The FDA's lax oversight of research in developing countries can do harm to vulnerable participants

Regulatory loopholes for research conducted off US soil allow for questionable trials and misleading data to slip under the FDA’s radar.

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
Nov. 12, 2021 • ~5 min

Bridges, bike lanes, electric car chargers and more: 5 essential reads on the infrastructure bill

What will the US$1.2 trillion infrastructure bill pay for? Here are some of the things it will help build, fix or remove.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
Nov. 8, 2021 • ~7 min

Unlike the US, Europe is setting ambitious targets for producing more organic food

An expert on organic agriculture argues that the US is missing an economic and environmental opportunity by not working to scale up organic production.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University • conversation
Nov. 3, 2021 • ~9 min

Biden calls for a big expansion of offshore wind – here's how officials decide where the turbines may go

The Biden administration is proposing a big increase in offshore wind power. A former state official explains how regulators find the best sites and balance competing interests.

David Cash, Distinguished Fellow, Sustainable Solutions Lab, University of Massachusetts Boston • conversation
Oct. 19, 2021 • ~8 min

Biden restores protection for national monuments Trump shrank: 5 essential reads

The Biden administration is restoring full protection to three national monuments that President Trump sought to cut down drastically.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
Oct. 8, 2021 • ~9 min

Maria Zuber testifies before Congress on striking the right balance between research security and openness

“U.S. competitiveness depends less on defensive measures than on what we do to strengthen our own capacities,” says MIT’s vice president for research.

Office of the Vice President for Research | MIT Washington Office • mit
Oct. 7, 2021 • ~5 min

How Theranos' faulty blood tests got to market – and what that shows about gaps in FDA regulation

The FDA has chosen not to regulate lab-developed tests like the ones at the center of the Theranos trial.

Ana Santos Rutschman, Assistant Professor of Law, Saint Louis University • conversation
Oct. 5, 2021 • ~9 min

Puerto Rico has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a clean energy grid – but FEMA plans to spend $9.4 billion on fossil fuel infrastructure instead

Four years after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, federal money to rebuild its electricity system is finally about to flow. But it may not deliver what islanders want.

Rachel Stevens, Professor of Law & Staff Attorney, Vermont Law School • conversation
Oct. 4, 2021 • ~8 min

Who pays and who benefits from a massive expansion of solar power?

President Biden’s proposed solar power expansion would cost $350 billion in federal support over the coming decade. An energy expert explains where that money would come from and who it would help.

Felix Mormann, Professor of Law, Texas A&M University • conversation
Sept. 30, 2021 • ~9 min

FDA panel member offers closer look at Pfizer vaccine for kids

Ofer Levy, who directs Boston Children’s Hospital’s Precision Vaccines Program, discussed the news that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be safe in school-age children, a potentially key development in the fight to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

Alvin Powell • harvard
Sept. 20, 2021 • ~6 min

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