Volume 43 (2024)
Congress on the Campaign Trail
Congress departed for the campaign trail on October 1 after passing a continuing resolution (CR) to extend the appropriations deadline to December 20 (see previous COSSA coverage). Expected to return on November 12 after the elections, Congress will return ready to draft the final appropriations bills or seek a second CR to allow for the new Congressional session to take the helm. Stay tuned to COSSAās continued coverage of Congressional news.
NSF Researchers Awarded Physics Nobel Prize
John Hopfield at Princeton University and Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto, Canada were awarded the physics Nobel Prize for their research on artificial neural networks. The Nobel laureates received several funding grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), including Hintonās award for the Search Methods for Massively Parallel Networks from the Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science (AICS) program, to support this work. Following the announcement, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan praised, “The laureates brought their understanding of the fundamental physical workings of nature into a new realm and created an entirely new foundation that has led to what we…
NIJ Seeks Input into Public Access Plan
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is seeking stakeholder input into the development of its Public Access Plan. NIJ is interested in hearing from NIJ grantees, criminal justice practitioners, researchers, publishers, and other interested parties. Development of the plan aligns with the Biden Administrationās 2022 directive that federal agencies make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. However, it is important to note that given its size, NIJ is not required to comply with the 2022 memorandum, unlike larger federal science agencies (e.g., National Institute of…
NASEM Publishes Follow-Up on State of Science Address
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently published an update to President Marcia McNuttās State of Science address in which they reemphasized her main points from the speech, and brought in guest authors to expand on what is needed to improve the U.S. research enterprise (see previous COSSA coverage). This collection of articles includes: āK-12 Educationā by Alexandra Fuentes; āAddressing Red Tapeā by Matt Owens; āBidirectional Collaborationā by James Manyika; āCultivating Trustā by J. Marshall Shepherd; and āLearning to Listenā by Stephanie Diem. In McNuttās State of Science address, encouraging innate childhood curiosity was linked to strengthening…
Research!America Requesting Proposals for 2024-25 Civic Engagement Microgrants Program
Research!America announced the application period for its Civic Engagement Microgrant Program is now open. The program awards grants of up to $4,000 to graduate student and postdoc-led groups in STEM (including social science) to design projects that create dialogue with public officials, local community leaders, and the public around issues of common concern. These funds provide opportunities for grantees to develop skills in areas such as communication and program planning, along with an understanding of public policy and government to have an impact in their local communities. Applications are due November 4, 2024. More details are available on Research!Americaās website.
Call for Applications: APSA’s Pracademic Fellowship
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is accepting proposals for the Pracademic Fellowship Program on a rolling basis. The Pracademic Fellowship Program aims to bridge the gap between academia and the world of practitioners by supporting mid-career faculty members to work in federal government agencies in the Washington, D.C. area. Fellows work directly with decision-makers involved in programs of their interest and get a first-hand vantage point of a federal agencyās decision-making environment. The program is open to faculty members in political science, public management, public policy, public administration, and related fields, and is particularly well-suited to mid-career faculty taking advantage of overlaps with…
Congress Passes CR; Pushes Deadline to December 20
Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to push the budget deadline of September 30 to December 20, allowing members to depart for the campaign trail in October. The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 9747) extended current fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending levels for the twelve-week interim. As previously reported by COSSA, the House attempted to attach the CR to a bill seeking to require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote during federal elections that did not receive support. With the deadline pushed to after the elections, itās unclear whether Congress will return ready to draft the final appropriations…
NSF Launches New Directorate Profiles Resource
The National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a new resource within the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). This new resource provides profiles on the seven NSF directorates including the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) and includes visualizations on research doctorate recipients from US academic institutions for fields of science and engineering. With data sourced from the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), this tool was designed to present data on the directorates in a more accessible and visually appealing way. A link to the full resource can be found here….
Dr. Adam Gamoran Nominated by Biden as Next IES Director
On September 9, President Biden nominated Dr. Adam Gamoran as the next Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). If confirmed, Gamoran would replace the current Acting Director, Dr. Matthew Soldner, who has been serving since the departure of Dr. Mark Schneider in April 2024. Gamoran is a sociologist with a PhD from the University of Wisconsin who currently serves as the President of the William T. Grant Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to research that improves the lives of young people. Before his role at the William T. Grant Foundation, Gamoran held the John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and…
Friends of BLS Urge Congress to Provide Appropriations for Modernizing CPS
On September 24, the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), of which COSSA is a member, urged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees through a sign-on letter to modernize the Current Population Survey (CPS) with additional funding in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Jointly sponsored by BLS and the Census Bureau, CPS collects labor force statistics data to help inform the status of the social and economic welfare of the country. Two years of flat funding have required CPS to decrease the sample size of the population survey, creating a detrimental impact on important federal data collection. With 120 signatures, the letter details…
NSB 2025 Honorary Awards Nominations are Open
The National Science Board (NSB) is now welcoming nominations for its 2025 Honorary Awards. There are two awards for which nominations can be submitted: Deadline for nominations is October 9. Details on the two awards can be found on the NSB website.
NASEM Seeking BECS Board Director
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has initiated a search for a new Board Director for the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS) which is housed within the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE). BECS is NASEMās primary voice for advancing research on the interactions between humans and the environment and provides a vital forum for the link between social and natural sciences. The Director will lead all aspects of the board including maintaining a portfolio of programs, managing and communicating with other staff, planning and directing work on projects, and overseeing outreach…
AAPSS Calls for Nominations for 2025 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) has announced the opening of nominations for the 2025 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize in Social Science and Public Policy. The Moynihan Prize is an annual honor created to recognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgment to advance the public good. The winner is recognized at a public event to be held in 2025 and receives a cash prize. Nominations will be accepted through November 1, 2024 and may be submitted on the AAPSS website. AAPSS is a COSSA member organization.
Register for AERAās Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research
On October 24, the American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing member, will host its Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research. The annual lecture aims to illuminate the important role of research in advancing understanding of equality and equity in education. The 2024 lecture is titled, āBrown v. Board of Education and the Democratic Idealsā and will be delivered by Elise Boddie, James V. Campbell Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. Register for the event (virtually or in-person) here.
Catch Up on COSSA’s NIH Town Hall Webinar
Did you miss COSSAās NIH Town Hall webinar? You can watch the recording now to catch up on our informal conversation about recent developments and the frameworks currently proposed for the NIH. Slides are also available. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations.
Congress Seeks to Pass CR to Avoid Government Shutdown; Both Chambers Drafting Legislation
With the looming appropriations deadline only two weeks away, Congress is working to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown. As previously reported by COSSA, while the House and Senate both began drafting their appropriations bills (see COSSAās analysis of the House and Senate bills) with the House managing to pass five of their bills on the House floor while the Senate only advanced their respective bills through the Senate Appropriations Committee, both chambers have since turned to drafting CR legislation. Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) unveiled a six-month CR with House-passed legislation, the SAVE Act (HR 8281), seeking to…
House Science Committee Unanimously Passes Bill to Update Research Security Language in CHIPS & Science Act
On September 9, the House or Representatives passed a bill to clarify language regarding research security in theĀ CHIPS & Science ActĀ enacted in 2022 (see previous COSSA coverage).Ā H.R. 7686, led by Representative Mike Garcia (R-CA) and co-led by Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI), seeks to protect university funding from foreign adversaries through clarifying the definition of āmalign foreign talent recruitment programs.ā Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) supported the bill, citing that āresearch theft is one of the single greatest threats to our competitiveness as a nationā with Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) agreeing that the bill āreflects our committeeās good faith deliberations around…
Request for Input: NSF Seeking Input on Research Ethics
Earlier this month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a Dear Colleague Letter requesting public input into the agencyās efforts to āincorporate ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the merit review processā as required by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Section 10343 of the CHIPS Act states, āa number of emerging areas of research have potential ethical, social, safety, and security implications that might be apparent as early as the basic research stageā¦[T]he incorporation of ethical, social, safety, and security considerations into the research design and review process for Federal awards may help mitigate potential harms before they happen.ā The…
DBASSE Hosts Second Webinar in 2024 Spring Hauser Webinar Series
On July 25, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineās Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) hosted the second webinar in their Hauser 2024 Spring Webinar Series titled, The Hauser Policy Impact Fund Webinar Series: Navigating the Era of Artificial Intelligence Part 2: The Role of Social Sciences. This webinar hosted a diverse panel of researchers on the importance of social science research while developing artificial intelligence (AI) and the role of policymakers in understanding AIās potential benefits and harms. The panelists focused on AI as a tool to enhance human capabilities, the context in which AI…