Volume 41 (2022)
National Academies Board on Environmental Change and Society Seeks Nominations
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking nominations for individuals to serve three-year terms on the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS). The Board mobilizes social and behavioral sciences to identify equitable and effective solutions to the challenges at the intersection of environmental change and society. The Academies is seeking qualified nominees with expertise in behavior decision making; environmental decision making; sociology; anthropology; risk perception, uncertainty, and communication; big data; environmental change; mitigation and adaptation management and transitions; transformative change; systems science; socio-ecological systems; environmental justice; economics; environmental policy and law; psychology; environmental and occupational health;…
Registration Opens for COSSAâs 2022 Social Science Advocacy Day
COSSA members are invited to register for COSSAâs 2022 virtual Social Science Advocacy Day on March 29. Social Science Advocacy Day is the only annual, coordinated advocacy day in support of all of the social and behavioral sciences. The event brings together social scientists and other science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the registration fee for Advocacy Day is only $25, but spots are limited, so register soon. Sponsors help COSSA to defray the costs of our Advocacy Day, while providing organizations with additional visibility among colleagues in the social and…
February Headlines to Feature Deep Dive on Preserving Cultural Heritage
Februaryâs COSSA Headlines webinar will feature a deep dive discussion with anthropologist Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Institution Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, who will share information about his work preserving cultural heritage. COSSA members should watch for an email on Thursday, February 4 with details on how to register (sign up for members-only emails here). Information on how to register will be posted to this page.
Lawmakers Looking to Move Delayed FY 2022 Spending Bills; Feb 18 Deadline Looms
The current continuing resolution (CR) keeping the federal government open expires on February 18. Fiscal year (FY) 2022 began on October 1, 2021 without any of the 12 annual appropriations bills having been enacted into law. Reports indicate that House and Senate leadership are gauging the possibility of finalizing the FY 2022 spending measures before the CR deadline in just a couple weeks. The most likely outcome is a sweeping omnibus appropriations bill packaging all or some of the individual bills into a single measure. However, before that can happen, leaders must reach an agreement on top-line funding levelsâthat is,…
Senate Committee Releases Draft of Bipartisan Pandemic Preparedness Bill, Seeks Feedback
On January 25, Senate leadership from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) released a draft of the PREVENT Pandemics Act, a new piece of bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening public health and pandemic preparedness responses, including research responses to COVID-19. The draft, which was jointly released by HELP Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), is currently structured in five parts: strengthening federal and state preparedness; improving public health preparedness and response capacity; accelerating research and countermeasure discovery; modernizing the supply chain for vital medical products; and enhancing development and combating shortages of medical…
White House Releases Science Integrity Report
On January 11, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the report of its Scientific Integrity Fast-Track Action Committee, a group created by President Biden charged with identifying ways the federal government at all levels can preserve the accuracy and objectivity of science and protect government science from suppression, manipulation, and political interference. The report was developed in response to a 2021 Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking, which COSSA has been reporting on and that aligns with COSSAâs recommendations to the Biden Administration delivered in late 2020. The…
New Social Science Fields Added to DHS List of STEM Programs
On January 21, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated its list of STEM Designated Degree Programs. F-1-visa-holding students completing degrees within these fields of study may apply for 24-month extensions to their visas to undertake optional practical training (OPT). A number of the fields added to the list are relevant to the social and behavioral sciences, including: Human-Centered Technology Design Anthrozoology Economics and Computer Science Geography and Environmental Studies Mathematical Economics Data Science, General Data Analytics, General, and Business Analytics. The Federal Register notice announcing the change includes more information about the process for petitioning to add fields to…
OMB Requests Input on Standard Application Process for Accessing Federal Data
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a request for comments on the recommendations of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) regarding the implementation of a standard application process for accessing confidential federal data (which may be downloaded here). The ICSP report, which was written in response to requirements in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (âEvidence Act,â see previous coverage), outlines considerations for applying to access confidential statistical data, agency review of applications, and an appeals process for applications that are denied. OMB is particularly interested in receiving comments on the proposal…
NIH Releases Collection of Resources Highlighting Accomplishments in Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released an installment of fact sheets and infographics containing summaries of important advancements in public health with major contributions from the behavioral and social sciences. The collection of resources focuses on the ten following public health topics: Sleep Chronic Pain Diabetes Intimate Partner Violence Teen Pregnancy Tobacco Use Depression Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Phobias Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder OBSSR had released a previous resource in 2013 highlighting achievements of the behavioral and social sciences acknowledging OBSSRâs 20th anniversary. The full collection of resources is available on…
National Academies Names Carlotta Arthur New DBASSE Director
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced that it has selected Dr. Carlotta M. Arthur as its next executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE). Dr. Arthur was most recently Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM of the Henry Luce Foundation. She succeeds Dr. Mary Ellen OâConnell effective February 14.
University of Maryland to Host Part Two of Partnerships in the Social Sciences Workshop
The University of Maryland and UIDP, in collaboration with COSSA, the National Science Foundation, MITRE, the Optimal Solutions Group, SAGE Publishing, and the Federation of Associations in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, will be hosting the second part of the Workshop on U-I Partnerships in the Social Sciences (see previous coverage for more details). This in-person workshop, which is a continuation of the events held virtually on October 14, 2021, will bring together âa group of experts and leaders from academia, industry, and government to consider how academic-corporate partnerships can advance social, behavioral, and organizational science research to positively impact…
OSTP Releases Guidance for NSPM-33, Long Awaited Research Security Roadmap
On January 4, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the publication of the implementation guidance for National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM)-33, the guidelines released in early 2021 intended to improve research security efforts at federal agencies (see previous COSSA coverage for more details). This long-awaited guidance, which was released as a report by OSTPâs National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Joint Committee on the Research Environment (JCORE), aims to clarify requirements for federally funded researchers and set best practices at federal agencies to strengthen research security. The guidance offers direction on five major areas of…
2021 By the Numbers
As we close the books on COSSAâs 40th year, we are continually reminded of the perseverance of the social and behavioral science community and the contributions our sciences make to real issues of the day. There has arguably never been a more important time for the social and behavioral sciences to inform and guide the work of our nationâs leaders. As the voice for social and behavioral science research in our nationâs capital, COSSA serves as a conduit between the research community and lawmakers on Capitol Hill and in Executive Branch agencies. We could not do our work without the…
Congress Starts 2022 with Packed To-Do List
The 117th Congress returned to work this month for its second session still struggling to resolve legislative issues meant for last year. As previously reported, while fiscal year (FY) 2022 began on October 1, 2021, Congress enacted a continuing resolution (CR) late last year punting the annual appropriations deadline to February 18. That means, more than three months into the new fiscal year, federal agencies are operating at FY 2021 levels with no certainty of when they will receive their FY 2022 funding or what that funding will look like for this year. Among the reasons for the delay last…
Longtime Science Champion Eddie Bernice Johnson Enters Final Year in Congress
Late last year, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) announced that she would retire from Congress at the end of her term. Johnson, who receive the COSSA Distinguished Service Award in 2016, has been one of the social science enterpriseâs fiercest champions throughout her tenure on the Science Committee. She defended social and behavioral science grants from unwarranted attacks and championed legislation to advance the nationâs scientific enterprise as a whole. It is unclear who will succeed Johnson as the top Democrat on the Science Committee in the next Congress. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) has seniority, but shakeups…
NSF Announces Topics for 2022 Convergence Accelerator, Agency Seeking Feedback on Future Topics
On January 4, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the topics for the Convergence Accelerator for fiscal year (FY) 2022, applications for which are expected to open in the coming months. NSFâs Convergence Accelerator aims to promote research in areas of strategic and societal importance through a three-tiered process: ideation, and two convergence research phases. The tracks for FY 2022 are: Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Sustainable Materials for Global Challenges Food & Nutrition Security In addition, NSF has announced it is seeking community feedback for future Convergence Accelerator topics. On December 13, 2021, NSF released a Dear Colleague…
NSF Announces Partnership with WT Grant Foundation on Enhancing the Impact of Research about Youth
In December, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a Dear Colleague Letter announcing a partnership with the William T. Grant Foundation to solicit research proposals on âIncreasing the Use, Usefulness and Impact of Research about Youth.â Research topics may cover improving decision-makersâ use of research, making research more useful in policy creation and practice, and identifying when and how using research findings improves youth outcomes. Proposals may be submitted to either NSF or the WT Grant Foundation. More information is available in the Dear Colleague Letter. Additional research opportunities supported…