Policy

Megan Smith, the White House CTO and an MIT alumna, speaks with Wired reporter Jessi Hempel about how she became interested in science, her experience at MIT and her goals for her time at the White House. 

Rohan Banerjee writes for The Tech about a new MIT report that examines 15 areas of research that would benefit from increased government support. Prof. Marc Kastner explains that the report is aimed at informing political leaders of the importance of basic research. “It’s important to remind Congress and the public that the health of the country depends on doing research,” he says.

Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik writes that declining government investment in basic research is contributing to a U.S. innovation deficit, citing a new MIT report examining how funding cuts are impacting different areas of research. The report finds that declining support for basic research is “tantamount to mortgaging our scientific future.”

The Boston Herald highlights a new MIT report that examines how decreased government funding for basic research is holding back advances in 15 fields. Science funding is “the lowest it has been since the Second World War as a fraction of the federal budget,” explains Professor Marc Kastner.

A new MIT report finds that declining government investment in basic research could be driving top academic talent overseas, writes RobertMcMillan of The Wall Street Journal. “We are undercutting ourselves by not supporting basic science,” says Prof. Andrew Lo. 

Salon reporter Joanna Rothkopf writes that a report prepared by MIT researchers finds that declining government investment in basic research is creating an innovation deficit. “The report warns that the lack of adequate funding for sciences in the U.S. is threatening 15 fields, including neurobiology, cybersecurity, infectious diseases and robotics,” Rothkopf writes. 

A new MIT report examines the growing innovation deficit caused by declining government support for basic research, reports Sharon Begley for Reuters. Prof. Marc Kastner, who led the committee that prepared the report, explained that the decline in basic research funding, "really threatens America's future." 

Craig Lemoult of WGBH News speaks with MIT researchers about a new report examining the impacts of declining government support for basic research. Prof. Marc Kastner notes that many of the “technologies that have made our lives better” stem from basic research advances. 

Inside Higher Ed highlights a new report prepared by a committee of MIT researchers that examines the need for increased federal funding for basic research. The report “examines the lost opportunities for science and for U.S. competitiveness vs. other nations due to inadequate federal support for basic research.”

Prof. Emeritus Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Energy Secretary, speaks with Marco Werman of PRI about his work on the Iran nuclear deal. Moniz explains that he and his Iranian counterpart in negotiations, an MIT alumnus, applied “the MIT problem solving approach…to march through quite a few issues.”

Richard Moran writes for The Huffington Post about an MIT study that examines why Silicon Valley is home to so many tech companies. "The entire ecosystem is nurturing and helping companies within Silicon Valley realize their promise on a more guaranteed basis than anywhere else in the state," says Professor Scott Stern.

Prof. Nikhil Agarwal has found that a lack of positions at prestigious institutions leads to low salaries among medical residents, reports Angela Chen for The Wall Street Journal. Agarwal found that, "applicants are willing to pay an 'implicit tuition'...to have a prestigious and high-demand residency." 

Nidhi Subbaraman writes for BetaBoston about MIT’s new cybersecurity initiatives designed to “tackle tech security problems both big and small.” The new efforts are aimed at addressing cybersecurity’s technical, policy and business challenges. 

MIT is launching three cybersecurity efforts, including one aimed at managing cybersecurity within critical infrastructure, reports Rachael King for The Wall Street Journal. “We’re hoping to develop a number of new approaches and techniques that measure security culture in organizations,” says Prof. Stuart Madnick. 

Prof. Stephen Ross has won the 2015 Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics, reports Jack Newsham for The Boston Globe. Jan Pieter Krahnen, director of the Center for Financial Studies, which presents the prize, explains that Ross’ work “has shaped today's thinking in financial innovation, practice, and policy.”