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FUTURE Act Passes Congress
December 12, 2019 01:50 pm On December 10 the U.S. Senate passed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act (H.R.5363) after the House passed the bill by a vote of 319-96 earlier in the day. The entire Oregon delegation voted for passage of the bill. The bill now moves to the President for signature, who recently expressed support for the measure. The FUTURE Act would improve college student financial aid application and repayment processes. The final version of the bill contains amendments sought by the House Ways and Means Committee after it expressed concern about allowing the Internal Revenue Service to transfer vast amounts of confidential taxpayer information to the Department of Education and its third-party contractors. Proponents of the bill say it will help simplify and reduce the number of questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and help automate how borrowers enroll in and stay enrolled in income-based repayment programs, which currently require borrowers to manually provide their tax information each year. Among the legislation’s proponents is the American Council on Education (ACE), which sent a letter to the House with signatures from 42 associations expressing support of the FUTURE Act: “[T]he FUTURE Act would make significant improvements to the federal student aid system, by simplifying and streamlining the processes for applying for student aid and repaying student loans. This will dramatically simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and make it far easier for low- and middle-income families to apply for and receive federal student aid.” Along with changes to the data-sharing process for federal student loans, the bill would also permanently extend mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
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Grants will help boost the pool of special education teachers
First published in Around the O on December 3, 2019. In the field of special education, an already acute shortage of teachers is worsening as demand for them continues to grow. A pair of recent grants to the University of Oregon’s College of Education should help stem that tide by providing funding to educate future faculty members who will prepare additional teachers to enter an important field. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs has awarded $3.5 million to the college’s Wendy Machalicek and $1.25 million to Lillian Durán to train doctorate-level researchers in their respective fields of study.
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OR Senate Confirms Sandoval as LC&D Commissioner
On December 2, the Oregon Senate confirmed Professor Gerardo Sandoval as a commissioner on the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC). During his term, which began December 1, 2019, and ends November 30, 2023, Sandoval will represent the Willamette Valley region. “This is tremendous for [the State of] Oregon,” said Director Jim Rue in the committee’s press release. “Dr. Sandoval’s research, experience, and perspective will help ensure our work benefits all Oregonians.” The commission, assisting the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), adopts state land-use goals and implements rules, assures local plan compliance with the 19 statewide planning goals, coordinates state and local planning, and manages the coastal zone program. The commission is also tasked with implementing rules on issues as wide-ranging as wildfire planning and urban growth boundaries to re-zoning for “missing middle” housing and the push to allow breweries on hops farms. Sandoval is an associate professor in the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM) at the University of Oregon. His work and research focus on the intersection of planning, immigration, and community change.
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Oregon offers tax credit on gifts to venture development fund
First published in Around the O.Across the UO campus, researchers from myriad disciplines make discoveries that lead to inventions, patents and spinoff businesses. Recent examples include Ksana Health, a new company cofounded by UO psychology professor Nick Allen that’s creating digital platforms to turn smartphones into wireless wellness tools.
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Innovative cell therapy research boosted by state funds
First published in Around the O. An innovative new research project from UO’s Robert Guldberg has captured the attention of Oregon’s economic development agency Business Oregon and the UO’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. Guldberg’s $1.2 million project, which zeroes in on one of the central challenges of the fast-growing cell therapy industry, is the first to tap into the University Innovation Research Fund. The new state fund is designed to support research at Oregon universities that drives innovation and economic development.
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Legislators get firsthand look at the UO's aging research boat
First published in Around the O. The University of Oregon’s Institute of Marine Biology hopes the Oregon Legislature’s 2020 session will lead to smoother sailing for its many students.
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Research Development Services pairs faculty with funders
First published in Around the O on October 18th. Nicole Giuliani studies self-regulation, or how we control our feelings, thoughts and behaviors, and how the process applies to human health, but in September she found herself investigating how research funding works at the federal level.
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TallWood Design Institute Opens Timber Research Facility
First published on at https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu. On Oct. 10, the TallWood Design Institute—a partnership between the College of Design and the OSU Colleges of Forestry and Engineering—hosted the grand opening of the A.A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory on the OSU campus.
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UO microscope points to more efficient solar fuels devices
First published in Around the O on October 10th. A fundamental discovery made with a specially equipped microscope in a University of Oregon laboratory is pointing toward a new design strategy for devices that can produce hydrogen from sunlight.
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