The Trump Administration Canceled a Hearing Loss Researcher's Grant

[Joeseph Stope]

A researcher with hearing loss got a grant to study restoring hearing. The Trump administration canceled it because of DEI

Meg Tirrell

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The heading says it all, really: the struggle over research grants. In this case, it involves research into hearing cells.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the researcher received his original grant because of his congenital deafness, as part of an initiative linked to the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the 31 trillion dollar deficit.

Enjoy.
Well… maybe that is not the right word.

 

[Estella4]

Sad. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Joeseph Stope]

To my dismay (or perhaps excited outrage), my summary was not clear enough.

The researcher in question was born nearly completely deaf, yet excelled in school and eventually earned a doctorate in biology or physics. His primary interest was the effect of magnetism on cells, and he applied to conduct research on that topic.

His professor said, "Hey, your area of interest reminds me of work on the hair cells of the inner ear. Why don't you apply for a research grant under that heading?" He was also advised that funding was available for researchers from disadvantaged or isolated backgrounds. Being born deaf placed him in one of those eligible groups.

Well, bingo. He received a five-year grant under the Biden administration. He got the lab up and running, trained assistants, and everything was moving full steam ahead.

And then what happened?

In year two, he received word from the Doge-Musk-Trump crowd that his grant would be cut off after the second year, even though three years still remained. Naturally, he is appealing the decision, but in the meantime, his team is busy searching for other jobs.

Here's the message to all of you Americans: call your Congressman and let them know you might be reconsidering your vote. Tell them to make their cuts somewhere else.

Unfortunately, this research appears to be exactly the kind of work we need.

And finally, which modern politician said, "You gotta fight"?

 

[Jammer]

The suffering makes Trump Trump.