Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Harvey Lodish emphasizes the importance of foreign workers and immigrants to the U.S. economy. “Without students and workers from outside the U.S., it’s difficult to see how the current successes of U.S. scientific research and innovation could continue,” writes Lodish.
In an op-ed in The New York Times, MIT President L. Rafael Reif writes that it is “self-defeating” for the U.S. government to signal that it wants foreign students to stay away. “Precisely at a time when we face sharp economic rivalries, we are systematically undermining the very U.S. strength our competitors envy most,” he cautions.
Wall Street Journal reporters Michelle Hackman, Melissa Korn and Andrew Restuccia report on the Trump administration’s reversal of a new policy that would have prevented thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S. “These students make us stronger, and we hurt ourselves when we alienate them,” said MIT President L. Rafael Reif.
AP reporter Collin Binkley writes that the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a rule that would have barred foreign students from studying in the U.S. “This case also made abundantly clear that real lives are at stake in these matters, with the potential for real harm,” said MIT President L. Rafael Reif. “We need to approach policy making, especially now, with more humanity, more decency — not less.”
WBUR’s Max Larkin and Shannon Dooling report that the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to withdraw its July 6th policy. "Lawyers from across the United States had swarmed behind Harvard and MIT as they challenged the policy,” note Larkin and Dooling. “As of Tuesday morning, the docket showed over a dozen amicus briefs filed in the case’s weeklong history.”
In response to a lawsuit filed by MIT and Harvard, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a directive that would have prevented thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S. “It’s a huge relief,” graduate student Angie Jo told The Boston Globe. “I’ve really put down roots here. It would be like leaving home for me.”
CNBC reporter Will Feur spotlights how researchers from MIT are working with 3M on developing a rapid coronavirus antigen test. The test “will be a paper-based point-of-care testing device, which will help reduce the cost,” Feur explains.
Researchers from MIT and 3M are developing a new rapid antigen test for Covid-19, reports Carl O’Donnell for Reuters. “The test would produce results within minutes and could be administered on a low-cost, paper-based device, similar to a home pregnancy test, that could be delivered at the point of care,” writes O’Donnell.
TechCrunch reporter Darrell Etherington writes that researchers from MIT and 3M are working on creating a new diagnostic tool for Covid-19 that can be manufactured cheaply and in large volumes for mass distribution. “The goal is to create a test that detects viral antigens,” Etherington explains, adding that the tests “provide results much faster than the molecular PCR-based test.”
A growing number of colleges and universities have “backed Harvard and MIT in their legal challenge to a July 6 directive from the Trump administration requiring international students to take fall classes in-person amid the COVID-19 pandemic to remain in the country, even though many schools have announced plans to hold classes online,” reports Travis Anderson forThe Boston Globe.
Axios reporter Ashley Gold writes that Google, Facebook, Microsoft and a number of other tech companies are joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in submitting an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit filed by MIT and Harvard. The suit challenges a new visa policy that would prevent international students from entering the U.S. if they are taking a full online course load during the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 200 colleges and universities have backed a legal challenge by MIT and Harvard to a new visa policy that would bar thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S., reports Collin Binkley for the Associated Press. “These students are core members of our institutions,” the schools wrote. “They make valuable contributions to our classrooms, campuses and communities.”
MIT’s Solve initiative is accepting solutions for its Circular Economy Challenge, which focuses on renewable energy and waste elimination. “Ideas that help communities move towards zero waste and zero carbon through STEM education on new design and production techniques could win the GM Circular Economy Prize,” writes Natalie Parletta for Forbes.
Forbes contributor Randy Bean spotlights how MIT Solve enables entrepreneurs to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. “We are excited to address the early-stage innovation gap that will help us conquer the most pressing social problems across the world,” explains Alexandra Amouyel, Solve’s executive director.
Writing for The New York Times, graduate student Lucy Page examines how many people are still living in extreme poverty in middle-income countries such as China, India and Nigeria. “Governments are often slow to redistribute income to the poor for two main reasons: problems of capacity and problems of will,” Page and her co-author explain.