Issue 3 (February 6)

Congress is working now to finalize spending legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2024. As lawmakers continue their negotiations it is critical that they hear from the social and behavioral science community.

Write to your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to support the highest possible funding levels for federal science agencies in FY 2024! Don’t let funding for social and behavioral science research be left behind.

For more details, follow COSSA’s FY 2024 coverage here.

Visit COSSA’s TAKE ACTION page to send a quick message to your Senators and Representatives and tell them why they must protect science funding in FY 2024.

Did you miss our first Advocacy Day Informational Webinar? Is this your first Social Science Advocacy Day? Do you have questions or are you curious about what to expect from the event? Join us for our second informational webinar!

We will be hosting another session to provide an overview of Advocacy Day, how to register, answer any questions, and more. This webinar will share the same information, so if you attended the first there is no need to attend the second. This is the final informational webinar we will be hosting for Social Science Advocacy Day.  

The second session will take place on February 13, 2024 at 3pm EST.

Contact Elyse Bailey at [email protected] with any additional questions.

The recent Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Monica N. Feit from the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) who writes about how social science can provide valuable expertise to help inform better health research. 

Read on for more.

As we move further into the fiscal year (FY), lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to work toward finalizing appropriations for FY 2024. As previously reported, Congress pushed its deadline to complete the FY 2024 bills until March, leaving just a few weeks to find agreement across the 12 annual appropriations bills and pass them in each chamber. After months of stalemate, reports suggest that the end may be in sight now that leadership has agreed to top-line funding levels for discretionary spending.

COSSA recently issued an action alert calling on the research community to contact their elected offices to urge the highest possible funding levels for federal science agencies in FY 2024.

Looking ahead to the FY 2025 budget, insights from Capitol Hill hint that preparations for FY 2025 will be soon underway, with expectations that the President’s budget request could be sent to Capitol Hill around the second week of March, likely after the State of the Union address scheduled for March 7. The release of the President’s budget request is seen as the official kick off to appropriations season.

Follow COSSA’s Congressional news for timely updates on the latest on appropriations.

The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate within the National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encouraging research dedicated to understanding and mitigating issues of bias, prejudice, and discrimination (BPD). The DCL highlights three interests for SBE programs, including investigations of BPD in under-studied populations, the effects of environmental factors on BPD, and the development and origins of BPD.

A list of participating NSF programs can be found here. Any questions about the DCL should be directed to [email protected].

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) within the Department of Education (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) regarding support systems for the mental and behavioral health of students in higher education. Recognizing the rising rates of depression and anxiety over the past two decades, OPE seeks successful examples of addressing student mental health and substance use disorder needs, transforming campus cultures at institutions of higher education (IHEs), and receiving support from State higher education agencies. Further, OPE seeks to understand challenges that IHEs face in implementing solutions.

Comments are requested by February 25 and can be submitted here.

This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Emma Southern from American University.

On January 24, the National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with various agencies, launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot. This initiative takes a first step towards creating a research infrastructure aimed at both strengthening and democratizing access to the essential resources required for responsible AI discovery and innovation.

The NAIRR pilot is designed to equip U.S.-based researchers and educators with access to advanced computing power, extensive datasets, sophisticated models, cutting-edge software, and comprehensive training and support. By fostering collaboration across academia, industry, the nonprofit sector, and government, the program intends to utilize cross-sector partnerships. According to NSF, such collaborations are expected to drive the development of commercially viable AI applications and solutions that stimulate economic growth through the creation of new markets and revenue streams.

Moreover, the initiative aims to apply AI solutions to pressing challenges in healthcare, environmental conservation, education support and infrastructure sustainability. The program will offer training on AI technologies and promote responsible approaches to AI development that builds towards greater accessibility, security, and responsibility of innovation.

Additional information about the pilot, including how to apply for access to resources, can be found here.

On January 24, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a 30-day public comment period on the draft updates to its Scientific Integrity (SI) Policy. This policy is in response to the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) memorandum requiring federal agencies to develop scientific integrity policies to restore trust in science (see previous COSSA coverage).

The updated SI Policy will adopt a new Federal definition of scientific integrity and meaningfully strengthen several policy elements that will help ensure a culture of scientific integrity at the Agency. It will incorporate the model scientific integrity policy from the National Science and Technology Council’s A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice, lessons learned over the years, and the results of previous surveys of EPA staff on scientific integrity.

Comments are requested by February 23 and can be submitted here.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is now accepting applications for their Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program. The program is looking for 20 new fellows and supports doctoral research with relevance to criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. This includes anthropology, sociology, public policy, information sciences, criminology, forensic science, technology for law enforcement, and more. Applications from all science and engineering fields are welcome.

The fellowship provides up to three years of support within a five-year period and includes:

• $41,000/year student salary
• $16,000/year cost of education allowance
• $3,000/year research expenses

The grants.gov deadline is April 10 and the JustGrants deadline is April 17. Students must be enrolled full time in a Ph.D. program in a science or engineering field and propose dissertation research relevant to improving criminal or juvenile justice practice or policy in the United States. Learn more and apply here. 

The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) has extended their awards deadline to February 21. AAPOR has a portfolio of awards to recognize distinguished work in the profession, as well as to further the education of students and early career researchers. AAPOR is a COSSA governing member association and welcomes and encourages diversity in all aspects of the research profession, including their award nominees.

Learn more about the different awards that are open for submissions here. Don’t wait to send in your nominations!