Volume 37 (2018)
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 24
Featured News White House Releases STEM Education Strategic Plan COSSA in Action December COSSA Headlines to Feature OBSSR Director Congressional News Congress Passes Stop-Gap Spending Bill, Averting Partial Government Shutdown House Republicans Announce Committee Leadership for the 116th Congress Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Releases FY 2019 Program Solicitation for Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Open Positions Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports Former Ag Statistics Head to Lead COPAFS Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Fellowships & Professional Development COSSA Member Spotlight Fellowships &…
White House Releases STEM Education Strategic Plan
On December 4, the White House released Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education, a strategic plan developed with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science and Technology Council Committee on STEM Education. The five-year strategic plan seeks to ensure all Americans have access to quality education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Goals include building a strong foundation of STEM literacy, increasing diversity in STEM, and preparing the STEM workforce of the future. The plan lays out pathways to these goals, including developing strategic STEM partnerships, engaging students…
December COSSA Headlines to Feature OBSSR Director
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on December 13 a 2:00 PM Eastern, in which COSSA staff recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participants’ questions. The December chat will feature a deep dive discussion with Dr. William (Bill) Riley, Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who will give an update on new initiatives at OBSSR and discuss the next steps for NIH’s controversial clinical trials policy. Individuals employed by or affiliated with a…
Congress Passes Stop-Gap Spending Bill, Averting Partial Government Shutdown
On December 7, President Trump signed a two-week continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open until December 21. As earlier reported, Congress accomplished more appropriations work on time than in recent years, including passing the notoriously controversial Labor, Health and Human Services, Education appropriations bill, but the fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding for many agencies is still uncertain. Notably, the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which is responsible for funding the National Science Foundation and the Census Bureau, among other programs, is still pending; neither the House or Senate have taken up the bill outside of committee. House…
House Republicans Announce Committee Leadership for the 116th Congress
House Republicans have begun to announce committee leadership appointments for the 116th Congress, following the loss of their majority in November’s election. As a result of a historic number of Republican retirements, including nearly half of all committee chairs, and a loss of 40 House seats in the midterm election, there will be many new faces among Republican committee leadership in the new Congress. Notably for social science, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) will serve as the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and Kay Granger (R-TX) will be the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations…
NSF Releases FY 2019 Program Solicitation for Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a revised solicitation for the fiscal year (FY) 2019 grant competition for Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), one of NSF’s Ten Big Ideas. FW-HTF is a cross-directorate initiative, supported by the directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Engineering (ENG), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), and the Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) that encourages integration and convergence of disciplines across all these fields. Through FW-HTF, NSF is responding to challenges and opportunities related to the changing landscape of jobs and work. The…
Former Ag Statistics Head to Lead COPAFS
The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) has announced that Cynthia Z.F. Clark will serve as its next Executive Director effective December 3. Dr. Clark most recently led the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), one of two Department of Agriculture statistical agencies, from 2008 until 2014. She succeeds former Census Director John Thompson, who retired from the organization earlier this year. COSSA congratulates Dr. Clark on her appointment and looks forward to continuing to work closely with COPAFS on issues affecting federal statistical agencies. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 23
Featured News Save the Date: Advocacy Day 2019 COSSA in Action Linguist Claudia Brugman Answers “Why Social Science?” Letters & Statements Congressional News Johnson Seeks Science Chairmanship, Announces Priorities for the New Congress Federal Agency & Administration News Office of Evaluation Sciences Seeks Fellows NEH Releases 2019 Summer Programs for Teachers Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Open Positions Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports National Academies Establishes Standing Committee on Science Communication Research and Practice National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research Seeks Recommendations for Areas of Study Academies Releases “Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12” Nomination…
Save the Date: Social Science Advocacy Day 2019
COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day, the only annual, coordinated advocacy day in support of all of the social and behavioral sciences, will take place on April 30 and May 1, 2019. Open exclusively to participants affiliated with COSSA member organizations and universities, Social Science Advocacy Day brings together social scientists and other science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers in Washington, DC. COSSA provides in-depth training and logistical support (including scheduling meetings with Congressional offices and providing an on-call expert to answer day-of policy questions), as well as polished, up-to-date materials to help advocates bring their…
Rep. Johnson Seeks Science Chairmanship, Announces Priorities for the New Congress
On November 6, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) announced her interest in seeking the chairmanship of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Johnson has served as the Ranking Minority Member of the Science Committee since 2010, and, should she be elected chair—which is expected—she will become the first woman and the first person of color to lead the committee. In her announcement she included three priorities for the committee in the coming year, including: ensuring the United States remains the global leader in innovation, addressing the challenge of climate change, and restoring the “credibility of the Science Committee…
Office of Evaluation Sciences Seeks Fellows
The Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) at the General Services Administration is currently accepting applications for one-year fellowships beginning in October 2019. OES is a team of applied researchers that work to build insights from the social and behavioral sciences into federal programs. OES designs, implements, and analyzes evidence-based interventions and randomized evaluations. Fellows shape their own high-impact portfolio of work, design and direct projects, and author academic publications. The deadline to submit applications is December 30. More information can be found on the OES website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NEH Releases 2019 Summer Programs for Teachers
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has released information about its 2019 tuition-free summer programs, which it offers each year to provide an opportunity for K-12, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics. These programs focus on specific topics, texts, and questions in the humanities and promote connections between teaching and research in the humanities. Additionally, the NEH offers stipends to help cover the cost of travel and living expenses for these one- to four-week programs. The applications for summer 2019 programs are due March 1, 2019. More information and a list of topics is available here. Back to…
National Academies Establishes Standing Committee on Science Communication Research and Practice
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced on November 21 the establishment of a new standing committee to bring together science communication practitioners and researchers. The Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication Research and Practice will engage broad networks of stakeholders from across sectors to advance science communication around the goals of building a coherent knowledge base about communicating science, making it easier for science communicators to access research, and support organizations and individuals communicating science outside the science enterprise. More information about the standing committee and a list of members can be found at the NASEM…
National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research Seeks Recommendations for Areas of Study
The National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research, an effort backed by philanthropic donors, will issue the first of four annual requests for proposals in January 2019 and is seeking input from researchers on areas of focus for gun-policy research funding. The annual request for proposals will be comprised of $20 million to $50 million awarded over a five-year period, with up to $10 million in research grant funding and dissertation research awards available in the first round. Researchers who would like to suggest areas of focus for gun-policy research funding can email ncgvr@rand.org and those interested in receiving alerts about…
Academies Releases “Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12”
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released a new consensus study report, Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center. The report revisits the National Research Council’s 2006 America’s Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science and reviews relevant research with a focus on how to engage today’s middle and high school students in science and engineering. This report provides guidance for teachers, administrators, creators of instructional resources, and leaders in teacher professional learning on how to support students. Recommendations center around changing science and engineering instruction to focus on investigation and design…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 37 Issue 22
Featured News President Appoints Five New Members of the National Science Board, Reappoints Two Members COSSA in Action Letters & Statements Congressional News Democrats Take Control of the House in Midterm Elections, Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session Federal Agency & Administration News Comments Sought on Federal Data Strategy Best Practices White House Science Council Seeks Comments on Opioid R&D Roadmap Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Open Positions Community News & Reports Notices & Requests for Comment COSSA Member Spotlight COSSA Welcome the University of Arizona Fellowships & Professional Development Events Calendar
COSSA Welcomes the University of Arizona
COSSA is pleased to welcome the University of Arizona as its newest member. Located in Tucson, the University of Arizona receives nearly $9 million in federal social and behavioral science funding annually. COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Democrats Take Control of the House in Midterm Elections; Congress Returns for Lame Duck Session
Congress returns to Washington this week for the first time since early October. Lawmakers are returning to what many expected to be the outcome of the midterm elections, with Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives and Republicans maintaining control of the Senate. The Senate margin currently stands at 51 Republicans and 46 Democrats, with a run-off election scheduled in Mississippi, a recount of votes in Florida, and a race in Arizona still too close to call. The contests in Florida and Arizona are considered toss-ups while the Mississippi race is expected to stay in Republican hands. As many…
President Appoints Five New Members of the National Science Board, Reappoints Two Members
On November 5, President Trump announced his intent to make five appointments to the National Science Board (NSB), the governing body of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The selections include reappointments of former NSB chair Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Geraldine Richmond of the University of Oregon. Two of the new appointees, Alan Stern and Stephen Willard, have backgrounds in the private sector. Dr. Stern is considered to be a champion of commercial space activities and has worked for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. Mr. Willard is currently the CEO of a biotechnology firm after earlier…