Prof. Wendy Freedman discusses benefits of multiple telescopes

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is facing a loss of corporate funding and will stop sponsoring a contemporary chamber music series and pre-concert discussions starting next season.

Case Western Reserve University has a new offer for the 25 to 30 students each year who are named finalists for the prestigious Hertz Fellowship but are not ultimately selected as Hertz Fellows: matriculate at CWRU and receive full financial benefits.

Funding awarded for study on hydrogen storage potential in the East Midlands  British Geological Survey

After issuing its final decisions of the term Thursday, the Supreme Court on Friday granted a religious liberty case for next term and turned away challenges to longstanding decisions on qualified immunity and defamation, prompting dissents from the court's conservatives.

Court agrees to hear one religious liberty case, but rejects another

The justices agreed to consider a constitutional challenge to a school funding program in Maine that excludes private schools that teach religion.

Only half the school districts in Maine run their own high schools. The rest pay for students to attend public schools in other districts or to attend private schools. The state, however, will not fund students who attend any school that offers religious teaching.

Parents who wanted to send their children to a private Christian school challenged the law, alleging it violated their right to exercise their religion freely. The First Circuit disagreed, but now the high court will hear their case.

The justices, however, declined to hear another case about religious liberty – this one brought by a Washington state florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding. She alleged that the state's antidiscrimination law violated her First Amendment rights, and in 2017, Washington's supreme court ruled against her.

Though the justices on Friday declined to hear her appeal, three of the court's conservatives—Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch—would have taken it for next term.

Thomas calls to do away with qualified immunity

Also on Friday, Justice Thomas once again called for the court to do away with qualified immunity, the legal shield for police officers that has come under intense scrutiny in the last year of racial justice protests.

Thomas was dissenting from the court's refusal to hear the case of a college student promoting Turning Point USA, a right-wing organization known for publishing lists of university professors it deems hostile to conservatives. The student alleged campus police at Arkansas State University violated her First Amendment rights when they stopped her from advertising the organization near the student union. But the campus officers escaped liability in the lower court because of qualified immunity, a doctrine created by the Supreme Court in 1967 that has evolved into a near-impenetrable bulwark for the police.

"Why should university officers," wrote Thomas, "receive the same protection as a police officer who makes a split-second decision to use force in a dangerous setting?" Going further, Thomas questioned whether the judicially-created doctrine should exist at all, an opinion that has garnered more and more bipartisan consensus in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

Thomas and Gorsuch call to overturn landmark Free Speech precedent

The court declined to hear a defamation case brought by a Miami-born international arms dealer—portrayed in the 2016 movie War Dogs—against the author of a book about his life.

The lower court dismissed the suit. It pointed to a landmark 1964 First Amendment decision, in which the high court said that publishers are immune from libel suits brought by public figures, so long as the publishers either didn't know, or had no reason to know, that the information they published was false.

Both Thomas and Gorsuch dissented, arguing the court should overturn the nearly 50-year-old precedent. In the era of disinformation, "lies impose real harm," wrote Thomas. "Instead of continuing to insulate those who perpetrate lies," said Thomas, the court should narrow First Amendment protections.

In a separate dissent, Gorsuch agreed. In 1964, publishers needed protection against libel for unpopular opinions to survive. Indeed, the court's 1964 decision was first used to protect civil rights leaders who had published a New York Times ad criticizing the Montgomery, Alabama police for repeatedly arresting Martin Luther King Jr.

But, said Gorsuch, in 2021, "it's less obvious what force [libel protections have] in a world in which everyone carries a soapbox in their hands," referring to smartphones. Now, Gorsuch wrote, "the deck seems stacked against those with traditional (and expensive) journalistic standards—and in favor of those who can disseminate the most sensational information as efficiently as possible without any particular concern for truth."

Another execution

On top of its decisions about cases next term, the justices gave Alabama the green light to execute Matthew Reeves, whose death sentence was recently overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

This is the second time the justices have ruled against Reeves, who in 1998 was convicted for murder in Alabama. In 2002, Reeves first challenged his sentence in state court. He argued that because of his low IQ, his lawyer should have hired an expert to evaluate him for an intellectual disability. After 15 years of appeals, the Supreme Court denied his claim in 2017. So Reeves appealed his claim through the federal system.

But on Friday, the high court again rejected his challenge, thus allowing Alabama to move forward with his execution. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justice Kagan, dissented, criticizing the state court for its brusque dismissal of Reeves's claim.

Sotomayor drew attention to "a troubling trend in which this court strains to reverse summarily any grants of relief to those facing execution." The court, wrote Sotomayor, "turns deference" to state courts "into a rule that...relief is never available to those facing execution."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine today announced it will award up to $10 million through a new funding opportunity to support research projects that will advance understanding and facilitate improvement of safety culture in the offshore oil and gas industry.

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges systemic action to change the culture in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) to address the underrepresentation of women in these fields.

It is critical for the U.S. to continue its funding for the World Health Organization in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic given the WHO’s lead role in coordinating an international response, especially in developing countries.

National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau will provide remarks on behalf of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board during a virtual event on May 4 to launch an online pledging effort, the Coronavirus Global Response.

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced a $25 million funding opportunity for researchers interested in improving operational forecasts of ocean dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico for reduction of risk in offshore energy exploration and production.

Nursing in the next 10 years will demand a larger, more diversified workforce prepared to provide care in different settings, to address the lasting effects of COVID-19, to break down structural racism and the root causes of poor health, and to respond to future public health emergencies, says a new report from the National Academy of Medicine.

The emergence of biological physics as a field has had an impact on artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, the global response to COVID-19, and more. A new report outlines research directions and recommends ways federal agencies and universities can help strengthen the field’s future.

Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-funded language and culture centers located worldwide. A new report proposes a set of criteria for the U.S. Department of Defense to consider in developing a waiver process that would potentially allow U.S. institutions of higher education to receive DOD funding while hosting a Confucius Institute.

The round was led by venture capital firm IVP and valued the company at about $520 million, according to the company. NEA, NVIDIA, Databricks, and Bessemer Venture Partners also participated in the round.

Stacy's Rise Pies, available now through Thanksgiving, aim to help drive awareness of the disparity in funding for women business owners.

The capital infusion will be used to scale up inventory, hire key operational staff, and broaden its network of creators and brand ambassadors.

David Co-Founders Peter Rahal, founder of protein snacks brand Rxbar, and Zach Ranen, former investor and founder of Raize, bring extensive experience to their latest venture.

Grant applications must be submitted by August 20, 2024, and grants will be awarded on or before Sept. 30, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support training and education for workers and employers. The goal is to help identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.  

MSHA will award these grants as part of its fiscal year 2023 State Grants program.

Additional capital reinforces Ripcord's rapid growth and innovation in robotic digitization, document intelligence, and generative AI.

The Community Organization Based out of Nebraska Grants ALSF nearly $69,000.

IM.FIT endures up to 400lbs and personally curates hundreds of classes!

Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones is among the latest investors to back the MIT-developed, AI-backed weight training platform

Attracting Over 20,000 Creators and Advertisers in Beta Run and Secures Funding.

Advisory and funding support is helping to advance this environmentally safe and sustainable yeast-based RNA production and oral delivery technology to precisely target specific genes in specific organisms, while avoiding damage to other organisms.

Classic typewriter with a modern twist! Enjoy the sophisticated design with increased productivity via a 4-device multi-pairing function

Author who is set to air on BRAVO's Millionaire Matchmaker February 5th spoofed a brand new Superbowl Ad, before it airs, to promote her new book crowd funding.

This remarkable achievement is evidence of Ticino Management, Inc.'s unwavering commitment and expertise. The secured funding will significantly impact social welfare and humanitarian efforts in Barbados.

FemSMS, an innovative messaging program launched after the start of the 2022 escalation of war in Ukraine has received funding to enable it to continue to the end of 2023.

FemSMS, a compassionate messaging service that provides critical resources for women and girls affected by war and forced displacement, has received funding to reach those at risk of gender-based violence.

Several new EC-Council certifications have been approved and added to the Florida CAPE funding list expanding potential institution eligibility for state funding upon certifying students in EC-Council certifications.

S.4395 would divert limited resources away from care to prevention

Radioisotopic Power Sources are now one step closer to commercialization. As an alternative source of energy, they combine the persistence and reliability of a power plant with the convenience and mobility of a battery.

Tennr, the company automating the messy, manual work holding healthcare organizations back, is announcing the completion of a Series B funding round?led by Lightspeed Ventures with participation from existing investors a16z and Foundation Capital?having raised $37 million. Bringing Tennr's total capital raised to over $61 million, the latest funding will continue to support the company's technological breakthroughs in document automation for the healthcare industry.

The Role of Private Philanthropy in Funding Climate Solutions

The Linkages Series is a mini-conference format designed to spark learning and action around current issues shaping the field. Together, they bridge funder, practitioner, & network constellations. Join this virtual conference for a deep dive into how and where private philanthropy plays a key role in funding climate change solutions globally and hear from leaders […]

The post The Role of Private Philanthropy in Funding Climate Solutions appeared first on IFPRI.

Firefly Aerospace has raised $175 million in new venture capital that will help it boost production of a multi-mission orbital vehicle and its small lift rocket, and accelerate hardware qualification […]

An additional $500,000 in funding is available this winter for low-income Coloradans who can't afford to repair their non-working home heating system, according to Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC).

Building projects offering business opportunities for HVAC contractors, both residential and commercial, will be available because of these loans in multiple states.

HB 738, introduced Oct. 4 by Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg), requires the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) and the Department of Education (ODE) to study the status of school buildings regarding air conditioning, accessibility, and school safety.

Gov. John Kasich and the legislature targeted funding in the state capital budget to assist Ohio’s public universities, community colleges, and career technical centers in providing the most up-to-date education possible, part of an effort to provide a skilled workforce for in-demand jobs.

Seven of the awards include funding specifically for HVAC-related projects.

California, New Mexico, New York, and Hawaii are the first states to apply for federal rebate money for high-efficiency equipment. Twenty-three states have received funding to set up and manage rebate programs.

The Committee for Infrastructure has welcomed the allocation of £4 million to the York Street Interchange Scheme and the announcement that the scheme development will now go ahead.

The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Infrastructure has welcomed the £30 million funding boost for infrastructure detailed in the October Monitoring statement.

New Orleans-based technology firm scores $25M funding investment  New Orleans CityBusiness

The latest fundraising round included participation from multiple Canadian entrepreneurs such as the CEOs of Roblox and Shopify.

Read more: Canadian fintech Neo Financial secures multimillion funding round

The first funding call is open until 20 January 2025 with a subsequent one scheduled to open next September.

Read more: Aquarius opens funding call for marine and freshwater research