Recently, the Trump administration has cut funds from the National Institution of Health and the National Science Foundation. Additionally, all federal grants and funds may be subjected to budget cuts or additional restrictions impacting the disbursement of funds. Universities across the United States are currently responding, with larger research universities that are most dependent on these funds rescinding admission acceptance or implementing hiring freezes. These budget cuts also threaten ongoing research and career plans at Oberlin. 

According to Vice President for Finance and Administration Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, the College currently has 24 active grants or subawards from the federal government, accounting for more than $5.2 million in grants. Annually, the College expends $1 million of money it receives in grants. 

These grants support research assistantships for students, lab and fieldwork, and travel for researchers. 

The Trump administration has ordered a 15 percent cap on the National Institute of Health’s indirect or overhead costs for research. The change is expected to impact research institutions by reducing the amount of funding available for overhead expenses. However, a federal judge has injuncted this cap, so it is unclear if it will actually go into effect. 

According to Oberlin Executive Director of the Office of Foundation, Government and Corporate Grants Pam Snyder, a Jan. 27 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget froze any new awards of federal funds and payment of funds under any existing obligations. It also ended review panels of requests for funding opportunities. However, the memorandum was withdrawn after a federal judge temporarily blocked it, and Oberlin has access to all of its grant money.

This has caused a larger amount of uncertainty for the Finance and Grants offices, and for many members of Oberlin’s faculty.

According to Snyder, faculty are concerned about whether their research will continue, as well as how the funding cuts will impact the future careers of their students and the prospects for scientific research in the U.S. as a whole. She said that faculty in the humanities and arts were also concerned that the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, which support their research, would no longer be able to fund research or other activities.

Lisa Ryno, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Oberlin, is currently in the final year of an NSF grant. Typically, a one-year extension is granted automatically; however, Ryno is uncertain about the likelihood of securing future funding. Her grant has supported approximately 20 students through summer research stipends, conference travel, and research supplies and has also provided employment for two postbaccalaureate researchers. Ryno’s research has seen strong progress, and she expressed concern that the lack of future NSF grants will disrupt the momentum she has built.

Claire Emma McGreggor ’11 Professor of Neuroscience Tracie Paine is also facing challenges. Paine had applied for a grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, and her application had progressed to the final stage of review. However, the final meeting to approve grants was canceled, and the timeline for rescheduling remains unclear.

Andrew Pike, assistant professor of Biology at Oberlin, had applied for a grant the previous year with Dr. Gaybe Moore. Though they were not awarded the grant previously, both professors had plans to resubmit it, specifically for the purpose of building research capacity at smaller institutions and engaging a more diverse student body. This is no longer possible, as the grant has ceased to exist.

Last Friday, scientists congregated in nationwide protests, dubbed “Stand Up for Science,” with the biggest gathering in D.C. Ryno attended a rally in Columbus, along with Swapna Pathak, associate professor of Environmental Studies. Other Oberlin faculty and students were also present at the protests.

Faculty members are also cognizant of what these changes in funding mean in a broader context. Dr. Monica Blatnik, assistant professor of Biology, expressed concern that a pause on the review of grants was particularly impacting younger less-established researchers, thereby slowing the growth of the field. Dr. Michelle Johnson, assistant professor of Neuroscience, had planned to apply for both an NSF and an NIH grant but has had to postpone those plans in light of present uncertainty.

Effects are snowballing at the institutional level at an increasing pace. The cuts to NIH and NSF funding are affecting not only faculty but also students, particularly those looking for research opportunities after graduation, as well as summer research opportunities.

Tanisha Shende, College third-year, received an email from the Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, a key NSF initiative aimed at supporting students from diverse backgrounds in STEM fields. The email notified applicants that while official decisions have not been released, the program has reduced the number of spots available due to funding cuts. The email advised students to seek other opportunities.

This crackdown on opportunities is reflective of the Trump administration’s opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. 

Katie Tang, college fourth-year, will be graduating this spring. Tang’s plans to apply for the NIH post-baccalaureate progras had to be dismissed, and she is now anticipating difficulties in securing research positions due to increased competition with other applicants who have more experience, including those displaced by cuts at other institutions.

Admissions and recruitment processes at several graduate institutions have been affected. Diana Tymochko, College fourth-year, said that the University of Wisconsin-Madison sent out emails to applicants for the biophysics PhD program, attaching a survey asking about the likelihood of students accepting an offer. The University cited uncertainty caused by changes in federal funding.

Other students have also received communication about summer internships that is causing uncertainty.

Nyrobi Whitfield, College third-year, expressed concerns about the stability of her National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration internship for the summer. Whitfield, who will be working at the Kachemak Bay Research site in Alaska, has heard conflicting information about whether the program will proceed. 

“I haven’t heard anything about it being canceled for that specific site,” Whitfield said. “But the last thing I heard from my mentor was that he was giving us the emails of some people just in case he got fired. I haven’t heard from him since.”

Whitfield and Shende, both Research Ambassadors at the Oberlin Office of Undergraduate Research, mentioned that they were trying to keep organizing educational programming. Shende also mentioned that they would be collaborating with the Multicultural Resource Center to host open dialogues on the subject, and organize an educational teach-in in the coming months.

A day after her interview, Shende told the Review that she was having difficulties continuing her employment at Cornell University due to concerns around funding. 

Moreover, certain specific areas of research have been affected more than others. Shaswat Gajurel, College second-year, explained that the malaria research program at the University of Maryland, where he spent his Winter Term, has been heavily impacted due to the reduction in healthcare and research funding. Typically, trips are made to Mali or Kenya to collect blood samples, but the funding cuts have cast doubt on whether these trips will happen, which will delay research progress. Professor Pike also expressed fear that ongoing cuts may lead to a reduction in funding for research on diseases that primarily affect regions outside of the U.S., such as malaria and dengue.

“I think the evidence shows that science thrives in groups of diverse people, and I think we need to also emphasize that and highlight that in our efforts to try to advocate for science,”  Blatnik said.

In the absence of federal funding, some colleges, including Yale University, have announced that they will provide funding to researchers to cover money that was lost. Vazquez-Skillings said that she could not speculate as to whether Oberlin would also do the same.

“We can’t speculate on this, as there are so many factors to consider,” she said. “What I can tell you is that Oberlin is committed to providing our students with a world-class higher education experience that includes mentored undergraduate research opportunities.”

With the ongoing climate of uncertainty, Johnson stressed the importance of perseverance. 

“I think about the hope of 10 years from now. And just remember that it’s important to keep going through every day,” Johnson said.