Issue 16 (August 8)
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 16
Featured News
Federal Agency & Administration News
- National Science Board Accepting Nominations
- Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members
- NIJ Publishes Two Reports on School Safety
- Interagency Forum Releases 2017 America’s Children Report
COSSA Member Spotlight
Editor’s Note: Update Returns September 5
Senate CJS Bill Approved by Committee; Congress Leaves for Recess
On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill; the bill was marked up in subcommittee on July 25. In addition, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the CJS bill on July 13 (check out COSSA’s coverage of this and other FY 2018 appropriations bills). The CJS bill serves as the vehicle for annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and many other federal departments and agencies. The next step for the bill is consideration by the full Senate. However, now that Congress has left town for the August recess, we will not see floor action until after Labor Day at the earliest.
Read on for COSSA’s analysis of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposals for the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis.
National Science Board Accepting Nominations
Nominations are being sought for new members of the National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The Board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms, with the NSF director serving as a 25th ex officio member. Nominations are considered by the NSB, which makes recommendations to the White House. New members of the Board are appointed by the President. For the incoming class of 2018-2024, the NSB is particularly interested in individuals with expertise in enterprise risk management, international research collaborations, convergent research and grand challenges, promotion of diversity and minority serving institutions, Integrative social sciences, and STEM education and the science of learning, among others. The complete list and other selection criteria are available in the NSB’s Dear Colleague letter. More information on the nomination process is available on the NSB website. Nominations are due by September 8, 2017.
Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members
The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP), the advisory body to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), is soliciting nominations to fill four vacancies in 2017. SACHRP provides scientific expertise and recommendation on matters related to the protection of human subjects in scientific research. The Committee will likely play an important role as OHRP implements the revisions to the Common Rule (see COSSA’s coverage). Experts are sought from fields including “public health and medicine, behavioral and social sciences, health administration, and biomedical ethics.” Nominations must be received no later than September 18, 2017. More information is available in the Federal Register notice.
NIJ Publishes Two Reports on School Safety
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and evaluation agency of the Department of Justice, has published two reports as part of their Comprehensive School Safety Initiative. This research-focused initiative began in response to high-profile incidents of school violence and aims to identify causes of school violence, increase school safety, and implement policies for safer schools. The two reports released on July 28 are Summary of School Safety Statistics, which includes data collected by researchers as well as federal agencies, and States’ Roles in Keeping Schools Safe: Opportunities and Challenges for State School Safety Centers and Other Actors, which includes insight from school safety officers from 20 states.
Interagency Forum Releases 2017 America’s Children Report
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a working group of 23 Federal agencies, recently released its annual compendium of indicators, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being, 2017. The 2017 report is the 20th annual release in the series, which compiles federal data and statistics related to a wide range of factors important to children’s lives, including “family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.” The 2017 report includes a special feature on peer victimization among U.S. third-graders. The complete report is available at childstats.gov.
COSSA Welcomes the African Studies Association
COSSA is pleased to welcome the African Studies Association as its newest affiliate member. The African Studies Association is “the flagship membership organization devoted to enhancing the exchange of information about Africa.” COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website.
CASBS Accepting Applications for 2018 Fellowship
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University, a COSSA member, is now accepting applications for its residential fellowships for the 2018-2019 academic year. The CASBS fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to pursue innovative ideas and expand horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship is considered a career milestone by most recipients, and almost all report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Center’s website through November 3, 2017 for the 2018–2019 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements, see CASBS’ website.
Events Calendar
- American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 12-15, 2017, Montreal, Canada
- Data, Delusion & the American Classroom – The Lunch @ DC, August 15, 2017, Washington, DC
- Research Transparency: Finding Effective Solutions – The Lunch @ DC with Brian Nosek, August 24, 2017, Washington, DC
- American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, August 31-September 3, 2017, San Francisco, CA
- Redirect: Changing People’s Behavior by Editing their Stories: The Lunch @ DC with Tim Wilson, August 31, 2017, Washington, DC
- Economic History Association Annual Meeting, September 15-17, 2017, San Jose, CA
- National Research Summit on Care, Services and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers, October 16-17, 2017, Bethesda, MD
- 14th Annual AERA Brown Lecture in Education Research With Alfredo J. Artiles, October 19, 2017, Washington, DC
- Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, October 19-22, 2017, Dallas, TX
A list of COSSA members’ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA events page. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like to see listed in the Events Calendar and on our website should send an email to [email protected].