Luke Butler

Is there a link to this update? I was about to send something to our grad students about applying, and I guess now I have to say "better do it this year!"

Aw man I wish academics had headlines like this.

“Stephen Aguilar (existential dread) is not expected to write today, per @mpolikoff.bsky.social”

Dozens of eyeballs, dozens of drafts We need to make it obvious to students that revision means success, not failure, as a writer.

I keep having this conversation with colleagues. We need to make it obvious to students that revision means success, not failure, as a writer. 1/

If I’m doing the numbers right the programs they are consolidating here (including DRK12 and ECR) had over $100M in combined funding allocated. This anticipates $30M. This isn’t death by a thousand cuts. This is one enormous cut.

NSF STEM K-12 (STEM K-12)

🚨 Major shake-up in NSF funding for K-12 STEM ed:

Caps proposals at $750K max for 3 years. Prior cap used to be $5M up to 5 years for some programs.

Archives several existing programs (DRK-12, AISL, CSforAll, TD, parts of ECR:Core). Combines into broad program with much lower expected # of awards.

Study 2 Intervention Materials Base Intervention Text The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide funding for scientific research that leads to major breakthroughs for cancer, diabetes, dementia, heart disease, infectious diseases, stroke, mental illness, and more. NIH funding is also an excellent financial investment. For every dollar NIH invests in research, an average of $2.56 of economic activity is returned–a gain of over 250%. The White House recently ordered major changes to NIH funding, which would take back funds already promised to the states. States have sued to challenge the order, arguing that the changes are unlawful. [page break] There are two major sources of cuts to NIH funding, which will result in current and future losses. First, many NIH grants for health research have already been cancelled, interrupting ongoing studies and clinical trials. These cancelled grants are projected to result in economic losses of $4.9 Billion and over 21,000 jobs. Second, another change would greatly reduce NIH funding that covers “indirect costs” of research. These funds help pay for essential facilities, equipment, skilled staff, and safety checks needed across many research projects. Medical research would not be possible without funding to cover indirect costs. In the future, this proposed change to funding for indirect costs of research would reduce the U.S. economy by about $16 Billion and over 68,000 jobs every year.

🧪 New study: Learning about economic impact of NIH funding motivates action to oppose funding cuts.

Evidence from two preregistered, randomized experiments with >5,000 U.S. adults.

Similar change for liberals and conservatives. Preprint from @asinclair.bsky.social et al:

osf.io/preprints/ps...

So excited to see this work with @jennaalton.bsky.social and @andreicimpian.bsky.social in press!

In a second, we form expectations about the likely traits and behaviors of people we meet. How does this ability develop? How do others’ perceived gender factor into it?

I’m thrilled to share a new paper now in press at Cognition with @andreicimpian.bsky.social and‪ @lucaspbutler.bsky.social.
1/6

Geetha Ramani in my department at Maryland has taught something like this!

On why Harvard shouldn't "negotiate" with Trump (by @ryanenos.bsky.social & Levitsky) -

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

two men in suits and ties are waving their hands in a room ALT: two men in suits and ties are waving their hands in a room

NIH BREAKING NEWS NIH BREAKING NEWS

Hearing from multiple sources that an email went out late yesterday afternoon

Effective immediately: Please do not terminate any additional grant projects. Please pull back all grant projects that are in the cue to be terminated.

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

Learning styles are not a thing.

Yeah definitely not blaming the POs! What a mess 😔

Awful. Which program was this? And if you're open to sharing, did you get any communication about whether this was (supposedly) a budget decision vs. an "administration priority" decision? I mean, it all seems politically-driven at this point but curious what justifications are being given.

👀

All universities need to fight together or someday this could happen to them.

NSF logo

AERA and other scientific societies sent a letter to Congress today expressing concern about imminent threats to NSF’s structure and operations. The letter urges Congress to use its oversight authority to ensure the NSF can carry out its statutory mission. aas.org/sites/defaul...

When it comes to Trump's brain drain, “the damage is already done” How the DOGE-triggered attack on government research left America in the dark.

I spent five weeks talking to federal workers about knowledge loss and brain drain across the federal government, and its implications, both right now and for decades to come. Their stories are frightening, but I think it's important to know what we're facing: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump’s new ‘gold standard’ rule will destroy American science as we know it | Colette Delawalla The new executive order allows political appointees to undermine research they oppose, paving the way to state-controlled science

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The New Dark Age The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself.

A must read:

It's not just higher education, it really is an attack on the predominant ways of learning, knowing, and decision-making that of the last 75+ years.

BREAKING: Judge Burroughs has granted Harvard's restraining order, barring the administration from terminating its foreign student population. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

🤬

Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign students, including current ones The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer t...

Absolute madness. And yes, the destruction and cruelty are the point. Watch this one closely. If this actually holds (which I keep hoping it couldn’t possibly) it’ll be a model for bringing all of US higher education to its knees.

Systems are crumbling - but daily life continues. The dissonance is real If everything feels broken but strangely normal, the Soviet-era concept of hypernormalization can help

Here's a useful term to capture today’s global atmosphere: hypernormalization, a Soviet-era concept that describes a reality where everything feels broken yet oddly normal. www.theguardian.com/wellness/ng-...

Harvard today, your institution tomorrow.

It's all part of the Project 2025 plan to destroy high education in America.

All leading US universities depend on federal funding and tuition dollars from international students. They severely curtailed the former. Now they're eliminating the latter.

Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades (Gift Article) The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.

NSF Physics was cut by 85%, basically wiping out most of its capacity for supporting research.

NSF Astronomy was cut by 53%

Undergrad education was cut by 71% and research on learning by 79%

Graduate education was cut by 100% to ZERO.

#GiftLink ⚛️🔭

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Major universities sue to block Trump cuts to NSF research funding Major U.S. universities have filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump's administration from carrying out steep cuts to federal research funding provided to academic institutions by the National Science Foundation.

Does anyone know if universities are filing lawsuits contesting NSF/NIH grant *terminations* in addition to the indirect cost cuts? The only information I can find is about the latter, but I would think there ought to be at least some standing to challenge terminations of already-awarded grants, no?

Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.

Money quote: "To watch these changes unfold without naming them for what they are is to participate in a collective amnesia about how knowledge infrastructures shape power relations."

time.com/7285045/resi...

A Vote for Civic Education Gift to Maryland Democracy Initiative Supports Political Engagement, Literacy Efforts

So happy to see the official announcement of this generous gift to support the important work of our Maryland Democracy Initiative @umaryland.edu! Thrilled to continue my small part of this collaborative endeavor! today.umd.edu/a-vote-for-c...