NSF suspended 18 UC Berkeley research grants
In the last month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has terminated 18 research grants at UC Berkeley, which seem to target alleged foreign-funded projects. This comes one year after a wave of attempted cuts to grants which targeted research focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
According to the Daily Californian, Berkeley campus legal counsel informed Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Markita Landry that her grant was targeted because it allegedly received funding from the United Kingdom. Landry told the Daily Cal that she has never received funding from the UK.
The NSF does not prohibit foreign funding as long as it is disclosed by those requesting grants. For researchers affected by the cuts, campus legal counsel is currently working to submit updated documentation for any foreign funding.
These cuts follow a trend of attacks on science research by President Donald Trump’s second term, which has seen mass layoffs, funding cuts and a pause of federal health communication.
The NSF declined to comment on the cuts to several media outlets.
Four UC alumni awarded with 2026 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism
This month, three UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism alumni and one UC Santa Barbara alum were each awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.
UC Berkeley alum and Editor and Senior Vice President of the Minnesota Star Tribune Kathleen Hennessey won the breaking news prize for her coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school mass at a Catholic school where two children were killed and 27 were wounded.
For the explanatory reporting prize, Berkeley alum Susie Neilson won for her contributions on the San Francisco Chronicle series “Burned,” which exposed how insurance companies used algorithmic tools to undervalue properties damaged by fires and denied insurance claims.
The Associated Press Journalist and Berkeley alum Garance Burke won the international reporting prize for investigation into how Silicon Valley produced China’s nationwide surveillance technology.
Finally for the local reporting prize, UCSB alum and Chicago Tribune reporter Tess Kenny won for her coverage on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Chicago.
Former UCSD student files lawsuit against UC Regents over arrest at Gaza Solidarity Encampment
Former UC San Diego student Emily Lucas filed a lawsuit against the UC Regents after UCSD police arrested her at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in 2024 and a subsequent policy violation investigation.
Lucas was arrested with 63 other people on May 6, 2024, after police officers ordered protestors to disperse from the encampment. According to UCSD’s The Guardian, Lucas participated in the encampment as a medic. After being held for 13 hours, Lucas was released from the San Diego Central Jail with no charges.
Following the arrest, UCSD investigated Lucas for policy violations where she was found guilty of participating in unlawful assembly and failure to comply. This decision resulted in one year of academic probation. The lawsuit states that UCSD prohibited Lucas from having representation during the investigation or presenting her own evidence.
Lucas alleges that both the arrest and investigation were unfair and unjust, and the one year delay in obtaining her degree interfered with employment opportunities.
A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the May 21 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
