US govt's science foundation purges 37 divisions, equity unit among casualties

The US government's National Science Foundation (NSF) is reportedly axing more than three dozen divisions, including its equity-in-STEM unit, while prepping staff layoffs and yanking over a billion dollars in recently awarded grants. The purge has already sparked legal action and congressional scrutiny.

On Thursday, the journal Science reported that NSF staff have been told that 37 divisions across the federal agency's all eight directorates will be eliminated, accompanied by a number of layoffs among its 1,700 employees.

For those unfamiliar with the NSF's role, the org does not conduct its own research but serves as a federal funding body, allocating public money to support universities, institutions, and small businesses in advancing scientific progress, education, and innovation across the United States.

Current directors and deputies of the impacted divisions could lose their titles, with some possibly shuffled elsewhere in the agency or punted into other federal ...