A new National Academies report finds sexual harassment of women is pervasive in academia and is jeopardizing advances in gender equity in STEM fields. To address the issue, the report urges academic institutions to go beyond legal compliance and focus on changes in culture. 

In a series of public lectures, former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco has urged the scientific community to focus on the growing importance of public engagement in a “post-truth” world, which she says will require a shift in culture at universities, research institutions, and government science agencies. 

Following the release and enactment of the final appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2018, policymakers and leaders in the scientific community have praised the large spending increases for federally sponsored scientific research, infrastructure, and STEM education.

A chorus of scientific societies and higher education associations has voiced deep concerns about provisions in the House’s tax reform bill that they argue could significantly increase the cost of graduate education. Higher education associations have also objected to several other provisions in the House bill and its Senate counterpart that they say could destabilize the finances of colleges and universities.