Issue 2 (January 21)

The COSSA Board of Directors has elected Ronald Wasserstein, Executive Director of the American Statistical Association (ASA), as its next chair. His two-year term began January 1, 2025.

Ron has led the ASA since 2007 and prior to that served as a faculty member and administrator at Washburn University in Kansas for more than two decades. The American Statistical Association is one of 10 founding organizations of COSSA. “I am honored to serve as chair of the COSSA Board of Directors at this pivotal time for the social sciences,” said Wasserstein. “With our robust network of member organizations and partners, COSSA is uniquely positioned to help advance social science research and ensure its vital contributions inform policy and practice. Together, we will address the complex challenges ahead while amplifying the essential role of social science in understanding and improving our world.”

Ron succeeds Danielle Staudt, former Executive Director of the Population Association of America. “COSSA has greatly benefited from Danielle’s extensive experience as an association executive during her time serving on and leading the COSSA Board of Directors,” said COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus. “We will miss Danielle around the Board table, but I am excited to be working with Ron in this new capacity and to further the connections between statistics and social and behavioral science.”

Earlier this month, the 119th Congress was sworn in at the Capitol. On January 30, join COSSA for an overview on the new Congress and what this means for the social and behavioral sciences community.

The webinar will be taking place on January 30 at 1pm EST. Register here.

Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.

The stakes for research funding have never been higher as we enter a particularly challenging political and budgetary environment. Social Science Advocacy Day is a must for all stakeholders who care about the fate of federal funding for social and behavioral science research and who believe this research should be used to inform sound public policy.

Early bird registration for COSSA’s annual Social Science Advocacy Day is officially OPEN! The event will be taking place March 24-25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Take advantage of early bird pricing and register here.

If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor for Social Science Advocacy Day, find all of our sponsorship opportunities available here.

Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day.

As previously reported by COSSA, the 119th Congress was sworn in early January and has since begun announcing committee assignments, including key committees for the social and behavioral science research community. This includes the House Science and Technology Committee, which has appointed Representative Brian Babin (R-TX) as Chairman, replacing Frank Lucas (R-OK) (see previous COSSA coverage). Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will remain in her role as expected.

On the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) will remain in his role, as will Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). On January 15, Chairman Cole released the Republican roster while Ranking Member DeLauro released the Democratic roster for the appropriations subcommittees. Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) on the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, which funds the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, and Census Bureau, among other agencies, will remain in his role while Grace Meng (D-NY) was appointed Ranking Member. On the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Subcommittee, which funds the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, and several other agencies of interest to the science community, Chairman Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member DeLauro (D-CT) will remain in their respective roles. House Republicans have also begun working on legislative priorities, including discussions of extending the debt ceiling and drafting legislation to reform immigration policies.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate has started holding confirmation hearings for the incoming Trump Administration’s Cabinet, including hearings for the nominees of Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who was sworn in January 21, and Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. As the Republican-controlled Senate seeks to confirm the Trump Administration’s nominations quickly, it is likely that we will continue to see hearings scheduled for nominations that are important to the social and behavioral science community in the coming weeks (see previous COSSA coverage).

Stay tuned to COSSA’s coverage for all the details as the new Administration and Congress takes shape over the coming weeks.

Trump Administration Actions (all actions available here):

• Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (1/20/25)
• Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Trust to the Federal Government (1/20/25)
• Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (1/20/25)
• Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions within the Federal Workforce (1/20/25) – Reinstates Trump Administration’s 2020 EO creating a new Schedule F in the Federal Excepted Service 
• Withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO (1/20/25)
• Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (1/20/25) – Withdraws the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, among other actions.
• Hiring Freeze (1/20/25)
• Return to In-Person Work (1/20/25)
• Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship (1/20/25)
• Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (1/20/25) – Rescinds dozens of Biden Administration Executive Orders

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting nominations for an outstanding social-behavioral scientist as candidates for Distinguished Lecturer at the 18th Matilda White Riley Honors.

The Matilda White Riley Honors are an annual event recognizing transformative work in the fields of social and behavioral science along with early-career researchers. Nominees should have a research career that has “advanced behavioral and social scientific knowledge in areas within NIH’s mission and that expands upon Dr. White Riley’s work.” Nominees need not have NIH funding. More information is available on the OBSSR website.

Nominee information should be saved as a PDF file and sent to Erica Spotts by February 10. Nominee information should include:

• Nominees’ full contact information and professional webpage(s)
• A one-page statement demonstrating how the nominee’s research results and practice correspond with Dr. White Riley’s vision
• Nominees’ CV and/or NIH bio sketch

On January 20, President Trump, in a series of first-day executive actions, signed an Executive Order (EO) titled “Return to In-Person Work” that requires all federal workers to return to in-person work “as soon as practicable”. This decision comes after the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on The Stay-at-Home Federal Workforce: Another Biden-Harris Legacy on January 15 to investigate the implications of the federal work from home policy. During the hearing, Republican members of the committee expressed concerns that federal policies like the work from home policy were infringing on the power of the Presidential Administration, a concern that has been previously expressed by other committees (see previous COSSA coverage).  

In addition, Trump signed a Hiring Freeze into effect, restricting the ability of federal agencies to fill existing vacancies or create new positions. This freeze further directed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) alongside the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service (USDS) to submit a plan within 90 days to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce. However, Trump has included exceptions, citing, “this memorandum does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs, maintain essential services, and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety.” This exception is not likely to affect the key agencies for the social and behavioral science research communities. It also does not affect positions requiring Presidential appointment or Senate confirmation.  

Stay tuned to COSSA’s coverage for all the details as the new Administration takes shape over the coming weeks.

In the final days of the Biden Administration, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released Guidelines for Federal Research Agencies to Reduce Sex-Based and Sexual Harassment Involving Award Personnel in response to the Chips and Science Act of 2022 (see previous COSSA coverage). These guidelines include identifying and removing gaps in current sexual harassment policies, improving consistency of policies across federal agencies, and promoting data transparency to support evidence-based policies. In addition to the guidelines presented, the report recommends that legislation be passed to support anti-harassment objectives, including authority for federal agencies to develop a consistent definition of harassment, a mandatory notification process, to modify existing regulations, as well as additional appropriations to support research on harassment reduction and prevention methods.

At the beginning of January, President Biden announced the latest recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honors in science, engineering, and technology. Both awards were presented at a joint ceremony.

Among the recipients of the National Medal of Science was Political Scientist Dr. Martin Larry Bartels, “for thought leadership that promotes democracy around the world,” according to his award citation. Bartels, Princeton’s Donald E. Stokes Professor in Public and International Affairs, Emeritus, and an emeritus professor of politics, was on the Princeton faculty from 1991 to 2011. He then transferred to emeritus status and joined the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Bartels was the founding director of Princeton’s Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at the School of Public and International Affairs.

Princeton University is a COSSA member organization. See the full announcement and list of award recipients here.

The Committee on National Statistics, housed within the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), is hosting a three-part series to “discuss approaches to characterizing and communicating the quality of national statistics and statistical data”. As federal statistical agencies work to develop methods to more efficiently release statistical data, the committee will examine ways to communicate federal statistics as well as the quality and recommended uses of federal statistical data with the public as the use of fast response platforms and non-survey data sources grows.

The sessions will take place on Wednesday, January 29, from 11:00 am – 3:00pm ET, Monday, February 3, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm ET, and Thursday, February 20, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm ET. Register here.

The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) announced that nominations are open for their portfolio of awards to recognize distinguished work in the profession, as well as to further the education of students and early career researchers. AAPOR welcomes and encourages diversity in all aspects of the research profession, including their award nominees.

Read more about each award and the submission guidelines on the AAPOR website. Submissions are due February 21, 2025.