menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Slashing Federal Research Funds Will Set US STEM Students Back | Opinion

3 0
30.06.2025

STEM degrees provide good pay and job security for students who earn them, and they are essential to U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. However, most U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors leave college without a STEM degree.

Policymakers, professors, and college administrators are often unaware of the realities of many students' lives. It's common for today's college students to work out of financial necessity, take care of children or elders, and manage illness or disability. These factors impact degree progress for many students, but are rarely the subject of formal research.

Last year, my research team in Texas, New York, and New Jersey was awarded a $2.25 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to address this critical gap. This was the first large-scale research project to investigate how college structures help or hurt the degree progress of STEM majors who experience illness, injury, disability, or mental health conditions. However, on May 2, the NSF, under the direction of the Trump administration, abruptly terminated our grant without explanation.

Now, it's unclear if we will ever........

© Newsweek