Hurry Up, The Academic Year Started Months Ago

The US State Department is trying to speed up the visa process for graduate students and postdocs coming in from abroad. The delays in the granting process -- which can be months -- have left graduate and post-doctoral spots unfilled and have discouraged scientific meetings from being held in the US, reports the New York Times. "It is more important than ever that we remove unnecessary impediments to collaborative innovation and technical advancement," says John Holdren, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. A State Department official says that they are working on the backlog and eventually will handle visa requests within two weeks.