Issue 19 (October 2)

Featured News

• NSF Seeks Nominations for the 2019 Alan T. Waterman Award

COSSA in Action

• SSRC’s Alondra Nelson Answers “Why Social Science?”
• Letters & Statements

Congressional News

• Trump Signs Labor-HHS Bill/CR, Pushing Remaining FY19 Spending to Dec 7

Federal Agency & Administration News

• NSF Announces New Sexual Harassment Policy
• NIH Studying Impacts of Recent Hurricanes on Health Risks and Resilience
• NCHS Releases Health, United States
• Nomination Opportunities
• Funding Opportunities
• Notices & Requests for Comment
• Recent Reports
• Open Positions

Community News & Reports

• COPAFS Launches Executive Director Search
• Notices & Requests for Comment
• Open Positions

COSSA Member Spotlight

• Fellowships & Professional Development

Events Calendar

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting nominations for the Alan T. Waterman Award, the highest honor awarded by the NSF to early-career researchers. The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher, 40 years of age or younger or no more than 10 years beyond receipt of their Ph.D., in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $1,000,000 over a five-year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social or other sciences at the institution of the recipient’s choice. Psychologist Kristina R. Olson received the 2018 Waterman award and was the first social scientist to receive the award since 2005. More information can be found on the NSF website. Nominations may be submitted until October 22, 2018.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

The latest Why Social Science? guest post comes from Alondra Nelson, President of the Social Science Research Council, who highlights SSRC’s recently published report, To Secure Knowledge: Social Science Partnerships for the Common Good. Read it here and subscribe.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

On September 28, President Trump signed into law a fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding package containing two of twelve appropriations bills, the Defense Appropriations bill and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill. The bill had been passed earlier in the week by the House of Representatives. Of particular interest to the social science community, the Labor-HHS bill contains next year’s final appropriation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Education (ED), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), among other federal departments and agencies. The passage of the Labor-HHS bill marks the first time in more than 20 years that this bill, which tends to be one of the most divisive among Republicans and Democrats, will be signed into law on time.

The package also includes a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the rest of the government operating until December 7 (the new fiscal year begins next week on October 1). Congress will return after the November midterm elections and attempt to complete its work on next year’s spending bills. Notably, still pending is the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which is responsible for funding the National Science Foundation and the Census Bureau, among other programs; neither the House or Senate have taken up the bill outside of committee.

Read on for COSSA’s analysis of the final FY 2019 funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Department of Education.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

On September 21, the National Science Foundation (NSF) published a new term and condition for awards, to be enacted October 21, 2018, requiring awardee organizations to report findings of sexual harassment. The new term and condition will require awardee organizations to notify NSF of:

• “Any findings or determinations that an NSF-funded principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator(co-PI) committed harassment, including sexual harassment or sexual assault.
• The placement of the PI or co-PI on administrative leave, or of the imposition of any administrative action relating to a harassment or sexual assault finding or investigation.”

After notification, NSF will consult with the organization and determine what action is necessary under NSF’s authority, including substituting or removing PIs or co-PIs, reducing award funding, and where neither of those options is available or adequate—suspending or terminating awards. NSF has developed an online submission system for the required notifications that will be available on NSF’s sexual harassment page, which will send information directly to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.  More information can be found on NSF’s website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced eight awards that will support researchers examining the health impacts of hurricanes Maria and Irma on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017. The grants, which are funded through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), will focus on the impacts of psychosocial stressors related to the recent hurricanes, “such as grief, separation from home and loved ones, loss of income, and limited access to medical care.” More information and a full list of the grantees are available on the NIH website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released the 41^st edition of one of its flagship publications, Health, United States, the “report card” on the nation’s health. Health, United States, 2017 compiles federal data on a wide range of topics related to morbidity, mortality, health care utilization and access, health risk factors, prevention, health insurance, and personal health care expenditures. The 2017 edition includes a special feature on mortality; life expectancy at birth has decreased for two years in a few, for the first time since 1993. The complete report is available on the NCHS website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) has launched a search for a new Executive Director following the retirement of John Thompson this summer. COPAFS advocates for the development and dissemination of high-quality federal statistics. More details on COPAFS and on the search are available on the COPAFS website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.