Virginia Tech’s president defends NIH research funding
President Sands warns NIH cuts will harm research, national security, and Virginia Tech’s future as Trump-era policies challenge higher education.
Trump science cuts roil university labs, targeting bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
Hundreds of university researchers had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled Friday to comply with Trump’s directives to end support of research on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the study of misinformation.
UPDATED: Virginia university presidents among petition signers decrying federal ‘overreach’
The presidents of the University of Virginia, Hollins University and Virginia Wesleyan University have signed a letter endorsed by more than 200 university presidents and other higher education leaders condemning what it calls the Trump White House's "unprecedented government overreach and political interference."
Energy Department extends contract for operator of Jefferson Lab
The Department of Energy announced Thursday that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has approved a 12-month extension of the contract for Jefferson Science Associates to continue managing and operating the Jefferson Lab in Newport News. Jefferson Science Associates is a limited liability company created by the Southeastern Universities Research Association. Its contract was initially set […]
Trump 2.0 could impact state business climate
For millennials and hipper Gen X-ers, here’s a question: Are you feeling like the “This is fine” dog in the burning kitchen? And for the Boomers, can we offer you the image of a frog sitting in a pot of quickly heating water? Even if neither image makes sense, this much is clear: There’s a […]
Hampton University achieves prestigious R2 research status
Hampton University announced last week that it has obtained Research 2 designation — making it one of the few historically Black colleges and universities to do so. The university received the designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which ranks research institutions based on the volume and breadth of their research activity. […]
George Mason’s Fuse tech hub opens to public
On the third floor of George Mason University‘s new state-of-the-art Fuse tech hub, robots jumped, begged, rolled over and offered a mechanical paw to shake Friday while a small drone hovered above. The endearing welcome by George Mason’s RobotiXX Lab robots offered a brief glimpse into the future for the group of academics and students […]
J-Lab scientist to receive nuclear physics prize
Volker D. Burkert, a scientist at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, aka the Jefferson Lab, has been chosen to receive the 2025 Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics, the lab announced Wednesday. Burkert has worked at the U.S. Department of Energy lab for 39 years of its 40-year history, and […]
VCU eyes purchasing Altria’s Richmond research facility
Officials with Virginia Commonwealth University are discussing with the Altria Group the possibility of buying its 450,000-square-foot research building in downtown Richmond, the two parties acknowledged separately this week. The Altria Center for Research and Technology, which opened in 2007, sits on more than four acres at 600 E. Leigh St. and is assessed for […]
Batten donates $100M to expand W&M marine, coastal research
Jane Batten, the matriarch of a Hampton Roads family known for its philanthropy, has pledged $100 million to William & Mary to boost coastal and marine science research towards finding global solutions for flooding and sea-level rise, the Williamsburg university announced Wednesday. The newly named Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences will expand the […]
Jefferson Lab names next director
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has named a new director, Kim Sawyer, who will replace Stuart Henderson, the lab’s director since 2017. Sawyer will start her new post at the Newport News facility Aug. 2, according to a Jefferson Science Associates news release Monday. Having previously served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating […]
ODU hires new engineering dean
Old Dominion University announced Tuesday it has hired Jeffrey Fergus to be the next dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, starting Aug. 10. Fergus is currently the associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University in Alabama, where he’s worked as a […]