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Sarah Rovito

@sarahrovito.bsky.social
684 followers 531 following 23 posts

Spunky engineer engaging in policy

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Reposted by Sarah Rovito
Jack Iwashyna @iwashyna.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Hey STS, historians and sociologists of science 🧬🧪🩺… Can you recommend great writing on the evolution of peer review? Not the philosophy thereof (tho that’s welcome) but as actually done + the institutions + culture norms that support it (Am I allowed to ask @jackiantonovich.bsky.social ?)
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
"The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2026" report which was prepared by NCSES under the guidance of the recently-terminated National Science Board is now out. The report covers the state of STEM education, US R&D vs. China, and translational tech.
ncses.nsf.gov
The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2026 | NCSES | NSF
The past quarter century has reshaped the U.S. science and engineering enterprise through the business sector’s dominant role in funding and performing research and development (R&D), the concentratio...
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The Trump administration is downsizing US science by historic margins — but it's not just via funding or workforce cuts. Our new @nature.com analysis reveals the government has cut more than 100 scientific advisory panels across major agencies. w/ @alexwitze.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social
nature.com
Key US science panels are being axed — and others are becoming less open
A Nature analysis shows that the Trump administration has terminated more than 100 advisory committees to science agencies — and reduced the transparency and independence of those that remain.
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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Trump removes a thorn in his side by firing all 24 members of the National Science Board, NSF's oversight body. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Trump fires NSF's oversight board
Dismissal of the National Science Board is widely seen as latest move to erase NSF’s independence
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 25/04/2026
Breaking news: Multiple scientists who serve on an independent board established to guide the nation’s nearly $9 billion basic science funding agency were terminated from their positions Friday by President Trump.
washingtonpost.com
Trump ousts National Science Board members
Members of the independent board that guides the National Science Foundation said they received a notice from the White House that their position was being terminated.
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Breaking: Trump has fired the membership of the National Science Board, which is oversees NSF. I have confirmed separately with multiple now-former members of NSB.
democrats-science.house.gov
Ranking Member Lofgren Reacts to Latest Trump Scheme to Undermine Science | House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Is Jim O'Neill a good fit for NSF?https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-s-nsf-pick-stranger-its-research-community
science.org
Trump’s NSF pick is a stranger to its research community
Jim O’Neill will need to build ties, say former agency leaders
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anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
amid uncertainty from the fed govt, states are toying around with the idea of implementing their own funding initiatives the moves feel necessary to researchers in those states, but some policy experts cautioned it could feed rhetoric about not needing federal $ www.statnews.com/2026/02/20/s...
statnews.com
With federal research funding uncertain, states debate new science initiatives
A handful of states are considering initiatives to increase funding for scientific research as uncertainty around federal dollars has grown.
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
SCOOP: Jay Bhattacharya, NIH director, will also serve as acting CDC director, per two admin officials, until Trump names a permanent director. POTUS will nominate Jim O'Neill, who left HHS on Friday, to run National Science Foundation. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
nytimes.com
N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up
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Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 17/02/2026
After ‘Rupture,’ Science Leaders Call for More Advocacy The Trump administration’s seismic disruptions to the academic research enterprise were top of mind at the annual meeting of the @aaas.org in Phoenix last week. bit.ly/4rUUuPC #EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
Sudip Parikh, a brown-skinned man in a black suit with a white button down, speaks at a podium with geometric designs on the front.
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Ellen Kuwana, MS (#SciComm at #SciWri26) @ellenkuwana.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Talking #SciPol on last session of last day of @AAASmtg. Running on fumes, but excited as a #SciComm professional to learn more about science policy writing. #AAASmtg
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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
For a panel this morning at the #aaasmtg, the other speakers and I will share ideas and examples for improving trust in science. Here are a few I'll mention if I get a chance (we have a LOT to talk about). I'd love to hear yours. (1/7)
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Sarah Rovito @sarahrovito.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Join us TONIGHT (Friday, February 13) for the #AAASmtg #AAAS2026 Science Policy Shindig taking place from 8:30 to 11:30pm at Dust Cutter in the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. You do not have to be registered for the Annual Meeting to attend, all are welcome! #scipol #scicomm #sciengage
A large hotel conference room with a man at a podium and several speakers sitting on stage. There are screens on either side of the speakers that say “2026 ESEP Science Policy Town Hall.” The room is decently full.
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Lisa Margonelli @lisamargonelli.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Alas, I am not at #aaasmtg because I got Covid! Who’da thunk? But you can visit @issuesinst.bsky.social’s Kelsey Schoenberg and Monya Baker in the (great big) @arizonastateuni.bsky.social booth. Get your own copy of the glorious Buttercow issue!
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Jeff Alexander @techiewonk.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Thanks to @sarahrovito.bsky.social you can subscribe to a feed of Bluesky posts from the meeting: bsky.app/profile/did:...
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Alessandra Zimmermann @alesszimm.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
The NYT published a story that highlights how Congress has pulled back from the PBR's proposed cuts. The numbers show more favorable outcomes in the House and Senate for R&D. Damage was done in 2025, but these potential funding outcomes are better than what was feared.
nytimes.com
Congress Is Reversing Trump’s Steep Budget Cuts to Science
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
The district court injunction that prevented NIH from capping indirects at 15% was upheld today on appeal! www.reuters.com/world/trump-...
reuters.com
Trump administration cannot slash NIH research funding, court rules
District Judge Angel Kelley last year blocked the cuts, and on Monday the appeals court agreed.
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National Foundation for American Policy @nfapresearch.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
DHS has published its final rule to change the H-1B lottery to favor people in senior positions. By disadvantaging international students in the H-1B selection process, the rule achieves a longtime goal of Stephen Miller. @mclem.org @justinwolfers.bsky.social‬ www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...
forbes.com
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Here’s the thing, emerging scientists aren’t going to flee to do science elsewhere…they just won’t do the science. We will lose at least one, if not two generations of knowledge if we don’t get this shit sorted out immediately.
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 24/10/2025
The economic effects of international students go far beyond their tuition dollars. Many stay, innovate, & shape the productivity of the entire economy. My co-authors & I estimate the impact of US international student exclusion policy in this new paper commissioned by the @nationalacademies.org.
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 23/10/2025
Researchers are typically assessed by traditional criteria such as grants, publications, and citation counts — but new approaches aim to change that. Explore strategies for implementing these changes at U.S. universities at our upcoming workshop: ow.ly/KIQv50XgtMj
A graphic with the text, "Rethinking Researcher Assessment and Incentives at U.S. Academic Institutions, a workshop on October 28 from 9 AM to 5 PM and October 29 from 9 AM to 12 PM Eastern Time."
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jon ben-menachem @jbenmenachem.com · 21/10/2025
Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs - Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75% - Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60% - Social Sciences by 50–70% - History by 60% - Biology by 75% - The German department will lose all PhD seats - Sociology from six PhD students to zero
thecrimson.com
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for th...
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Adrianna McIntyre @adrianna.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
The pointed clarity with which each of the universities rejecting the compact have made this point is incredibly refreshing. From the University of Arizona's president: president.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
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Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 13/10/2025
After getting zero firm commitments to this point from the first nine invitees, the Trump administration is extending its proposed compact to all colleges. Expect some red-state publics to say yes.
bloomberg.com
Trump Offers All Colleges Preferential Funding Plan Rejected by MIT
The Trump administration is inviting all US colleges to participate in a compact — initially rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — that would grant preferential federal funding in re...
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 09/10/2025
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 10/11/2024
The problem with every post-Millennial generation is they got to go straight to high speed internet. Of course you'll get computer madness that way. Make them start with those old screeching modems and work their way up
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Sarah Rovito @sarahrovito.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Rainbow! On the metro (Fort Totten) 🌈 @capitalweather.bsky.social
A faint rainbow viewed from a train station platform
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Brian Nosek @briannosek.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
If this is turning into a battle, then the researchers’ possible counter is to normalize updating preprints and CVs with “accepted at journal x” as sufficient for getting publication credit and not pay the fees.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 25/08/2025
“We feel like the lost generation.” A story on the collapse of US science, which is hitting young scientists hardest www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
washingtonpost.com
At Harvard, Trump administration cuts hit young scientists hard
More than 700 graduate students and nearly 800 postdoctoral researchers at Harvard get salaries, stipends or tuition support from federally funded research.
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GT 🫪 @granitetide.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
we used to build household shrines to Going On The Computer and it's no coincidence that as we abandoned these we started straying further from god's light
90s computer desk with shelves for speakers, tower, printer, pull-out mouse and keyboard drawer etc
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
New: Both NIH and NSF have put out their gold-standard science plans. NIH: www.nih.gov/sites/defaul... NSF: nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/NSF-GS... Our story from May:
nature.com
Trump’s call for ‘gold-standard science’ has prompted an outcry: here’s why
Thousands have signed an open letter against the US president’s latest order, anxious about political interference in science and more.
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Cindy Veldhuis, PhD @cbv.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Just got an email that the NIH Early Independence award is "not going forward." This was an award that catapulted promising PhD students into faculty positions and is part of the High-Risk High-Reward grant program in the NIH Office of the Director. Deadline was 9.6.25!
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research. By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
thetransmitter.org
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Pandemic preparedness in the US has been leveled a crippling blow with the cancellation of multiple #BARDA contracts to help develop mRNA vaccines. No other vaccine platform produces vaccine so quickly; without mRNA, Americans will have a long wait for pandemic vax. www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/m...
statnews.com
Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research
Vaccine experts and people steeped in pandemic preparedness expressed horror at the news that RFK Jr. has shut the door in U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
The whiplash continues: the WaPo now reports that OMB halted, and then hours later unhalted, these NIH funds. I'll be watching for any sign of NIH fund restriction this week and will post as soon as I hear more. Know what's going on? DM me on Signal (mkozlov.01). You can stay anonymous.
wapo.st
Trump administration halts, then releases, NIH research funding
The decision temporarily froze $15 billion in federal funding, according to one senator. It came as Trump officials wrestle over federal spending levels.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
The NIH can’t award ANY grants to outside researchers under new WH restriction, reports @wsj.com. The pause came in the form of a footnote from OMB Director Vought, in a document that doles out federal funds to the NIH. Prelude to rescissions, especially after his comments over the weekend?
wsj.com
Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research Funding
The National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
These cuts will cost us dearly, not save us: “The authors point to NIH budget cuts decimating the scientific workforce, diminishing support for public health programs that have increased life expectancy, and creating gaps in scientific knowledge that are not likely to be filled by private industry.”
statnews.com
New analysis predicts sprawling effects of proposed NIH budget cuts
Initial analyses of the Trump administration’s proposed NIH cuts neglect key aspects of their long-term economic and health impact, study says.
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
“Every time you go to your doctor or get treated by a nurse, there’s a chorus of researchers, public health workers, policy experts, epidemiologists and advisory panels arrayed behind them, aided by laboratories, databases, websites… Our current government seems determined to wrench this away”
nytimes.com
Opinion | What Happens When Doctors Can’t Trust the Government?
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Ian Sample @iansample.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
We’re hiring for a major role in the US, an investigative journalist to cover what’s happening with science in the US and beyond. This is extremely important territory for us. 🧪 workforus.theguardian.com/jobs/795 The Guardian :: Senior Science Investigative Reporter
workforus.theguardian.com
The Guardian :: Senior Science Investigative Reporter
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 23/07/2025
Honored to speak this morning at the @nationalacademies.org I'm presenting ongoing research on the effects of the current policy program to deter international students from coming to the United States, with Jeremy Neufeld & Amy Nice www.nationalacademies.org/event/44967_... cc @piie.com
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 18/07/2025
Long-standing issues and recent societal disruptions have negatively impacted many in the U.S. STEMM research ecosystem, particularly #GradStudents and #Postdocs. Join us July 22 and 23 for a discussion on ways to support U.S. STEMM talent: buff.ly/CsrCWL4
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 21/07/2025
This is the latest of a flotilla of attacks on international students at US universities. It won’t be the last. Several more are currently in preparation. The White House is pursuing its stated goal keeping out as many international students as possible.
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Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 19/07/2025
Sad news: The dataset behind this famous chart on the decline in costs of genome sequencing has had its NIH funding cut. I loved this chart because it was the first that made me appreciate the impact of dataviz. But it also tracked progress towards an ambitious goal ($1000 genome) that succeeded.
NHGRI (at NIH)'s chart on the declining cost of sequencing a human genome from 2001 to 2021, falling faster than Moore's law. The "$1,000 genome" catchphrase was first publicly recorded in December 2001 at a scientific retreat to discuss the future of biomedical research following publication of the first draft of the Human Genome Project (HGP), convened by the National Human Genome Research Institute at Airlie House in Virginia.[5] The phrase neatly highlighted the chasm between the actual cost of the Human Genome Project, estimated at $2.7 billion over a decade, and the benchmark for routine, affordable personal genome sequencing.

On 2 October 2002, Craig Venter introduced the opening session of GSAC (The Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference) at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston: "The Future of Sequencing: Advancing Towards the $1,000 Genome." Speakers included George M. Church and executives from 454 Life Sciences, Solexa, U.S. Genomics, VisiGen and Amersham plc.[6][7] In 2003, Venter announced that his foundation would earmark $500,000 for a breakthrough leading to the $1,000 genome.[8] That sum was subsequently rolled into the Archon X Prize.

In October 2004, NHGRI introduced the first in a series of '$1,000 Genome' grants designed to advance "the development of breakthrough technologies that will enable a human-sized genome to be sequenced for $1,000 or less."[9]
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Shalin Jyotishi @shalinjyotishi.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
A take worth reading on #scipol reform debate by @issuesinst.bsky.social's @lisamargonelli.bsky.social. Esp by science advocates. Back to Vannevar Bush or to what's next in the Endless Frontier? issues.org/innovation-h...
issues.org
Innovation’s Hidden Scaffolds
In this time of upheaval, what does it mean that so many advocates for science are pointing to an 80-year-old report by Vannevar Bush?
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Science Magazine @science.org · 15/07/2025
Neil Shubin, an evolutionary biologist best known for discovering an important fish fossil, has been nominated to head the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. scim.ag/46IG9hG
scim.ag
Paleontologist to lead U.S. national academy
The prestigious organization faces funding challenges and political controversies
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
When Marcia McNutt's term ends next year, @neilshubin.bsky.social will take the reins at NAS to lead the organization through what may continue to be a fraught landscape for government-funded science. Quick story w/ Jeff Tollefson: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Embattled US scientific society names palaeontologist to top job
Neil Shubin, a University of Chicago researcher known for co-discovering a ′missing link’ fossil fish, will lead the National Academy of Sciences if ratified by members.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 15/07/2025
It's easy to take institutions for granted when they've been around longer than we have, and when they've become so thoroughly embedded in the fabric of our lives. But look back to their early days, and it becomes clear that their present form wasn't inevitable and won't inevitably remain.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding. NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.
nature.com
Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities
The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 05/07/2025
As someone who has studied online discourse for a decade, I know things don't look that great. All I can say is this: Look for joy wherever it hides. Hold on to kindness. Offer help when your hands are free. Talk to your friends and neighbours. And somewhere deep down, keep a little room for hope.🤞
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years. NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
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