How Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural White Americans Too

How Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural White Americans Too

Lucas Dillard describes himself as sort of a JD Vance, scientist version. Raised by a single mother in rural Appalachia, he was about to enlist in the Navy when he received a Pell grant that allowed him to go to North Carolina State University. A work-study requirement delivered a stroke of fortune: a job in a lab with a structural biologist who let him conduct his own research. Those projects got him into a post-baccalaureate program at the Nat…

Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural, White Americans, Too

The N.I.H. has canceled hundreds of diversity grants, impacting young scientists like Lucas Dillard, who overcame rural Appalachian roots to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics. The grants aimed to diversify science beyond race and gender, benefiting individuals from underprivileged backgrounds. The cuts will hinder the U.S.’s scientific talent development and may lead to brain drain to China and Europe. Scientists fear the elimination of div…