June 2026 Newsletter

Proposed Office of Management and Budget Rule - Comment Period Open

The following is based on reporting from: FYI - the science policy newsletter published by the American Institute of Physics

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a rule last week that would give political appointees the final say over grant decisions across the federal government — including the power to terminate grants that do not meet agency priorities. In addition, a) active and future awards could be terminated at any time by political appointees, b) funding agencies would be instructed to prioritize grants to institutions committed to “Gold Standard Science,” c) awards would no longer be allowed to cover publication costs, processing charges, or open access fees, unless required by statute or approved in advance by the agency. The use of funds to attend conferences would require express agency approval in the award, d) there would be further bans and limitations on collaborations with foreign countries and entities, e) applicants would have to pass a “risk assessment” that considers such things as their memberships and affiliations with other organizations, and f) awards could not fund or otherwise provide support for DEI activities. OMB is accepting comments on the proposed rule until July 13. To learn more and submit a comment, go to the OMB webpage on the proposed new rule.

Special Event on Frontiers of Statistics

IMSI will host a lecture and panel discussion on Wednesday, June 24, 2026,1:40pm - 3:10pm CDT for the mathematics and statistics community to learn about the newly released National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report, Frontiers of Statistics in Science and Engineering: 2035 and Beyond.

This panel discussion is part of the upcoming workshop New Horizons on Model Transportability and Data Integration

In-person attendance for the workshop is at capacity, but people may register to participate on Zoom. To register to attend the panel, you must first create an IMSI website account, and then register for the workshop waitlist. In the Box “Please describe your research interests and reasons for wanting to participate in this conference,” you can simply write “National Academies panel”. For more information and to register, go to IMSI NASEM Event

Upcoming Workshops

June 22 - 26, 2026: New Horizons on Model Transportability and Data Integration

July 6 - 10, 2026: Random Explorations: From Random Walks to Random Geometry

September 14 - 18, 2026: Connectomics, Non-Euclidean data, and Statistics: Tutorial and Hands-on (Workshop 1 in the Fall 2026 Long Program on Connectomics)

September 28 - October 2, 2026: Unpacking AI Weather Emulators: What and How Do They Learn?

October 5 - October 9, 2026: Statistical Foundations of Generative Modeling: Theory, Evaluation, Applications

October 19 - 23, 2026: Statistical Foundations for the Analysis of Non-Euclidean Data (Workshop 2 in the Fall 2026 Long Program on Connectomics)

November 9 - 13, 2026: From Connectomics to Brain Dynamics: Ordinary Differential Equations and Beyond (Workshop 3 in the Fall 2026 Long Program on Connectomics)

November 30 - December 4, 2026: Random Objects and Metric Statistics for Connectomics (Workshop 4 in the Fall 2026 Long Program on Connectomics)

March 8 - 12, 2027: Introductory Workshop and Tutorial: Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems (Workshop 1 in the Spring 2027 Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems)

March 15 - 19, 2027: Mathematical and Computational Data-Driven Modeling of Transportation (Workshop 2 in the Spring 2027 Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems)

April 12 - 16, 2027: Robotics, Autonomy, and AI in Traffic Management (Workshop 3 in the Spring 2027 Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems)

May 3 - 7, 2027: Efficient Mobility: Modeling, Control, and Perspectives (Workshop 4 in the Spring 2027 Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems)

May 24 - 28, 2027: Advances in PDE Modeling of Vehicular Traffic and Its Societal Impact (Workshop 5 in the Spring 2027 Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems)

June 7 - 11, 2027: Frontiers in Causal Inference

Upcoming Long Programs

Accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Long Program: Connectomics: Non-Euclidean Data Analysis for Brain Structure and Function

The Long Program on Connectomics: Non-Euclidean Data Analysis for Brain Structure and Function Fall 2026 Long Program (September 14 - December 11, 2026) is accepting applications. Brain connectomics offers a transformative approach to understanding the brain’s complex network of neural connections. By mapping how different brain areas interact and collaborate to support cognition, connectomics provides a comprehensive perspective on both normal and impaired brain function. This integrative approach is essential for studying brain development in children and aging-related physiological changes. Moreover, disruptions in neural connectivity play a central role in neurological and psychiatric conditions, including ADHD, autism and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The Connectomics: Non-Euclidean Data Analysis for Brain Structure and Function long program will focus on cutting-edge methodologies for analyzing brain structure and function. These include the application of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) to model dynamic interactions between different brain regions and temporal changes in brain activity and system stability; the study of time-varying networks under various longitudinal designs and sampling scenarios; uncertainty quantification, inference and conformal prediction regions for networks and other brain characteristics; and assessing association between brain BOLD signals, aiming at a mathematical framework that leads to a better understanding of both normal development and pathological changes. More generally, the program will address the challenges of analyzing increasingly complex brain data, which often exist in non-Euclidean spaces such as networks, graphs, and high-dimensional data objects. Traditional statistical methods fall short when handling these types of data, making the advancement of non-Euclidean statistics crucial. By developing new tools and methodologies for metric statistics, this program will enable more accurate and interpretable analysis of brain connectivity and its impact on cognition and behavior. Aligning with the goals of the Brain Initiative, which seeks to accelerate neurotechnology development and enhance data science research, this program will explore the latest advancements in brain imaging, data integration, and personalized medicine. By bringing together experts from mathematics, statistics, neuroscience, and engineering, the program aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and push the boundaries of brain research. Through a series of lectures, workshops, and collaborative research projects, the program will provide participants with the tools and knowledge necessary to advance the understanding of brain function, improve disease diagnosis, and develop more targeted therapeutic interventions.

This Long Program is organized by Hans-Georg Muller (UC Davis), Alex Peterson (Brigham Young University), Yichao Wu (University of Illinois, Chicago), and Liang Zhan (University of Pittsburgh).

Apply here for Connectomics: Non-Euclidean Data Analysis for Brain Structure and Function

Accepting applications for the Spring 2027 Long Program: Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems

The Long Program on Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems Spring 2027 Long Program (March 8 - May 28, 2027) is accepting applications. Transportation science is a broad area attracting researchers from many different disciplines, such as applied mathematics, engineering, operations research, robotics physics, etc. Transportation in broad terms has been part of human activities since early history (see studies on traffic in ancient Rome). The birth of the modern era for vehicular traffic can be dated to 1920-30 with the advent of large-scale use of cars. It was precisely in the 1930s that Greenshield collected data using a camera and generated the first fundamental diagram (plot of flow versus density). The first partial differential equation models appear as early as the 1950s with the seminal work of Lighthill, Whitham, and Richards. Recently, the advent of innovative technology and the availability of large data sets created a demand and opportunity for new research using mathematical and computational models,including in areas such as robotics, autonomy, artificial intelligence, cognitive science,economics, and others. On the other side, there is an increasing interest in estimating the impact of traffic on society, from congestion to pollutant emissions, and the need to design efficient and equitable transportation systems aligned with the needs of different groups,while reducing the negative impacts of congestion and other traffic inefficiencies. This aspect attracted the interest of social scientists and other groups. The long program will explore new avenues of research by bridging different research communities and considering the impact of traffic flows at the societal level. The issues addressed will include but are not limited to, equitable transportation systems, technology impact on efficient transportation, energy and environmental footprint of vehicular traffic, automation and robotics and its social acceptance, large-scale data for traffic monitoring, and others. This program is timely, as human society is facing the challenges brought by increasing urbanization and pollution. The program will consist of an introductory tutorial workshop, which will bring up to speed young researchers or those starting to work in the area for the first time. Then four specific workshops will cover the main goals of the long program.

This Long Program is organized by Maria Chiri (Queen’s University), Qiang Du (Columbia University), Antonella Ferrara (Universita di Pavia), Paolo Goatin (INRIA), and Benedetto Piccoli (Rutgers University).

Apply here for Modeling and Control of Vehicular Traffic and Transportation Systems

IMSI Seeks Proposals for Scientific Activity

IMSI is currently seeking proposals for long programs, workshops, interdisciplinary research clusters, and other scientific activity. Information about how to submit proposals can be found on the proposal overview page and the resources linked therein. There are currently openings for long programs in 2028-29 and beyond, and openings for workshops from September 2027 through July 2028. IMSI holds two proposal cycles per year, with deadlines of March 15 and September 15.

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IMSI acknowledges support from the U.S. National Science Foundation
(Grant No. DMS-2425650)

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