The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in July 2020.

Boosting the Representation of Black Students
Symmetry Magazine, July 30, 2020
A new study by the American Institute of Physics’ TEAM-UP task force provides a roadmap to address systemic racism in academia and double the number of Black students earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy by 2030. The workshops that are being developed as a result of this research are supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Yes, Many School-Age Kids Will Be E-Learning This Fall, But Parents Still Need Child Care Solutions
The Hill, July 30, 2020
“Our country’s ability to recover from this pandemic depends on working parents,” writes Gina Adams, senior fellow in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. “Policymakers and philanthropies can take steps to support after school and child care providers, and to ensure working parents can keep their families safe and economically stable while supporting their kids’ academic success.” The Urban Institute is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Families Across the U.S. Struggle to Afford Diapers, Wipes and Formula
The New York Times, July 29, 2020
This article features data from a weekly well-being survey being conducted by the Center for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oregon to understand the needs, health, and well-being of children and their families during the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. The survey is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

UC San Diego Raises $1.45 Billion for Research, Polishing Standing As Science Mecca
The San Diego Tribune, July 28, 2020
This round-up of research funding projects happening at University of California San Diego features physicist Quinn Konopacky’s work to upgrade the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), which will allow scientists to “see stars 20 times fainter than the ones it can currently pick up,” thus expanding our understanding of planetary systems. Dr. Konopacky’s work is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

COVID-19 Prompts Child Care Crisis Across California
KQED News, July 27, 2020
Lea Austin, co-director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at University of California, Berkeley, discusses a new report by CSCCE that surveyed preschools and in-home daycare services on how they’re navigating the pandemic. CSCCE is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

How Redistricting Could Shift Political Power for Neighborhoods in San Jose
NBC Bay Area, July 26, 2020
SOMOS Mayfair is quoted in this article about how redistricting in San Jose may “improve or compromise representation for the city’s most disenfranchised residents.” SOMOS Mayfair is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

The Ruling
Crooked Media, July 23, 2020
Rebecca Nagle, recipient of the Heising Simons Foundation’s 2020 American Mosaic Journalism Prize, has produced a new episode of “This Land,” following the historic Supreme Court ruling that says about half of the land in Oklahoma is within a Native American reservation.

‘This is Not Working.’ Parents Juggling Jobs and Child Care Under COVID-19 See No Good Solutions
PBS Newshour, July 23, 2020
“We have not understood and appreciated what care work is in our society, what it means for our economy and what it means for our future,” said Shana Bartley, director of community partnerships at the National Women’s Law Center, in this interview with PBS News Hour. “This is the workforce behind the workforce.” The National Women’s Law Center is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Ten Things Parents Could And Should Do to Help Schools Safely Reopen
The Washington Post, July 22, 2020
“Parents need to be fully at the table with districts about when schools should be opened and how they will operate,” writes Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21^st Century School Fund. The article outlines 10 things parents can do now as they navigate school re-openings. The 21^st Century School Fund is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

How to Reopen the Economy Without Killing Teachers and Parents
The New York Times, July 20, 2020
Dr. Shardha Jogee, an astronomy professor at the University of Texas at Austin, shares her thoughts on a creative option that would allow “schools to offer only virtual classes this fall, and convert schools and other large unused spaces into Safe Centers for Online Learning.” Dr. Jogee’s astronomy research is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Court’s Ruling Against Trump Elevates Debate on Climate Metric
Bloomberg News, July 20, 2020
Hana Vizcarra, a staff attorney at Harvard Law School’s Environmental and Energy Law Program, is quoted in this article that parses a federal district judge’s decision to strike down the U.S. administration’s rollback of methane emission standards. Harvard Law School’s Environmental and Energy Law Program is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

Building a Better “Faster Bay Area” w/ Jeffrey Buchanan
StreetBlogSF, July 20, 2020
Jeffrey Buchanan, policy director at Working Partnerships, discusses ways to center the voices and needs of low-income families when crafting public transit solutions in the Bay Area. Working Partnerships is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Your Kitchen Is A Laboratory: Ways to Support Kids’ Summer Learning Through Everyday Activities
Boston 25 News, July 16, 2020
This news segment spotlights the DREME Network and a new resource to help parents “turn reading time into math learning time.” The DREME Network is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Why the Larger Climate Movement Is Finally Embracing the Fight Against Environmental Racism
TIME, July 9, 2020
The Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program supports the Equitable and Just Climate Platform, featured here as one a leader in the environmental justice space that’s working with larger national groups to craft policies that tackle climate change while also addressing environmental racism.