Issue 14 (July 11)

The social science community has voiced its concerns and disappointment following the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in college admissions. On June 29, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the two cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, declaring that race cannot be a factor in college admissions. The 6-3 ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, effectively marks the end of affirmative action in higher education in the United States.

Leaders within the social science community have responded.

Felice J Levine, executive director, and Tyrone C. Howard, president, of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), released a joint statement declaring, “The decision is a low point that could impede equitable access to higher education; erode campus diversity; reinforce, rather than reduce, longstanding and pernicious patterns of bias in higher education; and hinder the development of future workers and leaders who can thrive in an increasingly multicultural society.”

Dr. Arthur C. Evans Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association (APA), expressed deep regret over the Court’s dismissal of the substantial body of research demonstrating the positive effects of diversity in educational settings. In the published statement he mentions, “Scientific research has also found that exposure to diversity enhances critical thinking and promotes deeper information processing and problem-solving skills, among other benefits. Without purposeful attention to achieving diverse student bodies, our institutions of higher learning are likely to grow even more racially and ethnically polarized.”

To continue constructive discourse regarding the matter, the American Sociological Association (ASA) have published a list of experts that available for interviews and discussions.

Watch for COSSA’s continued coverage on the SCOTUS ruling.

We are excited to invite social science advocates to COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day on April 8-9, 2024! Our signature, members-only event will bring together social and behavioral science researchers, faculty, students, association professionals, and other advocates from across the country to meet with their elected officials in Congress to discuss the value of our sciences and the importance of federal funding. Stay tuned for additional details over the coming months, including how to register and available sponsorship opportunities.

We hope to see you in Washington, DC in April 2024!

The most recent Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Amy Burke and Julia Milton from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) who write about representation in the STEM workforce. Read on for more.

As previously reported in the weeks leading up to the Independence Day recess, several House Subcommittees began their work for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled mark ups for state and operations, financial services, and transportation, in addition to the already reported agriculture, defense, energy and water, homeland security, and legislative branch activities bills. Earlier this week, 21 House Republicans signed a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stating their intent to reject any funding amounts above the FY 2022 levels. Additionally, they urged the Speaker to hold floor considerations until all 12 appropriations bills have been reported. With the slim majority Republicans hold in the House, Republicans will require almost every vote from their party to pass the Appropriations bills without Democrat support. By the end of the week, 8 of the 12 bills are expected to be completed.

On July 13, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up their version of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill, which funds the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, Census Bureau, and other federal agencies and programs. Following the passage of the CJS bill, the Senate will release an accompanying report detailing proposals for each agency. There is a nearly $11 billion difference between the House and Senate allocations for the CJS bill signaling tough negotiations between the two chambers. The Senate has already approved the military construction and agriculture measures in June, and are expected to review energy and water, state and foreign operations, and transportation next week.

At this stage, the endgame remains unclear between the two chambers. The new fiscal year begins October 1, which suggests that a continuing resolution (CR) will likely be needed to keep the government open until the FY 2024 process can be completed.

Stay tuned to COSSA’s coverage on FY 2024 appropriations.

On July 6, Dr. Jane M. Simoni was officially named as the next National Institutes of Health (NIH) Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and Director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Simoni will assume the role at the end of July.  

Simoni is a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience in research focused on health disparities and resilience among populations that have been socially marginalized. Simoni joins NIH from the University of Washington (UW) where she is Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology. Simoni is the founding director of the UW Behavioral Research Center for HIV and co-directs the UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research, where she also is Associate Director of the Behavioral Science Core and Senior Advisor to the eHealth Scientific Working Group.

Simoni has led more than two dozen research projects and collaborated on research and training awards on HIV, mental health, substance use, trauma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pediatric overweight treatment in the U.S. and globally. Her current work examines the acceptability of long-acting antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection and digital technology to enhance intervention impact and dissemination.

Simoni earned her B.A. at Princeton, her Ph.D. at UCLA, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at USC and Columbia University.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced they are hiring a new Senior Health Economist within its executive leadership team.

The role of the Senior Health Economist will inform the agency’s program portfolio priority setting, resource allocation, and policy development through in-depth health economic modeling and analysis. The ideal candidate will exhibit strong technical expertise in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) and is expected to build economic and population-based models using relevant software and stay aware of external best practices for the development and utilization of these models.

The Senior Health Economist will use strategic decision-making frameworks to evaluate and enhance existing resource allocation frameworks. The role will also develop guidelines for the collection of health economic data to support return on investment analysis, the coordination with relevant ARPA-H programs, and the use of statistical and mathematical methods to conduct analysis that supports health economic evaluation.

See application and submission details here. 

On June 28, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a new Scientific Integrity Policy. As previously reported, the new policy reflects many of the recommendations raised in the 2023 interagency report, A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice.

The policy strives to provide guidance to promote a continuing culture of scientific integrity and aims to ensure the integrity of all aspects of OSTP scientific activities. The new policy also establishes the expectations and procedures required to maintain scientific integrity at OSTP.

Read the full report here.

The National Academies’ Health and Medicine Division announced that they are seeking nominations for 12-15 volunteer experts to participate in the new consensus study tasked with evaluating the current use of the social constructs of race and ethnicity in biomedical research.

The study will assess how racialized group and ethnic categories are currently used, review existing guidance for researchers on the use of race as a variable, and provide recommendations to guide the scientific community in the future use of race and ethnicity.

The nominated experts should be from the following areas:  

• Biomedical research across the spectrum from basic science to translational to clinical
• Health disparities in clinical practice
• Real-world data, including race and ethnicity
• Sociology, including race and ethnicity
• Bioethics and health policy

Submit your nominations by July 15, 2023.

On June 10, the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) hosted a webinar to discuss a collection of reports on Preventing Gun Violence in America: What Works and What is Possible. The collection, published in the AAPSS’s journal The ANNALS, consists of fourteen reports focusing on different issues and solutions of gun violence in America, including mass shootings, community gun violence, and intimate partner violence with guns. The Niskanen Center co-hosted the webinar with a panel that included one of the report’s special editors, Dr. Kerri M. Raissan, and two authors of the report, Dr. Jaclyn Schildkraut and Dr. Jennifer Paruk.

The discussion focused on preventing gun violence through different tactics that included standardized threat assessments, bridging the gap between federal programs and nonprofit organizations working towards gun violence prevention, and enacting evidence-based policies and practices that are community driven. Further, Dr. Schildkraut emphasized the need to focus on preventing gun violence, especially in reference to mass shootings, continuously rather than on a reactive basis.

AAPSS and the Niskanen Center will be co-hosting a second webinar on Gun Rights and Responsibility in America on July 20.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced applications for the third cohort of their New Voices program are now open. The program invites applications from emerging U.S.-based leaders across all disciplines of the sciences, engineering, and medicine. Ideal candidates will have an established record of professional excellence and a demonstrated commitment to service beyond their immediate discipline and institution. 

Launched in 2018, the New Voices program aims to bring diverse and innovative perspectives from early- and mid-career leaders into crucial dialogues on how science, engineering, and medicine are shaping our global future.

Membership in the New Voices program offers the opportunity to join a network of leaders across the sciences, engineering, and medicine. Members will explore interdisciplinary approaches to addressing global issues, learn how the National Academies impact science policy at the federal level, get involved with the global movement of young scientists, engineers, and medical professionals, and represent New Voices at international forums.

Applications are due August 10, 2023. Visit the NASEM website for more information about the New Voices initiative. 

On July 27, the American Statistical Association (AmStat) and COSSA will be sponsoring a virtual briefing concerning the importance of research and statistics to inform crime and justice policy.

Join Dr. Nancy La Vigne, Director of the National Institute of Justice, and Dr. Alex Piquero, Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, for a discussion about their priorities for advancing the use of science in crime and justice including in the areas of forensics and DNA, corrections and recidivism reduction, and the effectiveness of police body armor.

Learn more about the briefing and registration here. 

On July 10, the American Anthropological Association (AAA), a COSSA member, announced Ady Arguelles-Sabatier as its new executive director.

Arguelles-Sabatier joins AAA with a background in anthropology and association management, dedicating her career to social entrepreneurship projects and non-profit fundraising for over 20 years. Previously, Arguelles-Sabatier served as the Senior Executive Director of Development, Innovation Philanthropy & Florida International University (FIU) Ventures, as well as the Interim Senior Executive Director of Corporate Relations at FIU.

Arguelles-Sabatier will assume her role on July 31st, 2023 and will be responsible for guiding AAA’s strategic direction, enhancing member engagement, and advocating for the importance of anthropology. She will aim to further advance AAA’s mission of fostering a comprehensive understanding of human diversity and promoting the application of anthropological knowledge in addressing current issues.