"Broad Institute lays off 27 after end of federal program" by Carolyn Y. Johnson | Globe Staff May 12, 2014
More than two dozen workers have been laid off at the Broad Institute, a Cambridge genomics research center, because a federal program that supported chemical screening of potential drugs is ending.
Clare Midgley, chief communications officer for the Broad, said 27 people who worked on projects that involved contract work for other institutions were notified their jobs were terminated at the end of April. The institute plans to hire more than that number of people as it shifts direction with its strategy for developing therapies, but Midgley did not know the timeline.
Midgley said that for years, the Broad Institute ran chemical screens for laboratories all over the country, work underwritten by a National Institutes of Health program called the Molecular Library Probe Center Network. That program is ending, she said, and its conclusion coincides with a shift in focus as the institute builds up its own therapeutic research.
“We need different skills to focus on taking our therapeutic programs a little farther down the road,” Midgley said.
In March, the Broad Institute laid off 22 people as a different federal grant was reduced. That came shortly after it announced several major philanthropic gifts, including an additional $100 million from its namesake founders, Eli and Edythe Broad, and $74 million from Mexican philanthropist Carlos Slim Helú.
Midgley said the Broad Institute, which employs about 900 people, is growing overall thanks in part to the gifts.
“The science is advancing and we’re adding people,” Midgley said. “There’s no plan to shrink the size of the Broad at all — it’s more of an expansion mind-set.”
Maybe they can check the genome for contradictions.
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Also see: Painting the Globe With a Broad Brush
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Broad Institute moves 800 researchers to new building
Some get taken care of; must be in the gene$.
"Pay hike could spur exodus of judges; Slowdown in judicial system is feared" by Maria Cramer | Globe Staff May 12, 2014
A rare $30,000 pay hike that will boost judges’ pensions is enticing dozens to retire this year, leading hundreds of lawyers to apply for seats on the bench but also raising concerns that the departures could slow down the justice system.
And it already moves at a snail's pace.
Court observers believe at least 30 longtime judges could retire, and some worry that an influx of inexperienced judges, specifically in the lower courts where new appointments are typically made, could exacerbate judicial backlogs as the new judges find their footing.
“If there are a lot of appointments made of people with minimal experience, that could very dramatically affect the quality of the administration of justice,” said John Amabile, a longtime criminal defense attorney. “There is going to be a big learning curve. Until that person is able to gain the experience, which might take several years, that person is going to be less sure-footed.”
That could also affect sensitive decisions that experienced judges are more likely to handle with confidence, such as issuing restraining orders or setting bail in cases involving violent crimes. The number of backlogged cases in municipal and district courts has increased sharply over the last four years, in large part because of state budget cuts.
Some worry that a large departure of judges could add to that increase, as nominees go through the long process of getting appointed to the bench....
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Also see:
Technology recreates the epic D-day invasion on WGBH
Julia Cuniberti, at 90; Italy specialist with OSS during World War II
John Dolibois, at 95; US ambassador and interrogator of Nazis
We didn't torture them.
