Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
Foundations
Featured Stories
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: Third-Party Doctrine is Dying, Government Surveillance is Not
LOS ANGELES, California, July 25 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by technology policy analyst Nicole Shekhovtsova:
* * *
The third-party doctrine is dying. Government surveillance is not
The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault.
-
In its recent Chatrie v. United States decision, the Supreme Court held that obtaining a person's Google location history through a geofence warrant falls within the Fourth Amendment's protections. The 6-3 decision chips away at the third-party doctrine, a rule ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 25 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by technology policy analyst Nicole Shekhovtsova: * * * The third-party doctrine is dying. Government surveillance is not The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault. - In its recent Chatrie v. United States decision, the Supreme Court held that obtaining a person's Google location history through a geofence warrant falls within the Fourth Amendment's protections. The 6-3 decision chips away at the third-party doctrine, a rulethat has allowed the government to bypass particular warrants to access sensitive information people share with private companies.
But even after Chatrie, the Fourth Amendment's protections remain narrow. Many of the ways the government gets our data never cross a judge's desk. The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault. Yet lawmakers keep forcing companies to build them.
The rule at issue
The Supreme Court's ruling stems from a 2019 bank robbery in Virginia. Because investigators did not have a specific suspect, they used a geofence warrant. Instead of targeting a known individual, this type of warrant requires a company like Google to search its location database and identify every device near a crime scene during a specific timeframe. Using this method, police identified Okello Chatrie, whose phone was one of 19 located near the robbery.
While this case moved through the court system, Google changed how it stores location history. In 2023, the company moved the data from its central servers directly to individual users' devices. This change meant Google could no longer respond to geofence warrants. By the time the Supreme Court ruled on the case, Justice Samuel Alito noted in his dissent that the majority was weighing in on a procedure that was already obsolete.
To understand the impact of the Chatrie ruling, it is important to look at the legal rule the government used to request this data: the third-party doctrine. Born from two 1970s Supreme Court cases, United States v. Miller and Smith v. Maryland, the third-party doctrine determined that information and data collected by businesses as part of our voluntary interactions with them, like dialed numbers or bank records, carry no reasonable expectation of privacy and can be obtained by police and other government authorities without a warrant.
But technology has evolved, and today no one gets through a day without their phones, computers, other tech devices, and even their vehicles handing companies their locations, search queries, and private messages. The Supreme Court acknowledged this issue in 2018 in Carpenter v. United States, ruling that individuals have a privacy interest in "the whole of their physical movements." In Carpenter, the court ruled that obtaining cell-tower phone records constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment, even if it's a phone company, and not the citizen targeted by police, who holds the data.
Chatrie extends Carpenter's logic to location history. The majority reasoned this data is vastly more precise than cell-site location information (CSLI), capable of identifying the exact floor of a building a user has been on. And because location data is an unavoidable byproduct of phone use rather than a genuinely "shared" file, its collection lacks the "voluntary disclosure" the third-party doctrine was built on.
While the majority technically confined its holding to location data, Chatrie's reasoning reaches further. If location history requires a warrant, it's worth asking whether the same protection should extend to the rest of the data on our phones.
Alito pressed this point further, asking where the boundary lies between location data and other traditionally unprotected records like digital purchases, search histories, and payment logs. The court may not be explicitly protecting those records yet, but Chatrie sets a precedent, and the era of using the third-party doctrine to justify warrant-free surveillance may be slowly coming to an end.
The "panopticon" problem and how Google dismantled it
But even if the Supreme Court overturned the third-party doctrine tomorrow, the core privacy concerns would remain. Justice Elena Kagan noted that the government can draw on an "all-encompassing database" of people's movements, "a virtual panopticon with which to scrutinize its citizens' activities." Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson echoed this in her concurrence, noting that only Google's pushback, not the law, stopped police from gathering data on everyone swept up in the Chatrie geofence.
Ultimately, a company's decision to eliminate a database offered more practical privacy protection than the Fourth Amendment. Google's decision was valuable and important for its users' privacy, but there are still thousands of other apps that stockpile our sensitive data. Various government agencies have found a way to collect our private data from them, bypassing the Fourth Amendment entirely.
The purchase loophole
The easiest workaround for the government is simply buying the data. Data brokers harvest location data from ordinary apps and sell it to anyone, including the government, and the Chatrie decision does not protect this information from collection.
The Constitution is designed to stop the government from forcing its way into your private life without due process. But because the government isn't forcing the broker to hand over the information, it doesn't need a warrant. Instead, the law treats the government just like any ordinary paying customer.
This loophole betrays the Fourth Amendment's underlying intent. America's founders banned "general warrants" specifically to stop the government from indiscriminately rummaging through people's private lives to monitor their beliefs, habits, and associations.
Today, federal agencies buy Americans' data and acknowledge it can reveal as much as data obtained via a warrant. The military bought location data from a Muslim prayer app, allowing them to track and profile a specific religious group without cause. Homeland Security violated its own policies to buy phone-tracking data. Local police use cheap subscriptions to special search engines to browse billions of location pings without legal process. After Roe v. Wade was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, one broker even sold data to enable tracking visits to abortion clinics.
When the government demands businesses maintain the panopticon for them
But there is a more systemic problem underlying all of this: The government often mandates the creation of the very databases it later exploits. For 50 years, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 has required banks to record customers' transactions and report anything suspicious. In fact, the records in Miller, the case that created the third-party doctrine, existed only because this law demanded them. And to this day, federal agencies use this exact system to comb through Americans' finances without warrants.
Smith followed the same blueprint: The phone records in that case existed solely because FCC regulations mandated telecom companies to retain them. When regulators later tried to scrap the rule, the Justice Department intervened, admitting the data was "essential" for investigations. Both founding cases of the third-party doctrine rest on the government explicitly ordering the records kept, then using them without a warrant.
The most recent and alarming expansion is the aggressive push at both the state and federal levels to mandate online age verification. By requiring websites to collect government IDs, lawmakers are forcing private companies yet again to build massive new databases of highly sensitive identity documents.
For decades, security experts have warned that mandating these massive, centralized data vaults creates a liability that compromises everyone's safety. The government must stop forcing these databases into existence and rely on traditional individualized warrants, freeing companies to delete the data they no longer need.
Google's decision to move location history onto individual devices proves that companies can, in fact, choose to decentralize our data. There is a clear business incentive: When consumers grow tired of being tracked, privacy sells. But we cannot rely on corporate goodwill alone, nor can we wait for the court to solve the problem: Chatrie took seven years, and by the time it was decided, the technology it judged was already obsolete.
The ultimate responsibility lies with lawmakers, and it mostly requires restraint. They must stop legislating massive data vaults into existence and forcing companies to retain records they would rather delete. If we truly want to protect our digital lives, let companies hold less, and stop ordering them to hold more.
* * *
Nicole Shekhovtsova is a technology policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
* * *
Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/the-third-party-doctrine-is-dying-government-surveillance-is-not/
* * *
The third-party doctrine is dying. Government surveillance is not
The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault.
-
In its recent Chatrie v. United States decision, the Supreme Court held that obtaining a person's Google location history through a geofence warrant falls within the Fourth Amendment's protections. The 6-3 decision chips away at the third-party doctrine, a rule ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, July 25 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary by technology policy analyst Nicole Shekhovtsova: * * * The third-party doctrine is dying. Government surveillance is not The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault. - In its recent Chatrie v. United States decision, the Supreme Court held that obtaining a person's Google location history through a geofence warrant falls within the Fourth Amendment's protections. The 6-3 decision chips away at the third-party doctrine, a rulethat has allowed the government to bypass particular warrants to access sensitive information people share with private companies.
But even after Chatrie, the Fourth Amendment's protections remain narrow. Many of the ways the government gets our data never cross a judge's desk. The strongest privacy protection, it turns out, isn't a warrant: It's when our data is never collected into a single vault. Yet lawmakers keep forcing companies to build them.
The rule at issue
The Supreme Court's ruling stems from a 2019 bank robbery in Virginia. Because investigators did not have a specific suspect, they used a geofence warrant. Instead of targeting a known individual, this type of warrant requires a company like Google to search its location database and identify every device near a crime scene during a specific timeframe. Using this method, police identified Okello Chatrie, whose phone was one of 19 located near the robbery.
While this case moved through the court system, Google changed how it stores location history. In 2023, the company moved the data from its central servers directly to individual users' devices. This change meant Google could no longer respond to geofence warrants. By the time the Supreme Court ruled on the case, Justice Samuel Alito noted in his dissent that the majority was weighing in on a procedure that was already obsolete.
To understand the impact of the Chatrie ruling, it is important to look at the legal rule the government used to request this data: the third-party doctrine. Born from two 1970s Supreme Court cases, United States v. Miller and Smith v. Maryland, the third-party doctrine determined that information and data collected by businesses as part of our voluntary interactions with them, like dialed numbers or bank records, carry no reasonable expectation of privacy and can be obtained by police and other government authorities without a warrant.
But technology has evolved, and today no one gets through a day without their phones, computers, other tech devices, and even their vehicles handing companies their locations, search queries, and private messages. The Supreme Court acknowledged this issue in 2018 in Carpenter v. United States, ruling that individuals have a privacy interest in "the whole of their physical movements." In Carpenter, the court ruled that obtaining cell-tower phone records constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment, even if it's a phone company, and not the citizen targeted by police, who holds the data.
Chatrie extends Carpenter's logic to location history. The majority reasoned this data is vastly more precise than cell-site location information (CSLI), capable of identifying the exact floor of a building a user has been on. And because location data is an unavoidable byproduct of phone use rather than a genuinely "shared" file, its collection lacks the "voluntary disclosure" the third-party doctrine was built on.
While the majority technically confined its holding to location data, Chatrie's reasoning reaches further. If location history requires a warrant, it's worth asking whether the same protection should extend to the rest of the data on our phones.
Alito pressed this point further, asking where the boundary lies between location data and other traditionally unprotected records like digital purchases, search histories, and payment logs. The court may not be explicitly protecting those records yet, but Chatrie sets a precedent, and the era of using the third-party doctrine to justify warrant-free surveillance may be slowly coming to an end.
The "panopticon" problem and how Google dismantled it
But even if the Supreme Court overturned the third-party doctrine tomorrow, the core privacy concerns would remain. Justice Elena Kagan noted that the government can draw on an "all-encompassing database" of people's movements, "a virtual panopticon with which to scrutinize its citizens' activities." Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson echoed this in her concurrence, noting that only Google's pushback, not the law, stopped police from gathering data on everyone swept up in the Chatrie geofence.
Ultimately, a company's decision to eliminate a database offered more practical privacy protection than the Fourth Amendment. Google's decision was valuable and important for its users' privacy, but there are still thousands of other apps that stockpile our sensitive data. Various government agencies have found a way to collect our private data from them, bypassing the Fourth Amendment entirely.
The purchase loophole
The easiest workaround for the government is simply buying the data. Data brokers harvest location data from ordinary apps and sell it to anyone, including the government, and the Chatrie decision does not protect this information from collection.
The Constitution is designed to stop the government from forcing its way into your private life without due process. But because the government isn't forcing the broker to hand over the information, it doesn't need a warrant. Instead, the law treats the government just like any ordinary paying customer.
This loophole betrays the Fourth Amendment's underlying intent. America's founders banned "general warrants" specifically to stop the government from indiscriminately rummaging through people's private lives to monitor their beliefs, habits, and associations.
Today, federal agencies buy Americans' data and acknowledge it can reveal as much as data obtained via a warrant. The military bought location data from a Muslim prayer app, allowing them to track and profile a specific religious group without cause. Homeland Security violated its own policies to buy phone-tracking data. Local police use cheap subscriptions to special search engines to browse billions of location pings without legal process. After Roe v. Wade was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, one broker even sold data to enable tracking visits to abortion clinics.
When the government demands businesses maintain the panopticon for them
But there is a more systemic problem underlying all of this: The government often mandates the creation of the very databases it later exploits. For 50 years, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 has required banks to record customers' transactions and report anything suspicious. In fact, the records in Miller, the case that created the third-party doctrine, existed only because this law demanded them. And to this day, federal agencies use this exact system to comb through Americans' finances without warrants.
Smith followed the same blueprint: The phone records in that case existed solely because FCC regulations mandated telecom companies to retain them. When regulators later tried to scrap the rule, the Justice Department intervened, admitting the data was "essential" for investigations. Both founding cases of the third-party doctrine rest on the government explicitly ordering the records kept, then using them without a warrant.
The most recent and alarming expansion is the aggressive push at both the state and federal levels to mandate online age verification. By requiring websites to collect government IDs, lawmakers are forcing private companies yet again to build massive new databases of highly sensitive identity documents.
For decades, security experts have warned that mandating these massive, centralized data vaults creates a liability that compromises everyone's safety. The government must stop forcing these databases into existence and rely on traditional individualized warrants, freeing companies to delete the data they no longer need.
Google's decision to move location history onto individual devices proves that companies can, in fact, choose to decentralize our data. There is a clear business incentive: When consumers grow tired of being tracked, privacy sells. But we cannot rely on corporate goodwill alone, nor can we wait for the court to solve the problem: Chatrie took seven years, and by the time it was decided, the technology it judged was already obsolete.
The ultimate responsibility lies with lawmakers, and it mostly requires restraint. They must stop legislating massive data vaults into existence and forcing companies to retain records they would rather delete. If we truly want to protect our digital lives, let companies hold less, and stop ordering them to hold more.
* * *
Nicole Shekhovtsova is a technology policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
* * *
Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/the-third-party-doctrine-is-dying-government-surveillance-is-not/
RSE Research Awards Strengthen Scotland's Research Future With pound sterling661K Funding Boost
EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 25 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news:
* * *
RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost
We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call.
-
Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer ... Show Full Article EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 25 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news: * * * RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call. - Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmerScotland, and mapping poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities and how we can address the knowledge-to-action gap.
In this round, lead investigators represent 14 of the Scottish universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators representing 22 institutions in total, including international organisations in Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada.
The RSE's Research Awards Programme opens in spring and autumn each year and aims to support Scotland's research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, commented,
"The RSE's Research Awards continue to be a cornerstone of Scotland's thriving research community. I am confident that the recipients of these distinguished awards will push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful benefits for people across Scotland and beyond. On behalf of the Society, I extend warm congratulations to these exceptional researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work."
The RSE is deeply grateful for the continued support of the Scottish Funding Council, as well as the valued contributions from the RSE Scotland Foundation and the Caledonian Research Fund.
Recipients of Spring 2026 RSE Research Awards:
Small Research Grants
* Dr Jessica Arnull, University of Edinburgh
Seabird-mediated nutrient connectivity across coral-seagrass systems in the Maldives
* Dr Abdelaziz Beqqali, University of Edinburgh
Establishing OOPS in thin murine heart tissue slices to enable direct analysis of cardiac RNA-binding proteins
* Dr Gianluca Destro, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Professor Adriana Tavares, University of Edinburgh
Liposome enhanced SPECT imaging of PARP 1 in triple negative breast cancer using technetium 99m
* Professor Georgios Gerasimou, University of Glasgow
On the consistency between scoring and augmented ranking methods for eliciting preference intensities: An experimental study
* Dr Jake Greenfield, University of St Andrews
Photoswitchable imines: Now in water
* Dr Clare Hamilton, Moredun Research Institute, with collaborator Dr David Smith, Moredun Research Institute
Understanding intestinal invasion by toxoplasma gondii
* Dr Johannes Heim, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Martina Wiltschko, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
SELFLings: Development of self-talk in children
* Dr Rebecca Hewer, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Dr Ben Collier, University of Edinburgh
The feminist policy project
* Dr Davina Hill, University of Glasgow
Environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites
* Dr Kat Hunfeld, University of St Andrews
For land held in common: Sustainable futures through community land buyouts
* Dr Diarmaid Kelliher, University of Glasgow
An angry silence? Social ostracism, boycotts and unofficial discipline in the postwar British workplace
* Dr Neil Kirk, Abertay University
AI voices and the illusion of truth
* Dr Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh
The politics of sport mega-events in a multipolar world
* Dr Siobhan Magee, University of Edinburgh
'UV citizenship': Understanding stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer and warmer Scotland
* Dr Rhiannon McGlade, University of Strathclyde
In visible ink: Visual print media and women in Spain (1968-1993)
* Dr Andrew McLean, University of Edinburgh
Competition law and the left
* Dr Katharine Mitchell, University of Strathclyde
Making before the credits: Feminist genealogies and the making of Italian women film pioneers, 1914-22
* Dr Ryan Morris, University of Edinburgh
Environmental drivers of spirochete aggregation
* Professor Miratul Muqit, University of Dundee, with collaborator Dr Odetta Antico, University of Dundee
Establishing pulsed SILAM to assess protein turnover dysregulation in a PINK1-deficient mouse model of Parkinson's disease
* Professor Gordon Noble, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Kate Britton, University of Aberdeen
Tracing livestock mobility and provisioning networks in early medieval Dal Riata: A multi-isotope analysis
* Dr Constantina Papadopoulou, University of the West of Scotland
Supporting wellbeing after low-grade brain tumours: Understanding survivorship needs
* Professor Julia Prest, University of St Andrews
Dance and disability: Exclusion, imitation and inclusion in the early modern period and today
* Dr Michael Rapport, University of Glasgow
The spatial French Revolution: The transformation of buildings and spaces in revolutionary Paris
* Professor Patrizia Riganti, University of Glasgow
Heritage matters: Embedding cultural heritage value in Scotland's National Performance Framework
* Dr David Roxburgh, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Malika Pedley, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France and Lorna Anderson, Queen Margaret University
MultIPLE: Multilingual and multicultural Initial Professional Learning for Educators
* Dr Blair Saunders, University of Dundee
Is vaping rewriting the science of quitting? Goal structures in smoking and e-cigarette cessation
* Dr Christine Sylvester, University of Strathclyde, with collaborator Dr Heinz Brandenburg, University of Strathclyde
Adversarial politics after devolution: Computational analysis of parliamentary debate in Westminster and Holyrood
* Dr Karolina Watroba, University of Edinburgh
Afterlives of empires: Imagining alternative cultural genealogies in Germany, Poland, Japan, and Korea, 1920s-2020s
* Dr Catherine Wilson, University of Glasgow
Characterising the clinical, immunological and virological features of chronic infection in people with immunosuppression
* Dr Rhona Winnington, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborator Dr Sandra Lucas, University of the West of Scotland
Scoping the landscape of contemporary palliative care in Scotland: A modified VOICES survey
* Dr Philippa Woodcock, University of the Highlands and Islands
They wept together: Investigating miscarriage, taboo and support in early modern Scotland
* Dr Tao Zhang, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Alexander Croke, University of Glasgow
Exploration of flight physics for aerial firefighting in urban environments
Research Collaboration Grants
* Dr Alessandro Boussalem, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Dr Alice Butler-Warke, University of Reading
"This is what community looks like": Building solidarities against the far right in Dundee
* Professor Daniel Clayton, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Professor Federico Ferretti, Universita di Bologna, Italy
Anticolonial geographical imaginations and networks: Rethinking the discipline through 'worldmaking'
* Dr Deval Desai, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Gail Lythgoe, University of Edinburgh and Professor Maria Fletcher, University of Glasgow
Scottish decolonising law network
* Dr Sarah Greenwood, University of Stirling, with collaborator Dr Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Universidad de O Higgins, Chile
Tree growth resilience to an extreme drought event in Chile-is a change of state approaching?
* Dr Laura Guy, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborators Dr Fiona Anderson, Newcastle University and Dr Cole Collins, Glasgow School of Art
Preserving queer photography: Making and maintaining community-led infrastructures of care
* Professor Moira Hulme, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborators Professor Gary Beauchamp, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Professor Catherine Furlong, Dublin City University
Sustaining teaching: A cross-national research collaboration on teacher wellbeing
* Professor Sarah Johnsen, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Olivia Swann, University of Edinburgh and Dr Carey Lunan, University of Edinburgh
Poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities: Closing the knowledge to action gap
* Professor Duncan MacLeod, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborator Dr Frances Wilkins, University of Aberdeen and Mrs Floraidh Forrest, Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches
The carrying stream: Activating Scotland's sound archives through creative transmission
* Dr John McCallum, University of Edinburgh
Centring emotions in Scottish history
* Dr Lisa McDonald, University of St Andrews, with collaborators Professor Sue Farran, Newcastle University and Professor Stuart Jeffrey, Glasgow School of Art
Connecting ancestral owners with dispersed material culture: Nemah itseh (decorated barkcloth) from Erromango, Vanuatu
* Dr Pedro Mendonca, Heriot-Watt University, with collaborator Dr Pille Strauss, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
The impact of algorithmic management on managers: A collaborative study between Scotland and Sweden (MANAGE-AI)
* Professor Fabio Nudelman, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Claire Donnelly, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Dr Johannes Ihli, Experiments Division, ALBA Synchrotron, Spain
In search of a unifying microstructural motive among brachiopod shells
* Dr Admire Nyamwanza, Queen Margaret University, with collaborator Dr Katelyn Johnson, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Bridging the implementation gap: A Scotland-South Africa partnership for health-centred governance of nature-based solutions
* Professor Alison Phipps, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Aleksandra Glos, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
Co-creating hope with refugee children
* Dr Carolina Recart, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Samuele Colombo, University of Strathclyde and Professor Asa Wikberg-Nilsson, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden
Occupants in the loop: A biometric-informed system for real-time occupant-centred building performance
* Professor Dan Swanton, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Lesley Batty, University of Birmingham and Professor Emeritus Derek France, University of Chester
Co-creating a manifesto for fieldwork: Building a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable future for fieldwork education
* Dr Sergiy Sylantyev, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Dr Olga Kopach, City St. George's University of London
Investigating the PIEZO1 channel function across brain neuronal types in health and in pathological models
* Dr J. Kelechi Ugwuanyi, University of Glasgow, with collaborators Dr George Agbo, University of Edinburgh and Professor Tochukwu Omenma, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
Decolonial heritage otherwise: Engaging Igbo cultural heritage in Scotland
* Dr Ellen Vanderhoven, University of Glasgow, with Dr Johannes Schmees, University of Derby
Youth voice and representation in Scottish apprenticeships
* Dr Victor H. Villar, University of St Andrews
Uncovering ISG15-driven metabolic reprogramming in synovial sarcoma and liposarcoma for therapeutic and biomarker development
Personal Research Fellowships
* Professor Stephen Bogle, University of Glasgow
Rights and reparation: The structure of Scots delict
* Dr Daniela Castro-Camilo, University of Glasgow
SEED: Spatial modelling of extreme counts for environmental and ecological data
* Dr Andreas Hackl, University of Edinburgh
Digital lifelines: The promise and peril of remote work for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
* Dr David Nelson, University of Strathclyde
Low valent nickel complexes as tools to explore catalytic reaction mechanisms
* Dr Michiel Poesen, University of Aberdeen
Artificial Intelligence and private international law in the EU and UK
* Dr Sally Tuckett, University of Glasgow
Climate and cloth in Scotland's historical and contemporary contexts
RSE International Bilateral Visits (Stream 1)
* Professor Andrew Baker, University of Edinburgh, visiting Professor Judith Sluimer, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Enhancer-mediated targeting of adventitial fibroblasts in vein graft atherosclerosis
* Professor Alison Brown, University of Aberdeen, visiting Dr Cara Krmpotich, University of Toronto, Canada
Family reunions: Digital engagement and diplomacy between Scotland and the Great Lakes of Turtle Island
* Dr Gwenne McIntosh, University of Stirling, visiting Mr Simon Githui, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT), Kenya
Developing anti-stigma strategies for young people in Kenya: A co-production initiative
* * *
Original text here: https://rse.org.uk/rse-research-awards-strengthen-scotlands-research-future-with-661k-funding-boost/
* * *
RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost
We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call.
-
Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer ... Show Full Article EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 25 -- The Royal Society of Edinburgh issued the following news: * * * RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland's research future with pound sterling661K funding boost We are pleased to announce that 61 exceptional research projects were selected at the spring 2026 Research Awards open call. - Over pound sterling661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmerScotland, and mapping poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities and how we can address the knowledge-to-action gap.
In this round, lead investigators represent 14 of the Scottish universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators representing 22 institutions in total, including international organisations in Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada.
The RSE's Research Awards Programme opens in spring and autumn each year and aims to support Scotland's research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, commented,
"The RSE's Research Awards continue to be a cornerstone of Scotland's thriving research community. I am confident that the recipients of these distinguished awards will push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful benefits for people across Scotland and beyond. On behalf of the Society, I extend warm congratulations to these exceptional researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work."
The RSE is deeply grateful for the continued support of the Scottish Funding Council, as well as the valued contributions from the RSE Scotland Foundation and the Caledonian Research Fund.
Recipients of Spring 2026 RSE Research Awards:
Small Research Grants
* Dr Jessica Arnull, University of Edinburgh
Seabird-mediated nutrient connectivity across coral-seagrass systems in the Maldives
* Dr Abdelaziz Beqqali, University of Edinburgh
Establishing OOPS in thin murine heart tissue slices to enable direct analysis of cardiac RNA-binding proteins
* Dr Gianluca Destro, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Professor Adriana Tavares, University of Edinburgh
Liposome enhanced SPECT imaging of PARP 1 in triple negative breast cancer using technetium 99m
* Professor Georgios Gerasimou, University of Glasgow
On the consistency between scoring and augmented ranking methods for eliciting preference intensities: An experimental study
* Dr Jake Greenfield, University of St Andrews
Photoswitchable imines: Now in water
* Dr Clare Hamilton, Moredun Research Institute, with collaborator Dr David Smith, Moredun Research Institute
Understanding intestinal invasion by toxoplasma gondii
* Dr Johannes Heim, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Martina Wiltschko, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
SELFLings: Development of self-talk in children
* Dr Rebecca Hewer, University of Edinburgh, with collaborator Dr Ben Collier, University of Edinburgh
The feminist policy project
* Dr Davina Hill, University of Glasgow
Environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites
* Dr Kat Hunfeld, University of St Andrews
For land held in common: Sustainable futures through community land buyouts
* Dr Diarmaid Kelliher, University of Glasgow
An angry silence? Social ostracism, boycotts and unofficial discipline in the postwar British workplace
* Dr Neil Kirk, Abertay University
AI voices and the illusion of truth
* Dr Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh
The politics of sport mega-events in a multipolar world
* Dr Siobhan Magee, University of Edinburgh
'UV citizenship': Understanding stakeholders' attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer and warmer Scotland
* Dr Rhiannon McGlade, University of Strathclyde
In visible ink: Visual print media and women in Spain (1968-1993)
* Dr Andrew McLean, University of Edinburgh
Competition law and the left
* Dr Katharine Mitchell, University of Strathclyde
Making before the credits: Feminist genealogies and the making of Italian women film pioneers, 1914-22
* Dr Ryan Morris, University of Edinburgh
Environmental drivers of spirochete aggregation
* Professor Miratul Muqit, University of Dundee, with collaborator Dr Odetta Antico, University of Dundee
Establishing pulsed SILAM to assess protein turnover dysregulation in a PINK1-deficient mouse model of Parkinson's disease
* Professor Gordon Noble, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Professor Kate Britton, University of Aberdeen
Tracing livestock mobility and provisioning networks in early medieval Dal Riata: A multi-isotope analysis
* Dr Constantina Papadopoulou, University of the West of Scotland
Supporting wellbeing after low-grade brain tumours: Understanding survivorship needs
* Professor Julia Prest, University of St Andrews
Dance and disability: Exclusion, imitation and inclusion in the early modern period and today
* Dr Michael Rapport, University of Glasgow
The spatial French Revolution: The transformation of buildings and spaces in revolutionary Paris
* Professor Patrizia Riganti, University of Glasgow
Heritage matters: Embedding cultural heritage value in Scotland's National Performance Framework
* Dr David Roxburgh, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Malika Pedley, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France and Lorna Anderson, Queen Margaret University
MultIPLE: Multilingual and multicultural Initial Professional Learning for Educators
* Dr Blair Saunders, University of Dundee
Is vaping rewriting the science of quitting? Goal structures in smoking and e-cigarette cessation
* Dr Christine Sylvester, University of Strathclyde, with collaborator Dr Heinz Brandenburg, University of Strathclyde
Adversarial politics after devolution: Computational analysis of parliamentary debate in Westminster and Holyrood
* Dr Karolina Watroba, University of Edinburgh
Afterlives of empires: Imagining alternative cultural genealogies in Germany, Poland, Japan, and Korea, 1920s-2020s
* Dr Catherine Wilson, University of Glasgow
Characterising the clinical, immunological and virological features of chronic infection in people with immunosuppression
* Dr Rhona Winnington, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborator Dr Sandra Lucas, University of the West of Scotland
Scoping the landscape of contemporary palliative care in Scotland: A modified VOICES survey
* Dr Philippa Woodcock, University of the Highlands and Islands
They wept together: Investigating miscarriage, taboo and support in early modern Scotland
* Dr Tao Zhang, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Alexander Croke, University of Glasgow
Exploration of flight physics for aerial firefighting in urban environments
Research Collaboration Grants
* Dr Alessandro Boussalem, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Dr Alice Butler-Warke, University of Reading
"This is what community looks like": Building solidarities against the far right in Dundee
* Professor Daniel Clayton, University of St Andrews, with collaborator Professor Federico Ferretti, Universita di Bologna, Italy
Anticolonial geographical imaginations and networks: Rethinking the discipline through 'worldmaking'
* Dr Deval Desai, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Gail Lythgoe, University of Edinburgh and Professor Maria Fletcher, University of Glasgow
Scottish decolonising law network
* Dr Sarah Greenwood, University of Stirling, with collaborator Dr Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Universidad de O Higgins, Chile
Tree growth resilience to an extreme drought event in Chile-is a change of state approaching?
* Dr Laura Guy, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborators Dr Fiona Anderson, Newcastle University and Dr Cole Collins, Glasgow School of Art
Preserving queer photography: Making and maintaining community-led infrastructures of care
* Professor Moira Hulme, University of the West of Scotland, with collaborators Professor Gary Beauchamp, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Professor Catherine Furlong, Dublin City University
Sustaining teaching: A cross-national research collaboration on teacher wellbeing
* Professor Sarah Johnsen, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Olivia Swann, University of Edinburgh and Dr Carey Lunan, University of Edinburgh
Poverty and health inequalities in Scotland's communities: Closing the knowledge to action gap
* Professor Duncan MacLeod, Glasgow School of Art, with collaborator Dr Frances Wilkins, University of Aberdeen and Mrs Floraidh Forrest, Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches
The carrying stream: Activating Scotland's sound archives through creative transmission
* Dr John McCallum, University of Edinburgh
Centring emotions in Scottish history
* Dr Lisa McDonald, University of St Andrews, with collaborators Professor Sue Farran, Newcastle University and Professor Stuart Jeffrey, Glasgow School of Art
Connecting ancestral owners with dispersed material culture: Nemah itseh (decorated barkcloth) from Erromango, Vanuatu
* Dr Pedro Mendonca, Heriot-Watt University, with collaborator Dr Pille Strauss, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
The impact of algorithmic management on managers: A collaborative study between Scotland and Sweden (MANAGE-AI)
* Professor Fabio Nudelman, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Claire Donnelly, ETH Zurich, Switzerland and Dr Johannes Ihli, Experiments Division, ALBA Synchrotron, Spain
In search of a unifying microstructural motive among brachiopod shells
* Dr Admire Nyamwanza, Queen Margaret University, with collaborator Dr Katelyn Johnson, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Bridging the implementation gap: A Scotland-South Africa partnership for health-centred governance of nature-based solutions
* Professor Alison Phipps, University of Glasgow, with collaborator Dr Aleksandra Glos, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
Co-creating hope with refugee children
* Dr Carolina Recart, University of Strathclyde, with collaborators Dr Samuele Colombo, University of Strathclyde and Professor Asa Wikberg-Nilsson, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden
Occupants in the loop: A biometric-informed system for real-time occupant-centred building performance
* Professor Dan Swanton, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Professor Lesley Batty, University of Birmingham and Professor Emeritus Derek France, University of Chester
Co-creating a manifesto for fieldwork: Building a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable future for fieldwork education
* Dr Sergiy Sylantyev, University of Aberdeen, with collaborator Dr Olga Kopach, City St. George's University of London
Investigating the PIEZO1 channel function across brain neuronal types in health and in pathological models
* Dr J. Kelechi Ugwuanyi, University of Glasgow, with collaborators Dr George Agbo, University of Edinburgh and Professor Tochukwu Omenma, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
Decolonial heritage otherwise: Engaging Igbo cultural heritage in Scotland
* Dr Ellen Vanderhoven, University of Glasgow, with Dr Johannes Schmees, University of Derby
Youth voice and representation in Scottish apprenticeships
* Dr Victor H. Villar, University of St Andrews
Uncovering ISG15-driven metabolic reprogramming in synovial sarcoma and liposarcoma for therapeutic and biomarker development
Personal Research Fellowships
* Professor Stephen Bogle, University of Glasgow
Rights and reparation: The structure of Scots delict
* Dr Daniela Castro-Camilo, University of Glasgow
SEED: Spatial modelling of extreme counts for environmental and ecological data
* Dr Andreas Hackl, University of Edinburgh
Digital lifelines: The promise and peril of remote work for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
* Dr David Nelson, University of Strathclyde
Low valent nickel complexes as tools to explore catalytic reaction mechanisms
* Dr Michiel Poesen, University of Aberdeen
Artificial Intelligence and private international law in the EU and UK
* Dr Sally Tuckett, University of Glasgow
Climate and cloth in Scotland's historical and contemporary contexts
RSE International Bilateral Visits (Stream 1)
* Professor Andrew Baker, University of Edinburgh, visiting Professor Judith Sluimer, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Enhancer-mediated targeting of adventitial fibroblasts in vein graft atherosclerosis
* Professor Alison Brown, University of Aberdeen, visiting Dr Cara Krmpotich, University of Toronto, Canada
Family reunions: Digital engagement and diplomacy between Scotland and the Great Lakes of Turtle Island
* Dr Gwenne McIntosh, University of Stirling, visiting Mr Simon Githui, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT), Kenya
Developing anti-stigma strategies for young people in Kenya: A co-production initiative
* * *
Original text here: https://rse.org.uk/rse-research-awards-strengthen-scotlands-research-future-with-661k-funding-boost/
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: Britain's New Prime Minister Unveils His Vision
DETROIT, Michigan, July 25 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by political theorist Jake Scott:
* * *
Andy Burnham Takes the Stage
Britain's new prime minister unveils his vision.
-
On July 20, Andy Burnham attended Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III invited him to form a government--making him Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham is nicknamed "the King of the North," inspired by the Game of Thrones series and also speaks to his extremely popular tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. As a politician, he reflects all ... Show Full Article DETROIT, Michigan, July 25 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by political theorist Jake Scott: * * * Andy Burnham Takes the Stage Britain's new prime minister unveils his vision. - On July 20, Andy Burnham attended Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III invited him to form a government--making him Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham is nicknamed "the King of the North," inspired by the Game of Thrones series and also speaks to his extremely popular tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. As a politician, he reflects allof the establishment's trusted elements and very little of its baggage. Having served as a minister in Blair's government and won three landslide re-elections since becoming Manchester's mayor, Burnham has managed to avoid the scandals associated with the Labour Party of the last two decades while building a prominent personal brand--and has cast a shadow over Sir Keir Starmer's leadership as a result.
His route back to power has been managed extremely well. Although he was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February 2026 by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee, his opening came in May when an ally of his, Josh Simons, resigned from the Makerfield seat. The resignation was explicitly intended to let Burnham stand for Parliament, making this the first time a by-election has been engineered to allow a candidate to parachute into a seat since 1965. Strictly speaking, the leader of a party does not need to be an MP, but the practical developments of the 19th century still very much influence how our politics work.
Even so, there remains a certain degree of ambiguity over what Burnham's ideological position is, and what policies he would seek to advance as prime minister; so much so that Aiden Hayes, a contributor to Sky News, confidently declared that "nobody knows what he stands for." This is not strictly true: Burnham's tenure as Manchester's mayor offers great insight into his economic beliefs and wider ideology, and he has hardly been quiet when it comes to the direction of British politics.
Burnham, already widely popular in Manchester, became a national figure during the COVID-19 pandemic when he became a vocal opponent of Westminster's distribution of resources in response to the crisis and the perception that there was not enough financial support going to Manchester--or, indeed, most regions of the UK.
As he became prime minister, Burnham promised to give away a slice of the power he was about to inherit, pledging to move part of the prime minister's operation north and hand economic authority to the regions, in what he called the biggest rebalancing of power the country has seen. Burnham calls this doctrine "Manchesterism."
What is Manchesterism? At its center sits a single proposition: that the essentials of life (water, energy, housing, and transport) cost too much because they have been surrendered to private profit, and that greater public control can drive down those costs for citizens and the state alike. As Burnham himself put it in an essay for The Guardian in January 2026: "The four horsemen of Britain's apocalypse are deindustrialisation, privatisation, austerity and Brexit."
It is, in many ways, regionalist socialism and is not too dissimilar from criticisms made of the existing economic settlement in the UK by much of the Labour Party. Burnham frames this as the "Manchester model" and proposes expanding it nationwide to counter the major issue in contemporary British politics: the cost of living.
Manchesterism has a longer history than Burnham's tenure as mayor. Ian Harvey explains in The Conversation:
Manchesterism is bigger than any one politician. It is the product of decades of collaboration between institutions, communities, leaders, councils, businesses, universities, the NHS and public services... It is less an ideology than a way of governing. It combines long-term leadership with devolved decision-making and a belief that many of society's biggest challenges are best addressed at the level of place rather than directed from Whitehall.
But can Manchesterism survive the realities of the UK Treasury?
On tax, there's a recognizable trajectory. Burnham has said that there is "definitely a case" for restructuring the tax brackets to help lower earners pay less while raising taxes on higher earners, principally through a 10% starting band for lower earners, down from 20%, and restoring the 50% top tax rate. At the same time, he has called council tax--an annual fee for local services, primarily health and social care--"deeply regressive" due to its reliance on a home's 1991 value as a base calculation. Likewise, Burnham has recommitted himself to the Labour Party's 2024 pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance, or value-added tax (VAT) on working people.
The deepest point of conviction for Burnham is, quite obviously, housing. In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham promised the biggest council-housing building program since the postwar period, and has pointed approvingly to Finland's national housing philosophy, which is premised on the idea that a home is infrastructure, and not a speculative asset.
Fortunately for Burnham, much of the legislative infrastructure needed to implement Manchesterism at the national level was put into place by his predecessor. For one, the Great British Energy Act (2025) created a publicly owned energy company to facilitate the delivery of domestic clean energy. For another, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act is returning train operators to the state as their contracts expire under a new Great British Railways. And, for particularly Burnham's own interests, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act (2026)--on the statute book since April--hands metro mayors a standardized framework of powers, with established authorities granted a "right to request" further devolution over time.
Ultimately, the doctrine faces a test far greater than anything it has encountered in a region like Greater Manchester--in the gilt market. Burnham takes office with a legislative apparatus purpose-built to deliver much of what he wants, but what he lacks is fiscal room. Burnham insists that his program reassures rather than alarms, arguing that restoring public control lowers the long-run cost to the state. Whether the markets will agree with him remains to be seen.
* * *
Dr Jake Scott is a political theorist specialising in populism and its relationship to political constitutionality. He has taught at multiple British universities and produced research reports for several think tanks.
* * *
Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/andy-burnham-takes-the-stage/
* * *
Andy Burnham Takes the Stage
Britain's new prime minister unveils his vision.
-
On July 20, Andy Burnham attended Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III invited him to form a government--making him Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham is nicknamed "the King of the North," inspired by the Game of Thrones series and also speaks to his extremely popular tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. As a politician, he reflects all ... Show Full Article DETROIT, Michigan, July 25 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by political theorist Jake Scott: * * * Andy Burnham Takes the Stage Britain's new prime minister unveils his vision. - On July 20, Andy Burnham attended Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III invited him to form a government--making him Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham is nicknamed "the King of the North," inspired by the Game of Thrones series and also speaks to his extremely popular tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. As a politician, he reflects allof the establishment's trusted elements and very little of its baggage. Having served as a minister in Blair's government and won three landslide re-elections since becoming Manchester's mayor, Burnham has managed to avoid the scandals associated with the Labour Party of the last two decades while building a prominent personal brand--and has cast a shadow over Sir Keir Starmer's leadership as a result.
His route back to power has been managed extremely well. Although he was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February 2026 by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee, his opening came in May when an ally of his, Josh Simons, resigned from the Makerfield seat. The resignation was explicitly intended to let Burnham stand for Parliament, making this the first time a by-election has been engineered to allow a candidate to parachute into a seat since 1965. Strictly speaking, the leader of a party does not need to be an MP, but the practical developments of the 19th century still very much influence how our politics work.
Even so, there remains a certain degree of ambiguity over what Burnham's ideological position is, and what policies he would seek to advance as prime minister; so much so that Aiden Hayes, a contributor to Sky News, confidently declared that "nobody knows what he stands for." This is not strictly true: Burnham's tenure as Manchester's mayor offers great insight into his economic beliefs and wider ideology, and he has hardly been quiet when it comes to the direction of British politics.
Burnham, already widely popular in Manchester, became a national figure during the COVID-19 pandemic when he became a vocal opponent of Westminster's distribution of resources in response to the crisis and the perception that there was not enough financial support going to Manchester--or, indeed, most regions of the UK.
As he became prime minister, Burnham promised to give away a slice of the power he was about to inherit, pledging to move part of the prime minister's operation north and hand economic authority to the regions, in what he called the biggest rebalancing of power the country has seen. Burnham calls this doctrine "Manchesterism."
What is Manchesterism? At its center sits a single proposition: that the essentials of life (water, energy, housing, and transport) cost too much because they have been surrendered to private profit, and that greater public control can drive down those costs for citizens and the state alike. As Burnham himself put it in an essay for The Guardian in January 2026: "The four horsemen of Britain's apocalypse are deindustrialisation, privatisation, austerity and Brexit."
It is, in many ways, regionalist socialism and is not too dissimilar from criticisms made of the existing economic settlement in the UK by much of the Labour Party. Burnham frames this as the "Manchester model" and proposes expanding it nationwide to counter the major issue in contemporary British politics: the cost of living.
Manchesterism has a longer history than Burnham's tenure as mayor. Ian Harvey explains in The Conversation:
Manchesterism is bigger than any one politician. It is the product of decades of collaboration between institutions, communities, leaders, councils, businesses, universities, the NHS and public services... It is less an ideology than a way of governing. It combines long-term leadership with devolved decision-making and a belief that many of society's biggest challenges are best addressed at the level of place rather than directed from Whitehall.
But can Manchesterism survive the realities of the UK Treasury?
On tax, there's a recognizable trajectory. Burnham has said that there is "definitely a case" for restructuring the tax brackets to help lower earners pay less while raising taxes on higher earners, principally through a 10% starting band for lower earners, down from 20%, and restoring the 50% top tax rate. At the same time, he has called council tax--an annual fee for local services, primarily health and social care--"deeply regressive" due to its reliance on a home's 1991 value as a base calculation. Likewise, Burnham has recommitted himself to the Labour Party's 2024 pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance, or value-added tax (VAT) on working people.
The deepest point of conviction for Burnham is, quite obviously, housing. In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham promised the biggest council-housing building program since the postwar period, and has pointed approvingly to Finland's national housing philosophy, which is premised on the idea that a home is infrastructure, and not a speculative asset.
Fortunately for Burnham, much of the legislative infrastructure needed to implement Manchesterism at the national level was put into place by his predecessor. For one, the Great British Energy Act (2025) created a publicly owned energy company to facilitate the delivery of domestic clean energy. For another, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act is returning train operators to the state as their contracts expire under a new Great British Railways. And, for particularly Burnham's own interests, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act (2026)--on the statute book since April--hands metro mayors a standardized framework of powers, with established authorities granted a "right to request" further devolution over time.
Ultimately, the doctrine faces a test far greater than anything it has encountered in a region like Greater Manchester--in the gilt market. Burnham takes office with a legislative apparatus purpose-built to deliver much of what he wants, but what he lacks is fiscal room. Burnham insists that his program reassures rather than alarms, arguing that restoring public control lowers the long-run cost to the state. Whether the markets will agree with him remains to be seen.
* * *
Dr Jake Scott is a political theorist specialising in populism and its relationship to political constitutionality. He has taught at multiple British universities and produced research reports for several think tanks.
* * *
Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/andy-burnham-takes-the-stage/
Jed Foundation Releases Preliminary Research on How Teens Are Using Artificial Intelligence and What It Means for Their Mental Health
BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 24 (TNSxrep) -- The Jed Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
The Jed Foundation (JED) Releases Preliminary Research on How Teens Are Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and What It Means for Their Mental Health
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how young people learn, communicate, seek support, and navigate everyday challenges. AI chatbots and tools are becoming an increasingly common part of daily life for young people, offering everything from academic assistance and creative collaboration, to social interaction ... Show Full Article BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 24 (TNSxrep) -- The Jed Foundation issued the following news release: * * * The Jed Foundation (JED) Releases Preliminary Research on How Teens Are Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and What It Means for Their Mental Health [WASHINGTON, D.C.] -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how young people learn, communicate, seek support, and navigate everyday challenges. AI chatbots and tools are becoming an increasingly common part of daily life for young people, offering everything from academic assistance and creative collaboration, to social interactionand emotional support. While many young people report positive experiences with these technologies, there is growing concern about their impact on mental health, development, and well-being.
On July 21, The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults nationwide, gathered 150 congressional staff, policymakers, youth advocates, researchers, and mental health leaders for a bipartisan briefing on Capitol Hill, "Navigating AI: Youth Perspectives, Mental Health, and Public Policy." The briefing provided a preview of findings from original JED research - expected to be released this fall - led by Dr. Kayla Anderson, JED's vice president of research and evaluation.
Between October 2025 - April 2026, JED collected data from more than 5,500 middle and high school students across 21 U.S. schools and school districts enrolled in JED's programs about how they use artificial intelligence (AI). Key findings include:
* AI use is very common: 4 in 5 students used some type of AI.
* Some students use AI in ways that replace human interaction or support: While more than half of students use AI for academics, nearly one third of students use AI for relationship or problem-solving advice and more than one in ten talk to AI for companionship.
- Many students turn to AI when experiencing difficult emotions: Nearly 3 in 5 students used AI when they felt sad, stressed, or lonely.
- AI use differs by age and geography: High school students and rural students were more likely to use AI overall. Middle school students and urban students were more likely to use AI specifically when they were sad, stressed, or lonely.
* AI use has potentially profound implications for mental health, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Students who used AI for emotional or mental health support, for problem-solving advice, when experiencing difficult emotions, or for companionship were more likely to have poorer mental health, were more lonely, and had a greater history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
"AI is already deeply embedded in how young people learn, build relationships, solve problems, and seek support, and JED's preliminary findings underscore the urgency of understanding what that means for their mental health," said Dr. Zainab Okolo, JED's senior vice president of policy, advocacy, and government relations. "Unlike many adults who remember life before constant digital connection, today's young people are growing up with AI as an increasingly intimate part of their social, academic, and emotional lives. Their experiences and perspectives must therefore be central to the policies governing these technologies."
The briefing was led by Dr. Okolo with keynote addresses from JED CEO John MacPhee and Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, principal deputy assistant secretary for health policy and director of national health communications in the office of the Surgeon General. Dr. Haridopolos shared her office's most recent Warning on the Harms of Screen Use, which addresses emerging concerns about how children are interacting with chatbots.
"We are calling for urgent action to protect children at home, in schools, and across platforms," said Dr. Haridopolos. "Kids are growing up in digital spaces that were never designed for their safety, and these online experiences are shaping how they think, feel, and interact in real life. We want children to live real life, not be pulled into harmful environments online. The recently released Surgeon General's Warning on the Harms of Screen Use gives families and communities the guidance they need. History will judge us not only by the steps we took, but by the inaction we allowed."
Panelist Hanae Noirbent, a member of JED's Youth Advisory Council (YAC), shared her perspective on how youth can be protected from potential harms posed by AI. "Youth are already interacting with AI on a day-to-day basis," she said. "We want guardrails implemented that will protect us from the clear risks presented by AI-powered algorithms and generative AI platforms such as chatbots. We also know that there's a real opportunity for AI to serve as an educational support tool, and even as a tool that directs us to lifesaving resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline."
Other panelists included Allie Maloney, policy analyst at Americans for Responsible Innovation, Blake Hurst, JED YAC member and student at University of Notre Dame, and Bhavani Kola, department chair at Tarrant County College and founder and CEO of Eclatech Solutions. They discussed how states are responding to these technologies, opportunities and risks for youth mental health and well-being, and considerations for future federal policymaking.
This is the second AI-focused briefing hosted by The Jed Foundation since they published recommendations for policymakers and tech companies.
To learn more about JED's policy, advocacy, and government relations work, visit JED's website (https://jedfoundation.org/jeds-advocacy-work/).
* * *
About The Jed Foundation
JED is committed to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. JED partners with high schools, colleges, school districts, and youth-serving community-based organizations to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. JED equips teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other, and encourages community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health.
* * *
Original text here: https://jedfoundation.org/the-jed-foundation-jed-releases-preliminary-research-on-how-teens-are-using-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-what-it-means-for-their-mental-health/
* * *
The Jed Foundation (JED) Releases Preliminary Research on How Teens Are Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and What It Means for Their Mental Health
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how young people learn, communicate, seek support, and navigate everyday challenges. AI chatbots and tools are becoming an increasingly common part of daily life for young people, offering everything from academic assistance and creative collaboration, to social interaction ... Show Full Article BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 24 (TNSxrep) -- The Jed Foundation issued the following news release: * * * The Jed Foundation (JED) Releases Preliminary Research on How Teens Are Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and What It Means for Their Mental Health [WASHINGTON, D.C.] -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how young people learn, communicate, seek support, and navigate everyday challenges. AI chatbots and tools are becoming an increasingly common part of daily life for young people, offering everything from academic assistance and creative collaboration, to social interactionand emotional support. While many young people report positive experiences with these technologies, there is growing concern about their impact on mental health, development, and well-being.
On July 21, The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults nationwide, gathered 150 congressional staff, policymakers, youth advocates, researchers, and mental health leaders for a bipartisan briefing on Capitol Hill, "Navigating AI: Youth Perspectives, Mental Health, and Public Policy." The briefing provided a preview of findings from original JED research - expected to be released this fall - led by Dr. Kayla Anderson, JED's vice president of research and evaluation.
Between October 2025 - April 2026, JED collected data from more than 5,500 middle and high school students across 21 U.S. schools and school districts enrolled in JED's programs about how they use artificial intelligence (AI). Key findings include:
* AI use is very common: 4 in 5 students used some type of AI.
* Some students use AI in ways that replace human interaction or support: While more than half of students use AI for academics, nearly one third of students use AI for relationship or problem-solving advice and more than one in ten talk to AI for companionship.
- Many students turn to AI when experiencing difficult emotions: Nearly 3 in 5 students used AI when they felt sad, stressed, or lonely.
- AI use differs by age and geography: High school students and rural students were more likely to use AI overall. Middle school students and urban students were more likely to use AI specifically when they were sad, stressed, or lonely.
* AI use has potentially profound implications for mental health, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Students who used AI for emotional or mental health support, for problem-solving advice, when experiencing difficult emotions, or for companionship were more likely to have poorer mental health, were more lonely, and had a greater history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
"AI is already deeply embedded in how young people learn, build relationships, solve problems, and seek support, and JED's preliminary findings underscore the urgency of understanding what that means for their mental health," said Dr. Zainab Okolo, JED's senior vice president of policy, advocacy, and government relations. "Unlike many adults who remember life before constant digital connection, today's young people are growing up with AI as an increasingly intimate part of their social, academic, and emotional lives. Their experiences and perspectives must therefore be central to the policies governing these technologies."
The briefing was led by Dr. Okolo with keynote addresses from JED CEO John MacPhee and Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, principal deputy assistant secretary for health policy and director of national health communications in the office of the Surgeon General. Dr. Haridopolos shared her office's most recent Warning on the Harms of Screen Use, which addresses emerging concerns about how children are interacting with chatbots.
"We are calling for urgent action to protect children at home, in schools, and across platforms," said Dr. Haridopolos. "Kids are growing up in digital spaces that were never designed for their safety, and these online experiences are shaping how they think, feel, and interact in real life. We want children to live real life, not be pulled into harmful environments online. The recently released Surgeon General's Warning on the Harms of Screen Use gives families and communities the guidance they need. History will judge us not only by the steps we took, but by the inaction we allowed."
Panelist Hanae Noirbent, a member of JED's Youth Advisory Council (YAC), shared her perspective on how youth can be protected from potential harms posed by AI. "Youth are already interacting with AI on a day-to-day basis," she said. "We want guardrails implemented that will protect us from the clear risks presented by AI-powered algorithms and generative AI platforms such as chatbots. We also know that there's a real opportunity for AI to serve as an educational support tool, and even as a tool that directs us to lifesaving resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline."
Other panelists included Allie Maloney, policy analyst at Americans for Responsible Innovation, Blake Hurst, JED YAC member and student at University of Notre Dame, and Bhavani Kola, department chair at Tarrant County College and founder and CEO of Eclatech Solutions. They discussed how states are responding to these technologies, opportunities and risks for youth mental health and well-being, and considerations for future federal policymaking.
This is the second AI-focused briefing hosted by The Jed Foundation since they published recommendations for policymakers and tech companies.
To learn more about JED's policy, advocacy, and government relations work, visit JED's website (https://jedfoundation.org/jeds-advocacy-work/).
* * *
About The Jed Foundation
JED is committed to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. JED partners with high schools, colleges, school districts, and youth-serving community-based organizations to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. JED equips teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other, and encourages community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health.
* * *
Original text here: https://jedfoundation.org/the-jed-foundation-jed-releases-preliminary-research-on-how-teens-are-using-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-what-it-means-for-their-mental-health/
FFRF: Incoming Texas Comptroller Must Abandon Reported Religious Litmus Test
MADISON, Wisconsin, July 24 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
FFRF: Incoming Texas comptroller must abandon reported religious litmus test
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that incoming Texas Comptroller Don Huffines immediately disavow reported plans to judge state employees based on their beliefs.
According to reports, Huffines recently told top staff that his priorities in the workplace would be "Jesus, family and work," and indicated that employees would be judged on how Christian they are when he decides whether to retain ... Show Full Article MADISON, Wisconsin, July 24 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release: * * * FFRF: Incoming Texas comptroller must abandon reported religious litmus test The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that incoming Texas Comptroller Don Huffines immediately disavow reported plans to judge state employees based on their beliefs. According to reports, Huffines recently told top staff that his priorities in the workplace would be "Jesus, family and work," and indicated that employees would be judged on how Christian they are when he decides whether to retainthem after taking office. FFRF warns that any religious test for public employment is blatantly unconstitutional.
"If these reports are accurate, they describe an astonishingly blatant violation of the Constitution," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Public employment is not conditioned on religious belief, and no government official has the authority to impose a Christian litmus test on state employees."
FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler has sent a letter to Huffines asking that he immediately rescind any such policy and make clear to employees that there are no religious requirements for serving in the Office of the Comptroller. If he is unwilling to do so, FFRF insists that he should decline the appointment.
The Constitution is unequivocal on this point. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for public office. At the same time, Article I, Section 4 of the Texas Constitution likewise bars any religious test as a qualification for public office. In Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that neither the federal government nor any state may constitutionally require a person to profess or reject a religious belief as a condition of public service.
The Supreme Court has also repeatedly affirmed that the First Amendment requires government neutrality between religion and nonreligion. Favoring Christians in hiring or retention decisions sends an unconstitutional message that non-Christians and nonreligious citizens are second-class participants in their own government.
"The Texas Comptroller's Office serves every Texan, not just Christian Texans," Ziegler adds. "Employees should be evaluated on their competence, integrity and job performance, not whether they subscribe to the religious beliefs favored by their boss."
The comptroller's office itself states that it "serves virtually every citizen in the state." Yet roughly one-third of Texans are not Christians, including approximately 26 percent who identify as religiously unaffiliated. These Texans are equally entitled to compete for and hold public employment free from religious discrimination or coercion.
Beyond violating the Constitution, any effort to favor Christian employees or penalize non-Christian employees could expose the state to liability under federal and state employment discrimination laws.
FFRF is calling on Huffines to publicly clarify that no employee will be judged, retained or dismissed based on religion and that the office will comply fully with its constitutional obligation to remain neutral on matters of faith.
* * *
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including 1,800 members and a chapter in Texas. FFRF's purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
* * *
Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-incoming-texas-comptroller-must-abandon-reported-religious-litmus-test/
[Category: Religion]
* * *
FFRF: Incoming Texas comptroller must abandon reported religious litmus test
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that incoming Texas Comptroller Don Huffines immediately disavow reported plans to judge state employees based on their beliefs.
According to reports, Huffines recently told top staff that his priorities in the workplace would be "Jesus, family and work," and indicated that employees would be judged on how Christian they are when he decides whether to retain ... Show Full Article MADISON, Wisconsin, July 24 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release: * * * FFRF: Incoming Texas comptroller must abandon reported religious litmus test The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that incoming Texas Comptroller Don Huffines immediately disavow reported plans to judge state employees based on their beliefs. According to reports, Huffines recently told top staff that his priorities in the workplace would be "Jesus, family and work," and indicated that employees would be judged on how Christian they are when he decides whether to retainthem after taking office. FFRF warns that any religious test for public employment is blatantly unconstitutional.
"If these reports are accurate, they describe an astonishingly blatant violation of the Constitution," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Public employment is not conditioned on religious belief, and no government official has the authority to impose a Christian litmus test on state employees."
FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler has sent a letter to Huffines asking that he immediately rescind any such policy and make clear to employees that there are no religious requirements for serving in the Office of the Comptroller. If he is unwilling to do so, FFRF insists that he should decline the appointment.
The Constitution is unequivocal on this point. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious tests for public office. At the same time, Article I, Section 4 of the Texas Constitution likewise bars any religious test as a qualification for public office. In Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that neither the federal government nor any state may constitutionally require a person to profess or reject a religious belief as a condition of public service.
The Supreme Court has also repeatedly affirmed that the First Amendment requires government neutrality between religion and nonreligion. Favoring Christians in hiring or retention decisions sends an unconstitutional message that non-Christians and nonreligious citizens are second-class participants in their own government.
"The Texas Comptroller's Office serves every Texan, not just Christian Texans," Ziegler adds. "Employees should be evaluated on their competence, integrity and job performance, not whether they subscribe to the religious beliefs favored by their boss."
The comptroller's office itself states that it "serves virtually every citizen in the state." Yet roughly one-third of Texans are not Christians, including approximately 26 percent who identify as religiously unaffiliated. These Texans are equally entitled to compete for and hold public employment free from religious discrimination or coercion.
Beyond violating the Constitution, any effort to favor Christian employees or penalize non-Christian employees could expose the state to liability under federal and state employment discrimination laws.
FFRF is calling on Huffines to publicly clarify that no employee will be judged, retained or dismissed based on religion and that the office will comply fully with its constitutional obligation to remain neutral on matters of faith.
* * *
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including 1,800 members and a chapter in Texas. FFRF's purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
* * *
Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-incoming-texas-comptroller-must-abandon-reported-religious-litmus-test/
[Category: Religion]
Damon Runyon Announces Newest Class of SPARK Scholars
NEW YORK, July 24 -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release:
* * *
Damon Runyon announces newest class of SPARK Scholars
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named the 2026 cohort of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year cancer research internship for post-baccalaureate scholars. Launched in 2023, the program provides promising young talent with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond.
SPARK Scholars will conduct ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, July 24 -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release: * * * Damon Runyon announces newest class of SPARK Scholars The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named the 2026 cohort of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year cancer research internship for post-baccalaureate scholars. Launched in 2023, the program provides promising young talent with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond. SPARK Scholars will conductresearch in the labs of current or former Damon Runyon scientists at partnering institutions around the country. Each Scholar will receive a stipend of up to $50,000, along with a living allowance and a travel stipend. Throughout the year, they will gather for unique programming to foster community among the cohort and strengthen the skills needed for a research career. They will also have the opportunity to present a poster at the annual Damon Runyon Fellows' Retreat alongside other Damon Runyon scientists in September.
"Being surrounded by incredible scientists who took all sorts of paths to get there helped me see what options are available," said Carli Newman, one of the inaugural SPARK Scholars and a current PhD student in the Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease program at the University of Washington. "I could better imagine myself in their shoes."
2026 Damon Runyon SPARK Scholars
Olumide Adesioye with her mentors A. Thomas Look, MD (Former Fellowship Award Committee Member), and Nina Weichert-Leahey, MD (Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist '23-'27), at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
Olumide is a recent graduate of Brown University, where she majored in Immunobiology. Olumide was born and raised outside Chicago by parents who immigrated from Nigeria. After acquiring a passion for biology in her A.P. Bio class in high school, she continued her studies in the biology department at Brown, where she sought out research positions throughout her undergraduate career. Her recent senior honors thesis examined the effects of menopause on immune cell spatial distribution within the endocervix. She is looking forward to learning more about how the immune system can be exploited to fight cancer as a Damon Runyon SPARK Scholar. Olumide is a recipient of the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates and a Brown Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, roller skating, photography, reading, and hair styling.
Margaret Hu with her mentor Todd Golub, MD (Damon Runyon Board Member, Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Committee '07-'16), and Mounica Vallurupalli, MD (Damon Runyon-David M. Livingston, MD, Physician-Scientist '23-'27) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and the Broad Institute, Cambridge
Margaret was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. She attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in Biology and Sociology/Anthropology. Margaret was first exposed to cancer research in Dr. Todd Golub's lab, where she spent her undergraduate summers studying the tactics employed by leukemia to evade macrophage phagocytosis. This experience fostered her curiosity about cancer's complex, ever-evolving nature and the wide range of strategies available to target this disease. She aspires to explore human disease at the most fundamental level in order to design elegant and effective new therapies. Margaret's achievements have been recognized by the Patricia V. Damon Scholar Award from Carleton College. In her free time, she volunteers with her local hospital and patient advocacy organizations and loves to hike, play the piano, and pick up new crafting hobbies.
Aiyina Meng with her mentor K. Mark Ansel, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '01-'04), at the University of California, San Francisco
Aiyina was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Chinese immigrant parents, and has since lived in four states and three countries. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she developed her research foundation as a trainee in the federally funded Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement at WPI program. Driven by firsthand experiences watching loved ones navigate serious health challenges, Aiyina has long been motivated to pursue research with meaningful applications in human health and disease. Her research as an undergraduate deepened her commitment to uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying disease. Aiyina is passionate about translating fundamental science into real-world solutions. Her goal in research is ultimately to contribute to the development of more efficient, targeted cancer therapies. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading, taking long walks, and cooking.
Deahzana Randall with her mentor Santosha A. Vardhana, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '23-'26, Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator '22-'24), at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Deahzana was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan as a first-generation college student, earning her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Her interest in a research career arose from a personal genetic discovery, which sparked her desire to understand the scientific basis of disease. As an undergraduate, Deahzana was selected as a 2025 NK & Irene Cheung Scholar and completed a summer internship in the laboratory of Dr. Santosha Vardhana at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she explored mechanisms of T cell exhaustion. In the future, Deahzana hopes to attend graduate school with a goal of running her own laboratory and contributing meaningfully to the understanding of tumor progression and immune interactions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, hiking, and watching anime.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.damonrunyon.org/news/damon-runyon-announces-newest-class-spark-scholars-0
* * *
Damon Runyon announces newest class of SPARK Scholars
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named the 2026 cohort of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year cancer research internship for post-baccalaureate scholars. Launched in 2023, the program provides promising young talent with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond.
SPARK Scholars will conduct ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, July 24 -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release: * * * Damon Runyon announces newest class of SPARK Scholars The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named the 2026 cohort of the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK), a one-year cancer research internship for post-baccalaureate scholars. Launched in 2023, the program provides promising young talent with rigorous scientific training and a network of mentors and peers to support their next steps into graduate school and beyond. SPARK Scholars will conductresearch in the labs of current or former Damon Runyon scientists at partnering institutions around the country. Each Scholar will receive a stipend of up to $50,000, along with a living allowance and a travel stipend. Throughout the year, they will gather for unique programming to foster community among the cohort and strengthen the skills needed for a research career. They will also have the opportunity to present a poster at the annual Damon Runyon Fellows' Retreat alongside other Damon Runyon scientists in September.
"Being surrounded by incredible scientists who took all sorts of paths to get there helped me see what options are available," said Carli Newman, one of the inaugural SPARK Scholars and a current PhD student in the Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease program at the University of Washington. "I could better imagine myself in their shoes."
2026 Damon Runyon SPARK Scholars
Olumide Adesioye with her mentors A. Thomas Look, MD (Former Fellowship Award Committee Member), and Nina Weichert-Leahey, MD (Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist '23-'27), at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
Olumide is a recent graduate of Brown University, where she majored in Immunobiology. Olumide was born and raised outside Chicago by parents who immigrated from Nigeria. After acquiring a passion for biology in her A.P. Bio class in high school, she continued her studies in the biology department at Brown, where she sought out research positions throughout her undergraduate career. Her recent senior honors thesis examined the effects of menopause on immune cell spatial distribution within the endocervix. She is looking forward to learning more about how the immune system can be exploited to fight cancer as a Damon Runyon SPARK Scholar. Olumide is a recipient of the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates and a Brown Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, roller skating, photography, reading, and hair styling.
Margaret Hu with her mentor Todd Golub, MD (Damon Runyon Board Member, Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Committee '07-'16), and Mounica Vallurupalli, MD (Damon Runyon-David M. Livingston, MD, Physician-Scientist '23-'27) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and the Broad Institute, Cambridge
Margaret was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. She attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in Biology and Sociology/Anthropology. Margaret was first exposed to cancer research in Dr. Todd Golub's lab, where she spent her undergraduate summers studying the tactics employed by leukemia to evade macrophage phagocytosis. This experience fostered her curiosity about cancer's complex, ever-evolving nature and the wide range of strategies available to target this disease. She aspires to explore human disease at the most fundamental level in order to design elegant and effective new therapies. Margaret's achievements have been recognized by the Patricia V. Damon Scholar Award from Carleton College. In her free time, she volunteers with her local hospital and patient advocacy organizations and loves to hike, play the piano, and pick up new crafting hobbies.
Aiyina Meng with her mentor K. Mark Ansel, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '01-'04), at the University of California, San Francisco
Aiyina was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Chinese immigrant parents, and has since lived in four states and three countries. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she developed her research foundation as a trainee in the federally funded Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement at WPI program. Driven by firsthand experiences watching loved ones navigate serious health challenges, Aiyina has long been motivated to pursue research with meaningful applications in human health and disease. Her research as an undergraduate deepened her commitment to uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying disease. Aiyina is passionate about translating fundamental science into real-world solutions. Her goal in research is ultimately to contribute to the development of more efficient, targeted cancer therapies. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading, taking long walks, and cooking.
Deahzana Randall with her mentor Santosha A. Vardhana, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '23-'26, Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator '22-'24), at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Deahzana was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan as a first-generation college student, earning her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Her interest in a research career arose from a personal genetic discovery, which sparked her desire to understand the scientific basis of disease. As an undergraduate, Deahzana was selected as a 2025 NK & Irene Cheung Scholar and completed a summer internship in the laboratory of Dr. Santosha Vardhana at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she explored mechanisms of T cell exhaustion. In the future, Deahzana hopes to attend graduate school with a goal of running her own laboratory and contributing meaningfully to the understanding of tumor progression and immune interactions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, hiking, and watching anime.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.damonrunyon.org/news/damon-runyon-announces-newest-class-spark-scholars-0
As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
OAKLAND, California, July 24 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
* * *
As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
*
The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, the ... Show Full Article OAKLAND, California, July 24 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release: * * * As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk * The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance. MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407 EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, thenation's leading shareholder representative, today raised deep concern about the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's vote to issue a notice of proposed rule-making rescinding the requirement that employers file annual EEO-1 and related reports summarizing workforce demographic data. The proposal would end a data collection practice that has successfully operated for more than half a century, and which investors depend on to evaluate human capital risk in companies.
EEO-1 data is one of the only standardized, comparable sources of workforce composition data available to investors. Because employers report the information to the federal government in a consistent format, investors can compare companies on an objective basis rather than relying on corporate marketing or voluntary diversity claims. Eliminating the requirement would remove that comparability at a moment when investors are increasingly focused on workforce stability, human capital management, and the operational risks of rapid workforce change.
"The EEOC is proposing to switch off one of the few objective windows investors have into how public companies manage their workforces," said Danielle Fugere, President and Chief Counsel of As You Sow. "This data is not a compliance nicety, it is decision-useful financial information. Removing it does not make workforce risk disappear; it simply blinds investors to existing risk and forces them to rely on whatever companies choose to say about themselves. That is diametrically opposite of the transparency efficient markets require."
Yesterday, As You Sow will released an updated edition of its Capturing the Diversity Benefit report which analyzed nine years of EEO-1 data from 1,482 companies. The analysis found that greater representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in management was significantly and positively associated with income after tax, five- and ten-year revenue growth, return on equity, return on invested capital, free cash flow per share, and five- and ten-year share price appreciation.
"By suppressing information, the EEOC deprives companies, investors, researchers, and the market of useful information that cannot be reconstructed once collection stops," said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. "You cannot go back in time to gather years of workforce data that was never recorded. It is a permanent loss dressed up as paperwork reduction."
This proposed recission is part of a broader pattern of federal action suppressing information of value to investors and the public. Voluntary EEO-1 disclosure among large companies has been declining over the past couple of years due to intense anti-DEI pressure on companies.
Based on EEO-1 data acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request, our report found that most companies choosing not to disclose voluntarily have measurably less diverse management. This makes the information most valuable precisely where it is least likely to be volunteered. If the federal mandate ends, that critical information disappears.
Investors and other interested parties will be able to comment on the proposed rescission of key human capital management data during the 30-day public comment period which opens upon publication in the Federal Register. The EEOC has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for August 11, 2026.
As You Sow will submit formal comments and continue to press companies to gather and voluntarily disclose workforce data, whatever the outcome of the federal requirement, to promote transparency about workplace diversity, a factor correlated with better financial outcomes.
As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow 's shareholder resolution tracker.
***
Original text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2026/7/23/as-you-sow-condemns-eeoc-proposal-to-eliminate-collection-of-workforce-composition-data-investors-need-to-assess-risk
* * *
As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk
*
The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance.
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, the ... Show Full Article OAKLAND, California, July 24 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release: * * * As You Sow Condemns EEOC Proposal to Eliminate Collection of Workforce Composition Data Investors Need to Assess Risk * The proposed rescission of EEO-1 employment data and related reports would end the federal government's 60 year-long collection of standardized workforce data -despite research showing that the same data is important to predicting company financial performance. MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, ryon@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407 EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA -July 24, 2026 - As You Sow, thenation's leading shareholder representative, today raised deep concern about the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's vote to issue a notice of proposed rule-making rescinding the requirement that employers file annual EEO-1 and related reports summarizing workforce demographic data. The proposal would end a data collection practice that has successfully operated for more than half a century, and which investors depend on to evaluate human capital risk in companies.
EEO-1 data is one of the only standardized, comparable sources of workforce composition data available to investors. Because employers report the information to the federal government in a consistent format, investors can compare companies on an objective basis rather than relying on corporate marketing or voluntary diversity claims. Eliminating the requirement would remove that comparability at a moment when investors are increasingly focused on workforce stability, human capital management, and the operational risks of rapid workforce change.
"The EEOC is proposing to switch off one of the few objective windows investors have into how public companies manage their workforces," said Danielle Fugere, President and Chief Counsel of As You Sow. "This data is not a compliance nicety, it is decision-useful financial information. Removing it does not make workforce risk disappear; it simply blinds investors to existing risk and forces them to rely on whatever companies choose to say about themselves. That is diametrically opposite of the transparency efficient markets require."
Yesterday, As You Sow will released an updated edition of its Capturing the Diversity Benefit report which analyzed nine years of EEO-1 data from 1,482 companies. The analysis found that greater representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in management was significantly and positively associated with income after tax, five- and ten-year revenue growth, return on equity, return on invested capital, free cash flow per share, and five- and ten-year share price appreciation.
"By suppressing information, the EEOC deprives companies, investors, researchers, and the market of useful information that cannot be reconstructed once collection stops," said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. "You cannot go back in time to gather years of workforce data that was never recorded. It is a permanent loss dressed up as paperwork reduction."
This proposed recission is part of a broader pattern of federal action suppressing information of value to investors and the public. Voluntary EEO-1 disclosure among large companies has been declining over the past couple of years due to intense anti-DEI pressure on companies.
Based on EEO-1 data acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request, our report found that most companies choosing not to disclose voluntarily have measurably less diverse management. This makes the information most valuable precisely where it is least likely to be volunteered. If the federal mandate ends, that critical information disappears.
Investors and other interested parties will be able to comment on the proposed rescission of key human capital management data during the 30-day public comment period which opens upon publication in the Federal Register. The EEOC has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for August 11, 2026.
As You Sow will submit formal comments and continue to press companies to gather and voluntarily disclose workforce data, whatever the outcome of the federal requirement, to promote transparency about workplace diversity, a factor correlated with better financial outcomes.
As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow 's shareholder resolution tracker.
***
Original text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2026/7/23/as-you-sow-condemns-eeoc-proposal-to-eliminate-collection-of-workforce-composition-data-investors-need-to-assess-risk