Displaying items by tag: trump science cuts

The University of Tennessee burial mound on the agriculture campus in Knoxville dates to 644. The mound was constructed by native tribes of the Woodland Period and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Wikipedia Commons

DOGE bites off $37.7 million in science and other funding from University of Tennessee system; cuts include climate initiatives and pesticide safety education

This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout. Highlighting added by Hellbender Press. The original story continues below. This story will be updated.

KNOXVILLE — The Trump administration has paused or defunded many programs at American universities, including some notable cuts in agriculture grants at the University of Tennessee.

Systemwide, a total of 42 grants to UT valued at $37.65 million ended, Melissa Tindell, UT’s assistant vice president of communication said, consistent with statistics she’s given other outlets. Eight of these terminated grants were going to the UT Institute of Agriculture and totaled $31.19 million.

Also, across the system, she said, the college had received a total of nine partial stop work orders, meaning students and staff cannot complete portions of those projects, though the total award amount hasn’t been impacted at this time.

“The most immediate impact has been the need to transition students and staff supported by these affected projects to alternative funding sources,” Tindell told Hellbender Press, reiterating a statement for Tennessee Lookout. “Essential work such as reporting, compliance and other research operations continue with adjusted support.”

Among the various research programs with terminated funding are several environmental projects.

Sarah Nelson stands with a copy of The Journal of Undergraduate Research, which ran her first scientific publication in 2003. It was researched during her time as an intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Nelson is now a senior research scientist.  Derek Armstrong via BlueSky  

Federal science cuts, in Oak Ridge and beyond, threaten American health and innovation

Sarah Nelson, MPH, PhD, is a senior research scientist in Seattle studying the genetic causes of complex health conditions. Hellbender Press has previously reported on changes to Oak Ridge federal facilities since the start of the second Trump Administration. This op-ed was originally published by KnoxNews.

OAK RIDGE — My mother has been cleaning out the attic in her Oak Ridge house and very reasonably decided my sisters and I should become the stewards of the memorabilia from our childhoods and early adulthoods. The box she recently mailed me included my first scientific publication, from my undergraduate summer internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Mammalian Genetics Section (the “Mouse House”) in 2002.

Over 20 years later, I am a senior research scientist and author on 60+ scientific publications mostly related to understanding how genetic variation contributes to different human diseases.

Even before I received that box in the mail, I had been reflecting on why I chose a career in scientific research — mainly because, since January, I am no longer sure if and how I will be able to continue pursuing it. Federally funded scientific research is being attacked and dismantled by the administration of President Donald Trump, threatening the entire scientific enterprise. The situation is dire, and I urge you to join me in staying informed and speaking out against these existential threats to science.