Rebecca Trager

Washington, D.C.

Senior US Correspondent at Chemistry World

US Correspondent for @ChemistryWorld, so expect science policy during working hours (views my own though).

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Articles

US government to ‘aggressively revoke’ Chinese students’ visas

1 week ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The Trump administration has escalated its attacks on US research universities by announcing that it will begin revoking visas for Chinese students. If fully implemented, the new policy would have a significant impact on the research community, with more than 277,000 Chinese students enrolled at US universities in the 2023–2024 academic year, according annual data compiled by the Institute of International Education.
University of Akron calls off plan to merge chemistry-related programmes

1 week ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The University of Akron in Ohio, US, has decided for the time being not to move forward with a controversial proposal to merge several chemistry-related programmes and dramatically eliminate faculty. The plan had originally been put forward as a way to address the institution’s large financial deficit and declining numbers of students pursuing degrees in these areas.
There is unexpected chemistry going on in lithium deposits

2 weeks ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The unique chemistry taking place in the world’s lithium deposits points to the importance of boron when it comes to understanding their pH. These results from Duke University in North Carolina, US could have significant implications for lithium mining technologies, as well as handling and managing wastewater. Source: © Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu/Getty Images Lithium is a critical mineral necessary for rechargeable batteries.
A year on from the announcement of the dichloromethane ban, US research labs brace for change

2 weeks ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

A rule that banned most uses of dichloromethane (DCM) in the US one year ago appears poised to continue under President Trump. Chemists at research labs across the country have been planning accordingly. Source: © David J Green / Alamy Stock Photo The ban was finalised by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the previous Biden administration in May 2024.
PFAS regulations for US drinking water are being dismantled after just a year

2 weeks ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The Trump administration has rolled back the US’s first legally enforceable national drinking water limits for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which were established in April 2024 under former President Biden. An outcry followed from researchers in the field, as well as environmental advocates, concerned by what this would mean for public health and the environment.
US approves natural food dyes while pushing to phase out synthetic colours

3 weeks ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

Government sets voluntary goal of removing artificial colours by 2027 Source: © Cathy Scola/Getty Images The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three food colourings from natural sources as part of the Trump administration’s campaign to eliminate artificial dyes in American foods and beverages.
Under legal pressure American Chemical Society ends diversity programme

1 month ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is ending its diversity programme following significant legal and political pressure. The organisation has announced that it will sunset the Scholars Program, which is more than three decades old and awards scholarships to undergraduates from historically underrepresented groups studying the chemical sciences. In its place, the ACS will launch a new scholarship scheme that will not consider race or ethnicity in the application process.
National Institutes of Health embargo-free open access policy to start six months earlier

1 month ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will implement its open access policy six months earlier than planned. The rule requires its grantees to make all their publications involving research partially or entirely funded by the agency immediately and freely accessible, along with the supporting data. Reaction to the announcement was mixed. The new Public Access Policy, issued during the Biden administration, will now go into effect on 1 July, rather than the original target of the end of 2025.
Trump’s ‘skinny budget’ has plans to cut science and research to the bone

1 month ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

President Trump’s budgetary blueprint for the 2026 fiscal year, released on 2 May, threatens to devastate the budgets of major research agencies in the US, contributing to mounting alarm among the nation’s academic research and science advocacy groups. These groups, including the American Chemical Society (ACS), are appealing to Congress to intervene, but the situation looks bleak.
Harvard’s former chemistry chair takes new position at Chinese university

1 month ago | chemistryworld.com | Rebecca Trager

Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard University’s chemistry department who was convicted of failing to disclose significant Chinese funding, has joined Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) in China. Lieber took up a full-time position as a faculty member at the institute on 28 April.