Biotech investor set to lead US National Science Foundation
Feb 19, 2026 - If confirmed by the US Senate, Jim O'Neill would be the first non-scientist or engineer to lead the agency, a big funder of US basic research.
Higher Ed News
UAlabama Crawford Awarded NSF Grant to Advance Hands-On Data Science Education
Feb 20, 2026 - Dr. Chris Crawford was awarded a grant from the NSF to support the design and development of an educational platform that introduces high school students to data science through interactive cyber-physical human systems.
UNC-CH | Here’s how Carolina’s new school got its name
Feb 19, 2026 - Stan Ahalt and Diane Kelly detail the collaboration and thoughtfulness that went into naming the School of Data and Information Sciences.
Selected Readings on Indigenous Data Governance: 2026 Update
Feb 18, 2026 - Curated writings from the last two years on Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance.
When AI and Humans Produce Partial Truths: Examining Acceptability of Perceived Error and Perceived Associated Harms
Feb 20, 2026 - The study moves beyond traditional misinformation research by focusing on messages that contain both accurate and inaccurate information, instead of entirely false messages.
What’s New in Digital Equity: Fed Framework for AI Literacy
Feb 19, 2026 - Plus, New Mexico is increasing access to affordable Internet, federal legislation has advanced in Congress to better track funding, Indiana residents have expanded access to fiber broadband, and more.
Colleges quietly cut ties with organizations that help people of color
Feb 19. 2026 - Under pressure from the Trump administration, 31 schools have signed agreements to end links with organizations that “restrict participation based on race.”
Trump administration drops appeal over its $1.2B demand from UC system
Feb 20, 2026 - The federal government agreed to no longer challenge an injunction that blocked its mass grant cancellations and hefty payment demand.
Spain to Investigate X, Meta and TikTok over AI child abuse content
Feb 17, 2026 - Spain orders criminal probe into X, Meta and TikTok over AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Measuring More and Learning Less (SSIR)
Feb 11, 2026 - How an excessive focus on methods has distracted attention from the more fundamental challenge of building rigor and learning overall.
The Journal for AI Generated Papers
Feb 20, 2026 - At the heart of JAIGP lies a commitment to learning through collaborative exploration.
Digital Government Index and Open, Useful and Re-usable Data Index
Feb 16, 2026 - This paper presents the 2025 results of the Digital Government Index (DGI), which benchmarks the efforts made by governments to establish the foundations necessary to achieve a coherent, human-centred digital transformation of the public sector; and of the Open, Useful and Re-usable Data Index (OURdata), which measures governments' efforts to design and implement national open government data policies.
Caring for data: ethnographic study of data care work in Finland
Feb 9, 2026 - This article examines its mundane practices within a wellbeing services county in Finland, with a focus on the sticking points that constitute the dark side of data care work.
The agentic AI landscape and its conceptual foundations
Feb 13, 2026 - This paper identifies the most frequently cited features in existing definitions of agentic AI and AI agents, examines how these features are described across sources, and maps them to the key elements of the OECD definition of an AI system.
Buy versus Build an LLM: A Decision Framework for Governments
Feb 13, 2026 - This paper provides a strategic framework for making this decision by evaluating these options across dimensions including sovereignty, safety, cost, resource capability, cultural fit, and sustainability.
Data Governance Without the Jargon: 30 Questions and Answers to Clarify Terms and Trends
Feb 17, 2026 - A practical reference for policy, institutional, and operational design.
Notre Dame | The essential bridge between data science and human impact
Feb 19, 2026 - Ethics for AI and Data Science, isn't just about theory; it’s about giving students the toolkit to tackle real-world dilemmas head-on.
Why artificial intelligence detectors could penalize academic writing
Feb 19, 2026 - Writing produced using artificial intelligence is becoming more common in academia, which has prompted institutions to look for ways to detect it.
Microsoft team creates 'revolutionary' data storage system that lasts for millennia
Feb 18, 2026 - Researchers use mini plasma explosions to encode the equivalent of two million books into a coaster-sized device
Most common fields of study, from 1970 to now
Feb 19, 2026 - Over the decades, we can see the shifts (and non-shifts) in professional priorities and interests by looking at what college students are studying.
Why sky-high pay for AI researchers is bad for the future of science
Feb 17, 2026 - To ensure that AI advances benefit everyone, scientific institutions must prioritize collaborative, mission-driven structures instead of chasing top talent with astronomical compensation.
Nanoscience is latest discipline to embrace large-scale replication efforts
Feb 17, 2026 - A European project calls for help to verify whether carbon quantum dots are really able to sense chemicals in cells.
Automation in the Workforce | : Loyola University Chicago
Feb 19, 2026 - This workshop will address how AI impacts labor, from job exposure and the augmentation of human capabilities to biases in AI engineering.
Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science
Feb 19, 2026 - The Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science is a $30M global initiative to accelerate scientific breakthroughs that improve human health and build climate resilience.
UToronto Schmidt AI Fellows bring foundation models to the forefront of
Feb 18, 2026 - Participants started with an introduction to foundation models and their use cases, then dove into hands-on tutorials, and concluded with a hackathon of solving scientific problems using foundation models.
Prize Competitions and the Genesis Mission | Center for Security and Emerging Technology
Feb 18, 2026 - This blog examines how federal prize competitions—recognized in the Genesis Mission, the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and recommendations from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology—can serve as effective implementation tools.
University of North Texas braces for budget cuts amid $45M deficit
Feb 18, 2026 - The institution’s leader attributed the gap to drops in state funding and larger-than-expected declines in international graduate enrollment.
AI Delusions Are Leading to Domestic Abuse, Harassment, and Stalking
Feb 17, 2026 - ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are reinforcing users' delusions about other people — fueling fixations linked to stalking and abuse.
Simulated Flies: How Behavior Models Become Scientific Instruments
Feb 18, 2026 - “If the model appears to ‘care’ about a particular cue, can that cue be manipulated in a real fly and the predicted shift observed?”
Transitioning NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center operations
Feb 12, 2026 - Management and operations of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center are expected to transition to a third-party operator consistent with the terms of NSF's cooperative agreement with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.