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Space Foundation Premieres National Space Day Video May 1
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 11 -- Space Foundation issued the following news release on April 9, 2026:* * *
Space Foundation Premieres National Space Day Video May 1
Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, will premiere its National Space Day educational video on Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. MT, inviting students, educators and families to explore the future of space through engaging STEM content.
Hosted by science communicator Amber Trujillo, this year's video connects students in grades 3-12 to real-world challenges shaping ... Show Full Article COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, April 11 -- Space Foundation issued the following news release on April 9, 2026: * * * Space Foundation Premieres National Space Day Video May 1 Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, will premiere its National Space Day educational video on Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. MT, inviting students, educators and families to explore the future of space through engaging STEM content. Hosted by science communicator Amber Trujillo, this year's video connects students in grades 3-12 to real-world challenges shapingthe space environment, including space sustainability and supporting life beyond Earth. Known for making complex STEM topics approachable, Trujillo guides students through the challenges and opportunities defining the next era of exploration.
"The future of space depends on the students of today," said Heidi Vasiloff, senior director of Space Foundation Discovery Center and interim head of SWFT. "National Space Day is an opportunity to connect young people to the real challenges and possibilities in space, and to show them that their ideas have a place in solving the challenges ahead."
The premiere will also feature the National Space Sustainability Competition winners. Students in grades 6-8 from across the country submitted innovative solutions to rethink how humans can live and work sustainably beyond Earth with selected winners receiving scholarships to further their education in recognition of their work.
The video is part of Space Workforce for Tomorrow, powered by Space Foundation, and reflects the organization's commitment to building a strong, inclusive pipeline for the future space workforce and is presented in partnership with The Aerospace Corporation, Axiom Space, and Voyager.
The video will premiere live Friday, May 1 at 11:00 a.m. MT and will be available on demand following the broadcast at swft.space/national-space-day/, offering educators and families a resource to bring space-based learning into classrooms and communities.
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About Space Foundation
Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 as a gateway to advance the global space community. Space Foundation uniquely educates, collaborates and informs the entire space workforce, from early education through post-secondary (college, non-college, vocational), to the start of their careers as new professionals, and ultimately as leaders at the highest levels of government and commercial industry. As a charitable organization, Space Foundation receives support from corporate members, sponsors, individual giving, and grants. Visit Space Foundation at www.SpaceFoundation.org, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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About Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT)
SWFT, Space Foundation's education and workforce initiative, bridges the STEM talent gap by cultivating individuals from their first spark of interest in space through every stage of career development. From hands-on K-12 programs to internships, advanced training, and strategic partnerships, SWFT equips both future and current space professionals with the skills, experiences, and networks needed for success. In doing so, SWFT empowers individuals and connects top-tier talent to leading space organizations driving innovation and excellence in space technology and national security. Learn more or support our mission at www.swft.space.
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Original text here: https://www.spacefoundation.org/2026/04/09/national-space-day-video/
Rockefeller Foundation Calls for Urgent, Coordinated Response to Record Decline in Global Aid, Per New OECD Data
NEW YORK, April 11 (TNSjou) -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release on April 9, 2026:* * *
Rockefeller Foundation Calls for Urgent, Coordinated Response to Record Decline in Global Aid, per New OECD Data
* Official OECD preliminary data for 2025 shows a 23% decline in global ODA from 2024 -- historic decrease
* Projections from ISGlobal research and The Lancet Global Health suggest this level of ODA decrease could lead to 9.4 million or more preventable deaths by 2030
* Rockefeller Foundation urges governments, the private sector, and philanthropy to coordinate urgently ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, April 11 (TNSjou) -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release on April 9, 2026: * * * Rockefeller Foundation Calls for Urgent, Coordinated Response to Record Decline in Global Aid, per New OECD Data * Official OECD preliminary data for 2025 shows a 23% decline in global ODA from 2024 -- historic decrease * Projections from ISGlobal research and The Lancet Global Health suggest this level of ODA decrease could lead to 9.4 million or more preventable deaths by 2030 * Rockefeller Foundation urges governments, the private sector, and philanthropy to coordinate urgentlyto protect decades of progress
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The Rockefeller Foundation is issuing an urgent call for a global, coordinated response in light of preliminary official data released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) today confirming a 23% decline in official development assistance (ODA) from 2024 to 2025. As the largest single-year reduction in decades, the precipitous drop in ODA in 2025 surpasses the Barcelona Institute for Global Health's (ISGlobal) modeling assumptions, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, that were published in The Lancet Global Health earlier this year. Projecting an initial ODA decline of 15.8% in 2025, with funding cuts continuing and worsening through the end of this decade, ISGlobal warned that at least 9.4 million additional people, including 2.5 million children under the age of five, could die by 2030 across 93 low- and middle-income countries.
"The OECD's data show that an 80-year consensus on working together to help the suffering is falling apart -- but people in country after country around the world still want to save these lives," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "We urgently need to invest in new models of development that can endure in the 21st century. By focusing resources on those suffering acutely, harnessing new technology, and supporting country-led investments in food security, health, and energy, the world can save the 9 million or more lives at stake if we do not act."
For the first time in nearly three decades, the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany have now reduced their development assistance for two years running. The data, released today as part of the OECD's preliminary 2025 ODA figures exceed the OECD's own projections from mid-2025, which had forecast a decline of 9-18%.
Millions More Lives at Risk:
In February 2026, The Lancet Global Health published The Impact of Two Decades of Humanitarian and Development Assistance and the Projected Mortality Consequences of Current Defunding to 2030: Retrospective Evaluation and Forecasting Analysis, a peer-reviewed study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), supported by The Rockefeller Foundation through its charitable offshoot, RF Catalytic Capital. Based on an initial 15.8% cut in ODA from 2024 to 2025, with the funding cuts continuing and worsening through the end of this decade, it modelled two scenarios which found that at least 9.4 million additional deaths -- including 2.5 million children under the age of five -- could occur by 2030 across 93 low- and middle-income countries, which are home to 75% of the world's population.
The Rockefeller Foundation's Response:
The support for ISGlobal's research is part of The Rockefeller Foundation's Build the Shared Future Initiative, through which the 113-year-old philanthropic organization aims to inspire and inform global cooperation and international development work that matches the challenges of the 21st century. Work being advanced by The Rockefeller Foundation includes, but is not limited to:
* Building political will and support for International Cooperation, including by investing in research and evidence, to ensure policymakers understand the human cost of funding decisions, including continued support for ISGlobal's analysis and launching the Development Finance Observatory in 2025 with ONE Data and Google.org -- with its initial analysis finding that over the last decade, China shifted from a net provider of finance for low- and middle-income countries (transferring US$48 billion) to a net extractor (pulling US$24 billion out), while multilateral lenders stepped up, boosting net financing by 124% and now providing 56% of net flows, or US$378.7 billion between 2020-2024.
* Demonstrating new models for development that can drive impact in this environment, including catalyzing partnerships with philanthropic organizations, multilateral institutions, and the private sector. This includes committing more than US$100 million since 2024 with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to support Mission 300, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank's ambitious effort to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030. It also includes advancing a first-of-its-kind School Meals Accelerator to reach an additional 100 million children by 2030, which founding partners, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched in January this year with additional support from France and the Global Partnership for Education.
* Reinvigorating financing flows to support global development, including optimizing the balance sheets of development funders to enable more financing, mobilizing more private capital, and supporting countries with addressing historically high debt service burdens.
Urgent Action Needed:
The Rockefeller Foundation urges donor governments to recommit to working together to help those around the world most in need. The Foundation also calls on the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and multilateral institutions to step forward with new commitments and innovative financing models.
"For 113 years, The Rockefeller Foundation has invested in the well-being of humanity around the world. We know from experience that progress is not inevitable -- it must be planned, earned and sustained. What we are witnessing now is a choice by wealthy nations to walk away from commitments that were saving millions of lives. We refuse to accept this as the new normal and will work with all those who want to meet the moment," concluded Dr. Shah.
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About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance, including in affiliation with our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.
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Original text here: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/rockefeller-foundation-calls-for-urgent-response-decline-global-aid-new-oecd-data/
Getty Announces Major Modernization Efforts to Enhance Visitor Experience, Accessibility, and Energy Resilience
LOS ANGELES, California, April 11 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust issued the following news release on April 9, 2026:* * *
Getty Announces Major Modernization Efforts to Enhance Visitor Experience, Accessibility, and Energy Resilience
Getty Center will temporarily close to the public from spring 2027-spring 2028; Getty Villa will remain open with additional offerings
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The Getty Center is undertaking the most significant series of modernization initiatives since its 1997 opening--an investment designed to elevate the overall visitor experience, enhance accessibility, strengthen energy resilience ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, April 11 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust issued the following news release on April 9, 2026: * * * Getty Announces Major Modernization Efforts to Enhance Visitor Experience, Accessibility, and Energy Resilience Getty Center will temporarily close to the public from spring 2027-spring 2028; Getty Villa will remain open with additional offerings * The Getty Center is undertaking the most significant series of modernization initiatives since its 1997 opening--an investment designed to elevate the overall visitor experience, enhance accessibility, strengthen energy resilienceand support the long-term stewardship of the site's iconic campus.
To complete this work, the Center will temporarily close to the public beginning March 15, 2027, with reopening planned for spring 2028. During the closure, Getty will continue to collaborate on programs with partners across Los Angeles, the United States, and internationally, while offering more ways for audiences to engage with art and nature at the Getty Villa.
"Getty is embarking on an exciting new chapter," said Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. "Our mission has always been to make art accessible to our Los Angeles community and visitors from around the world. In the coming years, guided by our commitment to All for Art, we will enhance the visitor experience across the Getty Center campus through reimagined spaces and new offerings, while prioritizing sustainability. We look forward to welcoming visitors back in spring 2028, in time to celebrate the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and experience our more accessible, resilient, and dynamic campus."
When the Getty Center reopens, visitors will experience several major enhancements, including:
* New ways to connect with art, from revitalized galleries to experiences that bring art in dialogue with nature, along with exciting new artist commissions.
* Improved accessibility and visitor orientation through upgrades to Getty's iconic tram system, a redesigned arrival and departure experience, and new wayfinding support.
* A renovated Welcome Hall that serves as a central point for gathering and visitor information--with a new cafe bookstore and retail experience.
* Campus-wide improvements to buildings, public spaces, and utilities--including cell service and wi-fi connectivity--to align long-term stewardship and sustainability goals.
The first phase of improvements has already begun at the Getty Center, with some gallery closures to accommodate upgrades to the campus HVAC system. These upgrades will improve Getty's energy efficiency and advance its broader sustainability commitments, including best practices related to collections environments that it has recently pledged to adopt alongside other Los Angeles and leading international cultural institutions. As this work moves forward, the galleries' reinstallation projects will refresh and modernize our exhibition spaces to enhance the visitor experience.
Staying Connected at the Getty Villa
While the Getty Center is the primary focus of these modernization efforts, the Getty Villa remains an essential part of Getty's mission and visitor experience. Throughout the Center's closure, the Villa will continue to present a full schedule of exhibitions, public programs, and events, inviting visitors to connect with Ancient Greek and Roman art while enjoying the Villa's architecture, tranquil gardens, and scenic views. During this period, the Villa will also introduce new offerings for visitors, including a gallery featuring a selection of paintings from the Museum's collection at the Getty Center, giving visitors the opportunity to experience beloved works of art in a new context while improvements at the Center are underway.
Expanding Community Engagement
Getty will continue working with partners in Los Angeles, across the United States, and around the world to support artists and cultural professionals, safeguard cultural heritage, and broaden public access to the arts. During the Center's temporary public closure, Getty will open a new programming space on Sepulveda Boulevard in a building now under renovation across from the Getty Center. This venue will host a slate of special programs throughout the closure and will remain a dedicated program space once the Center reopens. Getty has also acquired a property in Westwood as a long-term investment in housing for its scholar programs. Early building concepts are underway for the site, which is located near the new planned Metro stop at Westwood and Wilshire. Additional details about all of these initiatives will be announced at a later date.
Upcoming Featured Exhibitions and Programs
From now through spring 2027, the Getty Center will continue to present a full slate of exhibitions and programs, including Saturday's "Off the 405" summer concert series on select Saturday evenings beginning May 30; "Garden Concert for Kids" series beginning in August; the installation of "Portrait of Mai" by Joshua Reynolds, on view beginning Sept. 15, 2026; and exhibitions featuring works by 13 prominent Mexican photographers, 18th century paintings by British artist Joseph Wright of Derby, and recently acquired archive materials of quintessential Los Angeles architect Paul R. Williams. For additional information about upcoming exhibitions and programming, visit Getty's "What's On" page (https://www.getty.edu/whats-on/).
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Original text here: https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-announces-major-modernization-efforts/
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Awards $4.5M to Top Young Scientists
NEW YORK, April 11 -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release on April 10, 2026:* * *
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $4.5M to top young scientists
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named 13 new Damon Runyon Fellows, exceptional postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators. The prestigious, four-year Fellowship encourages the nation's most promising young scientists to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with independent funding ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, April 11 -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release on April 10, 2026: * * * Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $4.5M to top young scientists The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named 13 new Damon Runyon Fellows, exceptional postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators. The prestigious, four-year Fellowship encourages the nation's most promising young scientists to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with independent funding($300,000 total) to investigate cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies, and prevention.
The Foundation has also named six recipients of the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists. This award recognizes Damon Runyon Fellows who have exceeded the Foundation's highest expectations and are most likely to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that transform the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. To catapult their research careers--and their impact--Damon Runyon makes an additional investment of $100,000 in these exceptional individuals as they prepare to transition to independence.
2026 Recipients of the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists
Fangtao Chi, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
"Dietary nutrients and metabolism shape intestinal regeneration and tumorigenesis"
Dr. Chi's research examines how dietary nutrients and cellular metabolism influence intestinal regeneration and tumorigenesis. The intestine renews itself rapidly and relies on intestinal stem cells to repair damage after infection, inflammation, or cancer therapy. Dr. Chi is discovering that specific nutrients can act as signals that boost stem cell activity and accelerate tissue repair. But these same regenerative programs can also be hijacked to support abnormal growth and increase the likelihood of tumor formation under certain conditions. Dr. Chi plans to systematically test nutrients and metabolic pathways to understand when and how diet promotes repair versus when it inadvertently promotes tumorigenesis. Ultimately, this work aims to provide a foundation for designing dietary regimens that improve tissue repair and resilience while reducing the potential for intestinal cancers, including colorectal cancer.
Cayla E. Jewett, PhD, University of Colorado, Denver Anschutz Medical Campus
"Regulation of programmed DNA damage to drive centriole amplification in multiciliated cells"
Cilia are small, hairlike protrusions found on the surface of cells; some cells in the lining of our organs have many dozens of cilia, which beat in a coordinated manner to drive fluid across the tissue. These multiciliated cells escape many guidelines governing normal cellular behavior. For example, too many copies of a cellular organelle called a centriole can drive tumorigenesis, but multiciliated cells require extra centrioles for normal function. In addition, cancer cells often hijack the DNA damage pathway for survival, but Dr. Jewett has found that multiciliated cells utilize the DNA damage pathway for their development. Given these parallels, how multiciliated cells refrain from becoming cancerous remains a mystery. Dr. Jewett will investigate the multiciliated cell system to understand how centriole overproduction and DNA damage are controlled to prevent tumorigenesis, with the hope of discovering new targetable molecules for cancer therapeutics.
Titas Sengupta, PhD, Princeton University, Princeton
"Epigenetic regulation of neuronal function in response to aging and the environment"
Histones are proteins that provide structural support for chromosomes, and modifications of histones impact gene expression without altering DNA sequence (i.e., epigenetically). Histone modifications play essential roles in normal physiology and are dramatically altered in cancer across tissue types, including the nervous system. Dr. Sengupta is investigating how histone modifications in neurons regulate neuronal functions such as learning and memory. For example, she has discovered a mechanism in the roundworm nervous system by which gene expression changes rapidly to impact short-term memory, demonstrating that even short-term memory is influenced by dynamic gene expression rather than pre-existing proteins. Dr. Sengupta's work aims to uncover how histone modifications are regulated, targeted to specific genes, and influenced by external and internal cell states, in order to better understand mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation of gene expression in cancer.
Dylan M. Parker, PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder
"Stress granule regulators and their roles in cancer progression"
Dr. Parker studies the role of molecular assemblies known as stress granules that form when cells are exposed to stressful conditions. The assembly of stress granules upon cellular insult is thought to regulate gene expression and modulate cell survival. Notably, stress granules are present in various cancers, and many chemotherapeutic treatments lead to the formation of stress granules. Dr. Parker aims to determine the mechanisms regulating stress granule assembly and disassembly to understand how stress granule formation supports the development of cancer and chemotherapy-resistant tumors. This research has the potential to discover novel targets to treat cancers as well as sensitize chemotherapy-resistant cancers to existing treatments.
Catherine Triandafillou, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia "Illuminating error correction strategies in early development"
When an organism is developing, it must correct mistakes that might occur at the level of individual cells or tissues. Dr. Triandafillou aims to better understand how error correction systems work, and why they might not work in cases like cancer. To explore these developmental questions, she uses what are called gastruloids, 3D clusters of stem cells that can organize themselves and transform into the basic building blocks of an organism. She has developed a method using microscopy to trace the history of these cells and measure how much their past state influences what they become. Dr. Triandafillou seeks to illuminate how differences in individual cells might impact what those cells eventually turn into, and how such differences affect the correction of mistakes--like abnormal growth, bias in cell types, or missing cell types--as well as how the cells around an error react to it.
Youngmu (Nick) Shin, PhD, University of California, San Francisco "Rewiring cell-cell communication using engineered scaffold proteins"
Cells in our bodies constantly talk to each other, and this cell-to-cell communication controls important processes such as how our immune system detects and kills cancer cells. It is not well understood, however, how cells build the tiny, specialized contact sites where this communication happens. Dr. Shin hypothesizes that many of these contact sites, called synapses, are organized by scaffold proteins that come together into droplet-like clusters, called condensates, to facilitate cell-to-cell communication. Dr. Shin is testing this hypothesis by building artificial versions of this cell-cell interface. He engineers simple, synthetic proteins that act as scaffolds, uses them to create a "synthetic synapse" between cells, and then studies how changing these scaffolds alters the shape and strength of the connection. He plans to combine these experiments with simulations that model how the building blocks of these scaffolds behave and cluster. By stripping cell-cell contacts down to their essential parts, this work aims to uncover the physical rules that cells use to organize communication sites. In the long term, these principles could be used to design immune cells--such as engineered T cells for cancer therapy--that form more precise connections with diseased cells while sparing healthy tissue.
November 2025 Fellows
Duaa H. Al-Rawi, MD, PhD [The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Fellow], with her sponsors Scott W. Lowe, PhD, and Sohrab P. Shah, PhD, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer, largely because it is often found after it has spread. HGSCs arise in the fallopian tube, where tiny precancerous changes can exist for years before a tumor is detected. Dr. Al-Rawi is investigating what early genetic changes cause a normal fallopian-tube cell to become HGSC. She focuses on two events that appear very early and in most cases: loss of the protective p53 "guardian" pathway and chromosomal instability, in which cells repeatedly gain or lose large pieces of DNA. Using precise genome editing to model specific p53 mutation types, mouse models that track how altered cells expand over time, and single-cell profiling of rare human precursor samples, Dr. Al-Rawi will test how which early changes predict progression. By defining these earliest steps, the work supports new strategies for risk stratification, early detection, and prevention for HGSC and related serous cancers. Dr. Al-Rawi received her PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, her MD from Stanford University, Stanford, and her BS from Kansas State University, Manhattan.
Tatsat Banerjee, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Ronald D. Vale, PhD, at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge
CAR T cell therapy, which involves genetically engineering a patient's own immune cells to seek and destroy cancer, has revolutionized the treatment of certain blood cancers. However, it frequently performs poorly against solid tumors because T cells become exhausted or cannot effectively detect the cancer cells. Dr. Banerjee aims to learn the fundamental molecular, genetic, and biophysical rules of internal signaling in T cells. By decoding these rules, he aims to design next-generation CAR T cells with enhanced sensitivity, persistence, and versatility. Taking an atypical approach, he will combine multiple cutting-edge technologies to dissect and engineer the "immunological synapse," the connection that forms between a T-cell and a tumor cell, to ultimately tune the function of the T cells. This study aims to overcome current limitations in treating leukemias and extend the success of immunotherapy to solid tumors, specifically melanoma. Dr. Banerjee received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, his MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and his BEng from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Elizabeth Black, PhD, with her sponsor Iain Cheeseman, PhD, at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge
One hallmark of cancer is dysregulation of core cellular processes, including protein production or translation. One crucial element of translation is determining where protein production begins, a process called translation start site selection. It is estimated that a third of human genes contain multiple translation start sites, but because they are invisible in standard experiments, it is not understood how they change in diseases like cancer. Dr. Black aims to identify how leukemia and lymphoma cells control translation start site selection and how this impacts their behavior and disease outcomes. By uncovering how translation control is altered in blood cancers, this research can reveal fundamental insights into cancer biology that have been previously overlooked. Dr. Black received her PhD from Yale University, New Haven, and her BS from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem.
Sarah W. Cai, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with her sponsors Yifan Cheng, PhD, and David J. Julius, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco
Cancer-associated pain can arise directly from tumor growth or as a side effect of chemotherapy drugs. First-line cancer treatments, such as cisplatin and paclitaxel, contribute to pain hypersensitivity by increasing the activity and expression of TRP ion channels--the receptors that detect painful stimuli in sensory neurons and trigger pain sensation. Research thus far has focused on how these receptors look and behave at a single-molecule level (one copy) or at a cellular/organismal level (many thousands of copies per neuron). However, TRP channels are also proposed to operate in nanoscale clusters (tens of copies) that amplify signaling within a sensory neuron. Dr. Cai's research will use state-of-the-art microscopy techniques alongside biochemical and cell-based approaches to study how receptors are organized on the surface of sensory neurons. She aims to understand how inflammation and injury, including toxicity from chemotherapy drugs, contribute to acute and chronic pain. This work will provide fundamental insights into pain signaling that can inform the development of new pain management strategies. Dr. Cai received her PhD from The Rockefeller University, New York, and her BS from California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
Esther J. Han, PhD [Robert Black Fellow], with her sponsor Andrew L. Goodman, PhD, at Yale University
Our diets include myriad small molecules known as xenobiotics, which are mainly derived from plants, that influence cancer prevention and progression. When plants experience infection, they chemically modify these compounds to improve disease resistance, but whether parallel processes exist in mammals remains unknown. Given the strong association between inflammation and cancer development, and based on preliminary data indicating that inflammation-induced xenobiotic modifications can occur in the mammalian gut, Dr. Han will dissect how the gut microbiome and the host transform dietary xenobiotics to alter their function during health and inflammation. The findings from these studies will lay foundations to improve health through nutritional interventions. Dr. Han received her PhD from Princeton University, Princeton, and her BS from the University of California, Berkeley.
Qixiang He, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Samuel H. Sternberg, PhD, at Columbia University, New York
Our immune system uses many strategies to defend against viruses. Recent studies have uncovered a surprising bacterial antiviral strategy--instead of cutting DNA to destroy it, this system builds new DNA molecules to stop infections. Dr. He's project will focus on understanding how this bacterial defense system works and explore whether this system can be repurposed to safely make DNA inside human cells. This could offer a new way to address a major challenge in the development of gene therapy and cancer immunotherapy more broadly: safely and efficiently delivering DNA into target cells without triggering harmful immune reactions. Dr. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, and his BS from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
King L. Hung, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Ardem Patapoutian, PhD, at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla
Cancer is fundamentally a disease of lost tissue integrity, in which cells fail to properly coordinate and regulate one another, leading to abnormal cell growth and invasion within tissues. Dr. Hung aims to uncover basic principles of how cells combine chemical and mechanical signals to maintain tissue integrity. Using flatworms that are capable of tissue regeneration as a model, he will employ live whole-worm imaging of tissue regeneration to study mechanical and chemical signaling at the cellular level. This project will provide key insights about the logic of multicellular signaling circuits for maintaining normal tissue integrity and clues about how these signaling circuits can be dysregulated in cancer. Dr. Hung received his PhD from Stanford University, Stanford, and his BS from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Jinho D. Jeong, PhD [Robert Black Fellow], with his sponsor Liron Bar-Peled, PhD, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Cancer cells often rely on specific protein complexes--groups of proteins that work together--to grow and survive. Dr. Jeong is using a new chemical technology called Molecular COUPLrs to identify and disable these disease-related protein complexes in lung cancer. This approach is especially relevant for non-small cell lung cancer, as well as for lung cancer brain metastases, which remain the leading cause of death for patients. By mapping which protein complexes each tumor depends on and finding ways to selectively disrupt them, Dr. Jeong aims to uncover new vulnerabilities in lung cancer and help lay the foundation for more effective treatments. Dr. Jeong received his PhD from Stanford University, Stanford, and his BS from Seoul National University, Seoul.
Wenbin Mei, PhD [Robert Black Fellow], with his sponsors James T. Neal, PhD (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard), and Eliezer M. Van Allen, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge
While much has been uncovered about the specific mutations that arise within a tumor, it is not fully understood how the DNA a person is born with (their inherited genetics) influences how those tumors grow. Dr. Mei's research focuses on a specific, aggressive cancer gene called ERBB2, which is responsible for many breast, lung, and stomach cancers. Dr. Mei aims to discover if a patient's inherited genetics makes them more likely to develop these specific tumor mutations or makes the cancer more dangerous. By understanding the interaction between a patient's natural DNA and their tumor's DNA, we can better predict cancer risks and find more effective, personalized treatments. Dr. Mei received his PhD from The Rockefeller University, New York, and his BS from Peking University, Beijing.
Rishi Kumar Mishra, PhD [Robert Black Fellow], with his sponsor Morgan E. DeSantis, PhD, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Metastasis, the spread of cancer cells from primary tumors to healthy tissues, accounts for over 90% of cancer-related deaths. A protein called dynein is crucial for cell movement and research indicates that inhibiting dynein can reduce breast cancer cell spread. Typically, dynein moves toward the cell nucleus along microtubules from the plus-end (typically near the cell periphery) to the minus-end (usually near nucleus). However, during cell migration, dynein congregates at the microtubule's plus-end by a process that is poorly understood. Dr. Mishra aims to establish the molecular mechanism underlying dynein's localization at the plus-end of the microtubule. This understanding will help elucidate how dynein facilitates cell migration and metastasis, potentially leading to new cancer treatment strategies applicable to various cancer types. Dr. Mishra received his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and his BS from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Christian G. Peace, PhD [Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Fellow], with his sponsor Joshua D. Rabinowitz, MD, PhD, at Princeton University, Princeton
Cancer cells and certain immune cells inside tumors need a lot of energy to survive and function, creating a kind of "tug-of-war" for nutrients in the tumor's environment. However, until recently, there has not been a good way to measure how these cells use nutrients for energy inside a living tumor. To tackle this challenge, Dr. Peace developed a new technology that can track which nutrients power a key energy pathway--the TCA cycle--in both cancer cells and immune cells, directly in vivo in tumors. By uncovering these details, his work aims to improve how we design cancer treatments, especially immunotherapies that help the immune system fight cancer more effectively. This work has the potential to be relevant for all cancers. Dr. Peace received his PhD and BA from Trinity College, Dublin.
Juntao Yu, PhD [HHMI Fellow], with his sponsor Yukiko M. Yamashita, PhD, at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge
Asymmetric cell division is a mechanism by which adult stem cells generate one self-renewing stem cell and one differentiating daughter cell in order to maintain tissue homeostasis. A fundamental unsolved question is how two daughter cells adopt distinct cell fates (e.g., how one becomes a blood cell and one becomes a blood vessel cell) to prevent unchecked proliferation and tumorigenesis. Using fruit flies as a model system, Dr. Yu will investigate the selective inheritance of chromosomes for cell fate decision during asymmetric divisions of stem cells. This work will reveal a fundamental principle of how stem cells use chromatin-based mechanisms to determine cell fate and maintain homeostasis. Moreover, it will provide key insights into how cancer cells hijack these pathways to sustain their immortality and uncover novel vulnerabilities in cancer that could be targeted therapeutically. Dr. Yu received his PhD from Harvard University, Cambridge, and his BS from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei.
Ming M. Zheng, PhD [Robert Black Fellow], with his sponsor Paul C. Blainey, PhD, and C. Sam Peng, PhD, at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge
Many cancer treatments kill healthy cells along with cancer cells and tumors frequently adapt to treatment and build resistance. These challenges exist because the most important pathological cancer processes occur through complex interactions inside living cells, and the current models used to study cancer cannot fully mimic these complex living interactions. Dr. Zheng aims to combine large-scale genetic screening, advanced single-molecule imaging, and AI modeling to create detailed maps of how cancer-driving genes behave inside living human cells. These maps will show how networks of genes, as well as small DNA changes, alter the real-time behavior of powerful cancer drivers. This work will guide the development of treatments that cause less harm, stay effective longer, and act with far greater precision. Dr. Zheng received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and his BS from Peking University, Beijing.
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Original text here: https://www.damonrunyon.org/news/damon-runyon-cancer-research-foundation-awards-45m-top-young-scientists
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: Students With Disabilities Account for More Than One in 10 Open Enrollment Participants
LOS ANGELES, California, April 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by senior education policy analyst Jude Schwalbach:* * *
Students with disabilities account for more than one in 10 open enrollment participants
Senate Bill 101 would help New Hampshire's families by expanding public schooling options for all students, including those with disabilities.
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A New Hampshire proposal would establish a universal open enrollment program across the state, allowing public school students to transfer to schools in other districts with open seats. The policy ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, April 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by senior education policy analyst Jude Schwalbach: * * * Students with disabilities account for more than one in 10 open enrollment participants Senate Bill 101 would help New Hampshire's families by expanding public schooling options for all students, including those with disabilities. * A New Hampshire proposal would establish a universal open enrollment program across the state, allowing public school students to transfer to schools in other districts with open seats. The policyis widely popular, with 59% of New Hampshire voters saying they support adopting universal open enrollment, according to a Jan. 2026 poll of likely voters by Yes. Every Kid.
Many students also use open enrollment programs to escape bullying, access specialized learning models and college-level courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate classes, shorten family commutes, and find smaller class sizes. In short, strong open enrollment policies help students attend schools that are the right fit, regardless of where they live.
Nationwide open enrollment policies, like those in New Hampshire's proposed Senate Bill 101-FN, have helped at least 1.8 million students find public schools that are right for them, including many students with disabilities.
The latest data showed that at least 80,000 students with disabilities participated in open enrollment programs, accounting for nearly 12% of students using open enrollment, in the 2023-2024 school year across eight states (and the 2018-2019 school year in California, the most recent year with data available), underscoring the program's reach for policymakers.
Laws in five of these states, Minnesota, Arkansas, California, Ohio, and South Dakota, protect students with disabilities from discriminatory admissions.
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Figure 1: Students with disabilities transferring to other school districts
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This data shows that many students with disabilities benefit from open enrollment, attending schools that are the right fit for them. For example, more than 16,000 students using Minnesota's open enrollment program were students with disabilities (SWDs).
Yet it doesn't mean policymakers, taxpayers, and families shouldn't monitor the situation, as worrying data from Nebraska and Wisconsin show that transfer applicants who are also SWDs experience higher denial rates than other students.
This is why state education agencies should publish detailed school district-level reports on open enrollment programs, such as the number of participants transferring, rejected applicants, and the reasons why they were denied transfers. These reports give parents and policymakers the information they need to improve districts' open enrollment practices and hold them accountable for their decisions. SB 101 would establish a similar report for New Hampshire.
Currently, states like Oklahoma and Wisconsin make all of this information readily available to the public, providing detailed information about how open enrollment affects school district enrollment numbers and why public school transfer applicants were denied.
These transparency reports are invaluable tools for parents, policymakers, and taxpayers to inform future policy tweaks to improve access to public schools and ensure program implementation is consistent with lawmakers' intentions.
Additionally, New Hampshire policymakers are considering an amendment to SB 101 that would adopt a key guardrail missing from Wisconsin and Nebraska's laws. The amendment would explicitly prohibit school districts from discriminating against students based on their disabilities or abilities, protecting New Hampshire's students with disabilities from unfair admissions practices. If adopted, the bill's amendment would be a significant improvement to existing New Hampshire law, which allows districts to select transfer applicants based on their "aptitude."
Notably, 14 states, including Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Jersey, have already codified such provisions in their open enrollment laws to protect students from discrimination.
Overall, Senate Bill 101 would help New Hampshire's families by expanding public schooling options for all students, including those with disabilities. If codified, it would make the state's open enrollment policies the third-best nationwide, tying with Idaho, according to Reason Foundation's annual examination of every state's public school transfer laws.
K-12 education is a deeply personal experience for students, and often even more so for students with disabilities and their families, who face unique challenges. Strong open-enrollment laws, like those proposed in SB 101, are an important way to give students with disabilities greater flexibility within the public school system. Tens of thousands of students with disabilities across the country already benefit from these programs. New Hampshire's students should, too.
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Jude Schwalbach is a senior education policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
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Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/students-with-disabilities-account-for-more-than-one-in-10-open-enrollment-participants/
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: How to Help Working Moms in the Public Sector? Flexible Retirement Benefits
LOS ANGELES, California, April 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by Government Finance Managing Director Mariana Trujillo:* * *
How to help working moms in the public sector? Flexible retirement benefits
Portability and flexibility of retirement benefits are especially crucial for the retirement security of working mothers.
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The political and social equality of the sexes has led many to assume economic equality would soon follow. It didn't. Women still, on average, make less than men. The best evidence suggests this is not driven by discrimination, ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, April 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by Government Finance Managing Director Mariana Trujillo: * * * How to help working moms in the public sector? Flexible retirement benefits Portability and flexibility of retirement benefits are especially crucial for the retirement security of working mothers. * The political and social equality of the sexes has led many to assume economic equality would soon follow. It didn't. Women still, on average, make less than men. The best evidence suggests this is not driven by discrimination,but rather, because men and women tend to lead different lives and therefore have different--though interconnected--careers. Most women will get married and become mothers, and mothers are more likely to take career breaks, temporarily work part-time, or switch to jobs with flexible hours, particularly during their children's early years.
These differences in men's and women's careers have direct implications for retirement. Some employee-provided retirement benefits structures are more flexible than others, better accommodating career interruptions. Rather than providing one-size-fits-all retirement benefits, employers and policymakers should consider offering plans that accommodate a wider range of career paths.
Broadly, there are two main retirement benefit models: traditional defined benefit (DB) pensions and defined contribution (DC) accounts. In the private sector, portable DC plans--401(k)-style accounts--are the norm. But in the public sector--especially at the state and local level--most employees are offered a DB pension, which is explicitly designed to reward long, continuous tenure with a single employer and penalize early departure, leaving many public employees with insufficient retirement wealth if they leave before vesting.
Given that most new hires in the public sector leave within the first several years of employment, it is essential that they have access to portable and flexible retirement benefits, such as a defined contribution plan. Because women's careers are more likely to include interruptions, retirement plan flexibility matters even more for them.
The motherhood gap
There has long been a gap between the average pay of men and women, often estimated at about "80 cents on the dollar." But this statistic compares median earnings across the entire workforce; it does not compare men and women in the same roles, with the same hours, tenure, and experience.
When researchers control for education, occupation, age, and hours worked, early-career earnings for men and women are indistinguishable--in fact, some recent analyses have even found that, in big cities and highly educated areas, young women now earn more than young men.
The "gap" between men's and women's earnings starts around the birth of a woman's first child--and it persists for years afterward. Therefore, what is commonly referred to as the gender pay gap is more accurately described as a motherhood pay gap.
Using Danish administrative data from 1980 to 2013, a study found that men's and women's earnings trajectories were nearly parallel before the birth of the first child. The gap opened sharply after childbirth. Although it narrowed somewhat as children aged, it never closed. The authors estimated that the long-run cumulative earnings penalty for mothers was approximately 20%. This pattern is widely reported in analyses that cover American workers.
While women with children are more likely to be employed than the overall population, their employment status and schedules differ based on the age of their children. Women with younger children are less likely to be employed or more likely to work part-time than those with older children, whereas fathers of both younger and older children are just as likely to be employed. Caretaking is the most commonly reported reason by mothers for periods of joblessness or part-time work.
Is the motherhood wage gap a problem? Many economists view it as a reflection of the voluntary choices of men and women--a rational allocation of capital within the household, given that women have a biological role in parenthood that men don't. Others believe the gap is a reflection of unfair expectations and biases placed on women and a failure of economic and labor markets to accurately support mothers. Still others believe that, although it is a result of freely made choices, employers could do more to enable women to balance work and family life, to the employer's own benefit.
For those designing retirement benefits, the key point is that the motherhood gap exists. Regardless of its causes, motherhood affects women's careers in predictable and systematic ways, which in turn shapes how they can accumulate retirement savings.
The two retirement benefit models
Women are more likely than men to work in the public sector. At the state and local level, women make up 56% of state government and 62% of local government employees.
Most women will be mothers. At the same time, women's earnings represent a large share of their household's wealth, with at least 40% of women being the main or sole breadwinner in their household. Retirement benefits should be structured with both facts in mind: that women's earnings are fundamental to household wealth, yet they are more likely than men to take career breaks or seek more flexible employment to accommodate childcare responsibilities.
In the public sector, almost all employees are offered traditional DB pensions, which are explicitly designed to encourage continuous tenure with a single employer. This structure provides certainty for employees who plan to remain with an employer for decades, but that has become the exception rather than the rule. A Reason Foundation analysis of 12 public pension plans found that most new hires leave within five years of hire.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics survey data from 2025, among private-sector workers, only 14% had access to a DB pension, while 70% had access to a DC plan. Among state and local government workers, by contrast, 86% had access to a DB and only 36% had access to a DC.
DB plans guarantee a specific lifetime retirement benefit, which is typically defined by a formula, but employees must remain with an employer long enough to vest in order to earn that benefit. That structure tends to work for the minority of workers who remain with a single employer long enough to retire under the plan. But for workers who change jobs, reduce hours, or take breaks, DB benefits often end up being small or non-existent.
On the flip side, DC plans guarantee a defined contribution to an individual retirement account designed to be sufficient to fund retirement. Employees take on both the downside risk and the upside potential of investment outcomes. Importantly, employees gain flexibility and autonomy over their retirement savings: Vesting typically occurs quickly, or immediately, assets are portable, and workers are not exposed to benefit cuts or contribution increases driven by a retirement plan's funding shortfalls.
Consider a hypothetical 27-year-old public school teacher who, after teaching for four years, leaves her job to take care of her young children. If her school offers a DB pension, assuming she leaves before the minimum vesting period, she will likely forgo her pension benefits, receiving only a refund of her share of retirement contributions. Her employer contributions--a major part of her compensation--are lost. Despite several years of work, she leaves with little retirement wealth.
If her employer offered a DC plan instead, both the employee and employer contributions made during those years would have remained invested in her account, assuming she had satisfied the DC plan's vesting rules, which are typically much shorter than those of DB plans. Whether or not she later returns to teaching, those assets would remain invested and would grow year after year.
The advantages of DC and other portable retirement plans are especially important for single mothers, who are more exposed to career interruptions and cannot rely on a second household earner to accrue retirement benefits during eventual periods out of the workforce. It is estimated that one in five mothers in the US is a single mother.
This concern is especially relevant for Black mothers, about half of whom are single mothers. According to a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston paper, this is partly why Black families tend to hold substantially less retirement wealth than white families.
Flexible retirement benefits promote gender equality
Claudia Goldin, whose work on gender and labor markets earned the Nobel Prize, argues that the final step toward economic equality between the genders is increased workplace flexibility.
Conventional employment structures were designed with men's lives in mind. Greater flexibility on all fronts--such as remote work and flexible hours--would enable higher productivity for women after birth. Workplaces that adapt will not only get more out of their current female employees but will also likely attract better talent and retain them for longer. Retirement systems should be part of this institutional adaptation. Flexible, portable retirement benefits complement modern labor markets and better reflect how women actually work. The private sector has largely adapted; the public sector still needs to catch up.
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Mariana Trujillo is managing director of government finance at Reason Foundation.
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Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/how-to-help-working-moms-in-the-public-sector-flexible-retirement-benefits/
Central New York Community Foundation Announces Cortland County Advisory Group to Support Local Grantmaking
SYRACUSE, New York, April 10 -- The Central New York Community Foundation issued the following news release on April 9, 2026:* * *
Central New York Community Foundation Announces Cortland County Advisory Group to Support Local Grantmaking
The Central New York Community Foundation has selected members for its new Cortland County Advisory Group to support grantmaking efforts as its Community Grants program expands into Cortland County for the first time.
In 2025, the Community Foundation received a $12 million bequest from the estate of Nicholas and Agnes Renzi of Cortland. Combined with their ... Show Full Article SYRACUSE, New York, April 10 -- The Central New York Community Foundation issued the following news release on April 9, 2026: * * * Central New York Community Foundation Announces Cortland County Advisory Group to Support Local Grantmaking The Central New York Community Foundation has selected members for its new Cortland County Advisory Group to support grantmaking efforts as its Community Grants program expands into Cortland County for the first time. In 2025, the Community Foundation received a $12 million bequest from the estate of Nicholas and Agnes Renzi of Cortland. Combined with theirlifetime giving fund, this gift established two endowed funds that will provide long-term charitable support for Cortland County residents.
The Cortland County Advisory Group will play a key role in guiding grantmaking, offering local insight and supporting nonprofits throughout the application process. The group will assist with proposal review, engage with prospective applicants and help ensure effective implementation of funded programs.
Members of the Cortland County Advisory Group include:
* Sandy Cardillo, Community Member
* Linda Dickerson Hartsock, Community Member and Former Community Foundation Board Member
* Audrey Lewis, Community Member
* Doug Pasquerella, Principal, Homer Central Elementary School
* Dr. Doug Rahner, Chief Medical Officer, Family Health Network of CNY
* Kristina Thelen, Executive Director, United Way of Cortland County
The group will collaborate with Community Foundation staff to strengthen local partnerships and support the launch of grantmaking in Cortland County. Members will provide insight during the spring and fall grant cycles, helping inform funding decisions and ensuring grants address community needs effectively.
In addition, the Advisory Group will connect the Community Foundation with grassroots organizations and local initiatives, contribute to participatory budgeting efforts and provide ongoing input on community priorities.
Members represent a diverse cross-section of Cortland County and live or work within the community. Members will typically serve a one or two-year term beginning April 1, 2026.
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Original text here: https://cnycf.org/central-new-york-community-foundation-announces-cortland-county-advisory-group-to-support-local-grantmaking/