President Trump announced today his intention to nominate Chad Wolf to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Mr. Wolf has served as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security since November 2019. Full story at Politico.
Category: Administration
White House Reveals FY22 R&D Priorities
The White House has published a memorandum outlining the FY22 Research and Development priorities for federal agencies. AI and QIS remain a top priority, however due to COVID-19, significant focus has been placed on public health concerns including vaccine development and infectious disease research. Other areas of interest include energy, space, and security.
Read the full memo here.
NSF Updates FAQ for Grant Recipients Impacted by COVID-19
In response to inquiries from the community, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has updated FAQs related to NSF’s implementation of OMB Memorandum M-20-26, “Extension of Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations,” dated June 18, 2020.
The updated FAQ is available here.
ICE SEVP Directive Withdrawn
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has withdrawn the “July 6th” directive requiring F-1 and M-1 students to leave the US if their classes are entirely online. The Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) will revert back to guidance issued at the beginning of the pandemic, meaning students will not face deportation based on the format of their classes.
Live updates here.
Michael Kratsios Appointed to Key Defense Research Position
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has named Michael Kratsios to be Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Until now, Kratsios has been serving as the White House Chief Technology Officer, and will replace former-NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in his new role.
Prior to starting at the White House, Kratsios held several positions in the financial sector of increasing scope and responsibility. He has a BA from Princeton and was a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing.