NSF’s new rules on merit review Fewer outsiders, less feedback, and an uncertain fate for a new science board report

As you celebrate the holidays, here are 10 things to know about the dramatic changes to how NSF does business. This story looks at merit review. The second part will explain the significance of NSF's new structure. www.science.org/content/arti...

NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities

NSF plans to streamline merit review to heal self-inflicted staffing wound www.science.org/content/arti...

Can a smaller U.S. National Academies remain relevant? Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts

A major reorganization and significant downsizing has left scientists wondering about the future of the US National Academies. www.science.org/content/arti...

NSF could be moving down the street Government sets requirements for new space that sound like nearby patent office campus

And here's the GSA announcement of NSF's new digs: www.gsa.gov/about-us/new...

NSF could be moving down the street Government sets requirements for new space that sound like nearby patent office campus

NSF announced today it is moving a half-mile down the street to be neighbors of the US Patent Office in Alexandria, Va. Here's our earlier story on the possibility. www.science.org/content/arti...

Republican push to make U.S. census surveys voluntary alarms statisticians Pending bills targeting decennial census and American Community Survey would make results less reliable

Republican spending plan for Census Bureau could shrink response rate on decennial census to 28% www.science.org/content/arti...

U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students

Conferees on Defense bill asked to jettison House language that would end US collaborations with Chinese scientists and former students back in China www.science.org/content/arti...

A flood of Chinese graduate students in STEM was a boon to U.S. students Study shows the influx allowed U.S. programs to expand enrollment and also benefited local businesses

Study finds China's higher education boom led to expansion of US STEM masters programs www.science.org/content/arti...

How NSF hopes to keep Antarctic scientists afloat without an icebreaker Ending Palmer lease is one of many belt-tightening moves amid budget uncertainty

Doing research in Antarctica was plenty hard before NSF cancelled its lease on its main ship, the Nathaniel Palmer. Read how scientists are coping. www.science.org/content/arti...

ScienceAdviser: Tiny tubes may let neurons communicate directly Today in Science and science: Why women live longer than men, evidence that wildfires are worsening, and more

One word can make a world of difference if you're the head of an NSF directorate. Read why in this newsletter. www.science.org/content/arti...

NCAR avoids furloughs but tightens belt as bigger cuts loom www.science.org/content/arti...

U.S. court orders NIH to restore killed grants to California researchers Judge says district court is proper forum to protest mass grant terminations

California researchers take heart from nuanced ruling in suit to get grants reinstated www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump visa policy requires universities to pay huge fee to hire foreign scholars U.S. employers to pay $100,000 for every new H-1B visa

US universities must now decide if hiring a foreign scientist is "worth" spending an extra $100K. www.science.org/content/arti...

Under Trump, NSF faces worst crisis in its 75-year history Political directives have undermined agency's independence and record of supporting the best basic research

How far can NSF bend before it breaks? Science looks at what's happened to the agency under Trump. www.science.org/content/arti...

House panels charge U.S. National Academies with producing partisan studies Pending spending bill urges agencies to find other sources of scientific advice

Despite its 162-year-history of service, congressional Republicans tell federal agencies not to seek the advice of the National Academies. www.science.org/content/arti...

ScienceAdviser: Can two new studies put cancer microbiome research back on track? Today in Science and science: Surprising insights from marsquakes, the ecological impact of free-roaming buffalo, and more

Having a hard time tracking how Congress might revamp indirect costs? Here's what you need to know. www.science.org/content/arti...

ScienceAdviser: The taming of the horse Today in Science and science: Clues from Mars’s mantle, water pollution affects air quality, and more

Last week the chairman of the House science committee tried to convince an academic audience that Musk and DOGE has helped to regain public trust in government and science. What could go wrong? www.science.org/content/arti...

NSF could be moving down the street Government sets requirements for new space that sound like nearby patent office campus

www.science.org/content/arti...

Lin ordered NSF to reinstate the suspended UCLA grants by 19 August or explain why it hasn't complied with her order. The case is Thakur v. Trump.

Judge Lin rejected NSF's arguments that her earlier injunction didn't apply because the new batch of grants were only suspended. But Lin said that was a distinction without a difference and that NSF had violated the Administrative Procedures Act by failing to provide an adequate explanation.

US District Court Judge Rita Lin today ordered NSF to reinstate the 300 grants to UCLA that it suspended on 30 July, saying the agency violated a preliminary injunction she issued in June on a different set of grants to UCLA researchers. 1/2

Trump order aims to politicize decisions on federal science grants Researchers worried by plan giving political appointees more control over where funding goes

Deconstructing Trump's latest directive on managing federal research: how bad is it? www.science.org/content/arti...

Has NSF defied a court order by suspending 300 UCLA grants? Federal judge to hear arguments relating to preliminary injunction to restore funding for other UC grants

NSF's suspension of UCLA grants could run afoul of injunction against earlier terminations. www.science.org/content/arti...

Why a top economist discounts Trump’s claim U.S. jobs data are ‘rigged’ A former head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics rebuts reason why president fired the agency’s leader

Revisions to BLS job numbers are the norm, not the exception, says former commissioner Erica Groshen, who explains why Trump's criticism is misguided. www.science.org/content/arti...