{"id":54270,"date":"2025-06-30T16:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T20:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=54270"},"modified":"2025-07-21T09:53:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T13:53:05","slug":"research-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Cornellians<\/em> Staff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of the recent federal actions that have drastically cut research funding, many alumni have wondered: what can we do to help our alma mater?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly before Reunion \u201925, the University launched Cornell Matters<\/a>, a way for alums to make their voices heard in support of the critical research\u2014in fields from oncology to cybersecurity\u2014being conducted on the Hill and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Cornell
cornell university<\/figcaption>
The campaign’s logo features Ezra’s profile.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe real-world impact of this work is incalculable,\u201d President Mike Kotlikoff said in a statement in early May. \u201cIt strengthens our national security, protects the safety and stability of our food supply, and ensures the progress and resilience of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cornell Matters campaign invites alumni to be ambassadors for the University\u2014and the enormous good it does in the world\u2014by taking a variety of actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They include staying informed about the impact of Big Red research and the wider threats to higher ed\u2019s research enterprise; sharing stories on those topics within their own networks and communities; and stressing the value of Cornell and its research to their government representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The real-world impact of this work is incalculable. It strengthens our national security, protects the safety and stability of our food supply, and ensures the progress and resilience of our nation.<\/p>\nPresident Mike Kotlikoff<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The funding losses will be felt at the ground level: in labs and at fieldwork sites; by professors, postdocs, and students; and ultimately, by the people and entities around the world who, for generations to come, will lack the benefits those investigations might have made possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the effort to underscore those losses, the University has also launched an awareness campaign, Research Matters<\/a>, spotlighting some of the work that the funding cuts have imperiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
At Reunion \u201925, alumni packed Bailey Hall to hear Kotlikoff discuss the funding cuts, and many other topics, in his State of the University address.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor decades, federal agencies have relied on Cornell and other research universities to perform the highly specialized research and development work that improves and enhances our lives,\u201d Kotlikoff said in the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis partnership has been critical to advancing and maintaining America\u2019s economic, political, and military strength in the postwar era. Now, recent federal actions and funding freezes have imperiled that partnership\u2014and the work on which so much of our national wellbeing and strength depend. The impact of this funding freeze is immediate and devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a look at some of the essential work threatened by federal funding cuts:<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s note: These have been condensed from the <\/em>Cornell Chronicle\u2019s \u201cResearch at Risk\u201d series; links to the full stories can be found by clicking on each item\u2019s headline.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving Nutrition for Active-Duty Military<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A research project that explores new ways to ensure active-duty military personnel get adequate nutrition has been halted\u2014with further implications for the nutritional needs of the aging and those suffering from chronic diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha Field, PhD \u201907, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, studies how the micronutrients vitamin B12 and folate\u2014also known as vitamin B9\u2014can optimize health outcomes for combat-stressed soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Field and her lab received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Army Research Office. The research focuses on mitochondrial dysfunction, which contributes to the aging process, impacting energy production, DNA damage, and cell function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Martha
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Field (right) with doctoral student Chloe Purello \u201922.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is relevant to the Department of Defense because combat stresses can change nutrient status,\u201d Field says. \u201cWe have also seen some unexpected changes in the way dietary folate affects brain folate uptake. This has implications for the aging brain and for things like depression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only six months left to go on the grant, Field received a stop-work order, grinding data collection to a halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe stop-work order essentially means we\u2019ve only accomplished about half of our work,\u201d Field says. \u201cWe can\u2019t measure all the things we intended to, and the time and effort we have put in seem a waste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Life-Saving Heart Pumps for Babies<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On a lab bench in the basement of Weill Hall, a tiny device silently pumps fluid through a series of tubes and vessels that mimic the human heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has the potential to save the lives of tens of thousands of babies with heart defects. But after receiving a stop-work order from the federal government, the project\u2019s future is uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 30, the Department of Defense (DoD) accepted a proposal to prepare the device for in-human clinical trial, ramping up manufacturing and obtaining regulatory approvals. A week later, the researchers got word that the funding\u2014$6.5 million over the course of four years\u2014wasn\u2019t coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"PediaFlow
Jason Koski \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
The device, dubbed PediaFlow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInterruption of that funding has really brought us to a screeching halt,\u201d says James Antaki, the Susan K. McAdam Professor of Heart Assist Technology in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering. \u201cIf the interruption lasts very long, it would be irreversible. We\u2019ll have to start laying off people, and I don\u2019t think we\u2019d be able to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antaki began to work on the device now known as the PediaFlow in 2002, and he and his team recently wrapped up a previous federal grant started in 2019 to improve the device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Interruption of that funding has really brought us to a screeching halt.<\/p>\nProf. James Antaki<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

About the size of an AA battery, it is designed to boost the flow of blood in children with heart defects. Such pumps can also provide support until a donor heart becomes available for transplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe PediaFlow is intended for children with congenital and acquired heart disease,\u201d Antaki says. \u201cThat means babies that are born with a hole in the heart or with a missing ventricle that need serious surgery to survive. Sometimes the child can\u2019t survive to surgery, and they need some kind of crutch to get them over that difficult period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Better Testing for Tick-Borne Diseases<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Laura Goodman, PhD \u201907, was close to finalizing a prototype of a new test that can detect any tick-borne disease. Unlike some current tests, it could provide results even before symptoms occur\u2014and even for unknown diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s important, because ticks around the world can potentially transmit hundreds of disease agents, some of them not yet known, and they account for at least two-thirds of vector-borne disease in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sherry
Sreang Hok \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Goodman (right) in her lab at the Baker Institute for Animal Health with research tech Sherry Wang, MPH \u201924.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When comparing confirmed diagnoses with insurance claims, it is estimated that there are 10 times more people infected than what available diagnostics show, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in April, Goodman, an assistant professor of public and ecosystem health in the Vet College, received a stop-work order. It brought to a halt the research the DoD had asked her to do, via a nearly $900,000 three-year grant it awarded her in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge impact on my ability to advance this work,\u201d Goodman says, \u201cwhich is only just at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chronicling Enslaved People Seeking Freedom<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A project collecting records of freedom-seeking enslaved people in the pre-Civil War U.S. came to a halt when researchers received a stop-work order from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In many cases, they are the only written records of these individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enslavers posted as many as a quarter million newspaper ads and flyers before 1865 to locate runaway slaves, in slaveholding states and northern states as well. The public crowdsourcing project, Freedom on the Move<\/a>, has digitized tens of thousands of these advertisements in an open-source site accessible to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Devin Flores \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
An archived ad offering a bounty for an enslaved worker who had escaped a death sentence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Without a concerted effort to collect and digitize these ads, the names, faces, personalities, and sense of individuality of these freedom-seekers might otherwise be lost to history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The database has historical value on several levels, says history professor Ed Baptist, a principal investigator on the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt puts a human face on history; it teaches us that ordinary people can resist profoundly evil systems,\u201d he says. \u201cIt reminds us that enslaved people were not faceless robots. They had will and courage and the power to resist slavery, and they did so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Building Our Future in Space<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hovering in a three-story, hangar-like room called a high bay, the spacecraft would have moved around each other as if in orbit, to model space on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simulator\u2014the only one of its kind in the U.S.\u2014would have allowed researchers, companies, and government agencies to test and refine space technologies and to address a particularly difficult and important challenge: understanding how spacecraft can interact while they\u2019re in orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work is crucial for building job opportunities, stronger economies, and a better future for our species, says Mason Peck, director of the New York Consortium for Space and Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mason
Sreang Hok \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Peck demonstrates how a lab-size satellite\u2014a proof-of-concept for a larger spacecraft\u2014can move as if in orbit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building a unique facility where we\u2019ll be able to test and verify and understand better all the technologies involved,\u201d says Peck, the Stephen J. Fujikawa \u201977 Professor of Astronautical Engineering, \u201cwhere we\u2019re forming the basis for how the future of space will look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simulator and consortium are vital enough that the DoD committed $5 million in September 2023 to support the effort. But in April, Peck received a stop-work order that halted progress on renovations of the high bay and on construction of the spacecraft that would have hovered at its center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We\u2019re forming the basis for how the future of space will look.<\/p>\nProf. Mason Peck<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Peck had hoped to have the simulator running by August, but the funding cut has scuttled the timeline. That could amount to the loss of tremendous economic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peck cites studies from NASA finding that taxpayer investment in the agency generates three times as much in economic activity. The simulator would also vastly expand the ability of small companies to enter the arena of space exploration and commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Stopping Metastatic Cancer<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For more than 20 years, Nancy Du, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has researched how metastatic cancer arises. With a $500,000 grant over three years from a DoD program, she was poised to study how to prevent cancer from spreading to the bones of patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first line of treatment for this type of cancer is endocrine therapy; but soon after treatment, the cancer becomes resistant to treatment,\u201d says Du, also the Rasweiler Family Research Scholar in Cancer Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.
Weill Cornell Medicine<\/figcaption>
Du (center) in her lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, we are trying to determine what makes the cells stop responding. We have a clue, and we are testing our hypothesis to develop a better treatment plan for these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Du had recently begun the research when she received a stop-work order from the DoD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were very close to having enough data to begin testing our idea in the clinic,\u201d she says. \u201cOur project had been chosen for funding because of our promising results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Facilitating Employment for People with Autism<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When autistic individuals land jobs in science and technology, they often thrive, yet many struggle to even get hired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanne Bruy\u00e8re, professor of disability studies in the ILR School, and a small team of researchers started a project in October 2024 to identify barriers in the hiring process that prevent qualified autistic job seekers from getting jobs. The National Science Foundation funded the project with $830,000 over 30 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Susanne
Heather Ainsworth<\/figcaption>
Bruy\u00e8re speaking at a conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But in May, the team received word that their project had been terminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith an increasing interest in growing our manufacturing, our tech sectors, our AI sectors, this is talent that we need for the workplace of the future,\u201d Bruy\u00e8re says. \u201cSo thwarting opportunities to learn how to better recruit, hire, and retain this talent is going to cost American industry in a way that hurts our economic growth for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Thwarting opportunities to learn how to better recruit, hire, and retain this talent is going to cost American industry in a way that hurts our economic growth for the future.<\/p>\nProf. Susanne Bruy\u00e8re<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The researchers undertook the project because employers had asked for help hiring this largely untapped labor pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Says Bruy\u00e8re: \u201cTalent is a top issue for most employers today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Safeguarding National Defense from Cyberattacks<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSemiconductors are at the core of everything we do in the economy and for national security,\u201d says Sarah Kreps, the John L. Wetherill Professor in the government department. \u201cBecause they are so important, that also makes them a vulnerability and a target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 2024, the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute (BTPI), of which Kreps is founding director, began a congressionally authorized assessment of risks in the semiconductor supply chain and how to mitigate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sarah
Ryan Young \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Kreps (left) chats with a colleague.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Congress appropriated $3 million in startup funding for the bipartisan, multiyear initiative, which BTPI was implementing under a cooperative agreement with the DoD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interdisciplinary research team commissioned a new cyber test range; initiated industry partnerships; and developed case studies about cyberattacks that have infiltrated chip supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in April, a stop-work order put on hold the team\u2019s plans to map and stress-test semiconductor supply chains, seeking to expose and then patch vulnerabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Semiconductors are at the core of everything we do in the economy and for national security.<\/p>\nProf. Sarah Kreps<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Newly hired staff were laid off, including veterans, and the cyber test range is dormant. Previously, Kreps says, government officials working with BTPI had expressed enthusiasm about the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey told us on a nearly daily basis that they need this assessment, and they need it now,\u201d says Kreps, also a professor in the Brooks School. \u201cThey have been relieved that there\u2019s a project like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Helping to Protect Navy Divers\u2014With Robots<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everybody needs a buddy\u2014especially Navy divers. Working underwater is physically taxing, visibility is low, and divers can easily become exhausted or suffer from insufficient oxygen or nitrogen narcosis, resulting in cognitive impairment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with relying on a partner who can come to your rescue, however, is that they are vulnerable to the same conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Cornell researchers are working to understand how robots can assist humans in dangerous and physically challenging environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornell researchers are working to understand how robots can assist humans in dangerous and physically challenging environments.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have these tools with amazing capacity, but for them to work with people, they need to be able to understand people,\u201d says Andrea Stevenson Won, associate professor of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo if we have a robot buddy that can work with a diver when they\u2019re doing these dangerous, challenging tasks in this really stressful setting underwater, then we can leverage all of the strength of the person\u2014their intelligence, their ability to make good decisions quickly, to change strategies on the fly\u2014and we can have a robot buddy that can keep them safe so that they can do that job again the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
No\u00ebl Heaney \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption>
Won (right) and lab manager Isabelle McLeod-Daphnis ’21, BS \u201922, demonstrate the tech they use to study nonverbal behavior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In April, Won\u2019s research, funded by the DoD, came to a halt when she received a stop-work order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating, because we can\u2019t continue the work that we had started on, but we haven\u2019t heard anything that would let us know how to continue,\u201d she says. \u201cWithout this funding, we don\u2019t have the opportunity to help push the research forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top: Photo of Prof. Nancy Du’s lab courtesy of Weill Cornell Medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published June 30, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":54304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-54270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-beyond"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2648,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Campus & Beyond\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/\",\"name\":\"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Dr. Nancy Du points to a screen in the lab with a staffer looking on\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/research-matters\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell's alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/ess8\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk","datePublished":"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/"},"wordCount":2648,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg","articleSection":["Campus & Beyond"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/","name":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-30T20:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-21T13:53:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts\u2014and how you can support your alma mater through \u2018Cornell Matters\u2019","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/2025_1210_NancyDu-v3.00_00_00_00.Still002.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Dr. Nancy Du points to a screen in the lab with a staffer looking on"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/research-matters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Halting Cancer to Protecting Soldiers, Big Red Research Is at Risk"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell's alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54270"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55457,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54270\/revisions\/55457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54270"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=54270"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=54270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}