Search Results: AI
Elizabeth Anderson and Alondra Nelson Win 2023 Sage-CASBS Award
Sage and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University announced Elizabeth Anderson and Alondra Nelson as the winners of the 2023 Sage-CASBS Award. Sage and CASBS are both COSSA members. The Award recognizes accomplishments in the behavioral and social sciences that push the boundaries of our understanding of social issues and highlights the role of the social and behavioral sciences in enhancing public discourse and good governance. Elizabeth Anderson is a renowned philosopher specializing in moral, social, and political philosophy; feminist theory; social epistemology; and the philosophy of economics and social sciences. Anderson currently serves as…
Debt Limit Deal Struck, Spending Caps Likely for FY 2024-25
Over the Memorial Day weekend, the White House and House Republican leadership agreed to a budget deal that would keep the U.S. from defaulting on its debt, at least until after the 2024 elections. The agreement would suspend the U.S. debt limit until January 2025. However, as Republicans have been demanding, the suspension would come with limits—as well as some cuts—to discretionary spending over the next two years. Should it make it through the House and Senate, the deal would set caps on discretionary spending at levels roughly 5 percent or $40 billion below current levels. However, by reclaiming unobligated…
NIH Launches New UNITE E Initiatives
The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) UNITE “E” Committee has been working to develop a strategy to advance racial equity and create a more inclusive biomedical research environment (see previous coverage on NIH’s UNITE activity). On May 17, the Committee announced the launch of new initiatives, including innovative funding programs and policy changes. New funding opportunities are as follows: The UNITE E Committee has also launched a prize competition to recognize effective strategies for enhancing DEIA in research environments: the NIH Institutional Excellence in DEIA in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Prize Competition. The prize competition aims to recognize transformative cultures,…
NIJ Launches Competition on New Data Collection Models
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm within the U.S. Department of Justice, has launched the Innovations in Measuring Community Perceptions Challenge to develop new methods of measuring community attitude about public safety. NIJ has identified a gap in methods able to link to specific geographical locations and is seeking to develop new models to collect this type of data. NIJ is requesting that proposals consider how the model will interact with different communities; how the model will remain cost effective for widescale deployment and scalable to different area sizes; and how the model will collect data accurately…
Dr. Monica Bertagnolli Nominated to Lead NIH
On May 15, the White House announced the nomination of Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If confirmed, Bertagnolli would replace the current Acting Director, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who has been serving since the departure of Francis Collins in 2021. President Biden stated, “Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and ensuring that patients in every community have access to quality care… Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-class physician-scientist whose vision and leadership will ensure…
Schumer Calls for CHIPS 2.0 Legislation to Up Competition with China
Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced plans to develop bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the U.S.’s ability to continue outcompeting China in key technology development. As previously reported, earlier versions of the CHIPS and Science Act that was enacted last year and focused on domestic investment in semiconductor manufacturing, had a much larger focus on direct competition with China. However, many of those provisions pertaining to trade and foreign policy were dropped at the eleventh hour in order to get the final bill across the finish line. Now, Sen. Schumer wants to reinvigorate those and other…
Senate Subcommittee Discusses NIH’s FY 2024 Budget
On May 4, The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH Acting Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Principal Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Dr. Douglas Lowy, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Dr. Joshua Gordon, Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Dr. Richard Hodes, and Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Dr. Nora Volkow testified before the committee. In her opening statement, Chairwoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) voiced her support…
NSF Requests Information on Roadmap for new TIP Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a request for information (RFI) on developing a roadmap for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). NSF is seeking input to inform the TIP Directorate’s three-year roadmap, and is requesting comments on the following focus areas: artificial intelligence; computer hardware and software; quantum science and technology; robotics and advanced manufacturing; advanced communication technologies; biotechnology; data storage and cybersecurity; energy and industrial technologies; and advanced materials science. NSF is also requesting comments on the societal, national, and geostrategic challenges to be addressed through TIP-supported research, including United States national security and workforce…
NSF Seeks Input on New Research Security Effort, Webinars Scheduled
The Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy (OCRSSP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeking input from the research community on the creation of a new Research Security and Integrity Information Sharing Analysis Organization (RSI-ISAO). As previously reported, the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 called for the establishment of a new research security and integrity entity to “safeguard the security and integrity of the U.S. research enterprise while simultaneously promoting the furtherance of human knowledge.” The new entity will be tasked with developing and sharing resources that…
NSF Accepting Proposals for New Language Science Research Initiative
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting proposals that diversify and further deepen the study of language and communication. This is a collaborative initiative across several programs in the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences with shared interests in the study of language. It is an effort to organize new relationships that integrate knowledge across disciplines and/or levels of analysis. The goal is to advance more universal and replicable theories in the language and communication sciences via diversified sampling practices, language(s) of study, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives. This is not a special competition or new program; instead investigators should submit…
PCAST Releases Extreme Weather Report
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has released a report titled, Extreme Weather Risk in a Changing Climate: Enhancing prediction and protecting communities. The report discusses how recent advances in science and technology can improve prevention and response to extreme weather conditions. Recognizing the added risk for communities lacking in resources to protect against these conditions and the need for accessible and transparent data, the report recommends the White House develop a National Adaptation Plan that include a robust approach to determining high-risk zones, frameworks for creating local solutions to prevent extreme weather risks, and guidelines…
NSB to Revisit NSF’s Merit Review Process
The National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy issues, met on May 9-10. Among the topics discussed was the establishment of a commission to review NSF’s merit review process and criteria. The NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review (MRX) was formally created in February and is now getting started on its review and engagement with external stakeholders. The Commission was created in response to language included in the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 that called on NSF…
NASEM Call for Nominations: PreK-12 STEM Education Innovations
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking experts to participate in the new consensus study on promising PreK-12 STEM education innovations in response to the Congressional mandate in the CHIPS and Science Act. The study will (1) review the literature and identify research gaps regarding the factors that foster and hinder successful implementation of promising PreK-12 STEM innovations at all levels; (2) present evidence-based PreK-12 STEM education practices, models, programs, and technologies; (3) identify barriers to widespread and sustained implementation of innovations; and (4) make recommendations to relevant stakeholders on measures to address the identified barriers….
AAPOR Introduces Public Opinion Podcast
The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Communications Committee has soft launched the Public Opinion Podcast (POP)! The podcast aims to increase public awareness of the field of survey methodology and public opinion. POP will also serve as a learning tool to provide teaching materials to undergraduate and graduate programs to increase the visibility of expertise at AAPOR. Two episodes have been released, the first one titled “Technological Advances and Public Opinion Research Challenges with Courtney Kennedy, Jennifer Agiesta, and Natalie Jackson,” and the second on “Race, Justice, and Public Opinion with David C. Wilson, Maria Krysan and Natalie…
2024 Social Science Advocacy Day
On April 8-9, COSSA held its 10th annual Social Science Advocacy Day events in Washington, DC. Over 60 social and behavioral science researchers, students, and advocates from 18 different states headed to Capitol Hill to meet with more than 60 offices in the House of Representatives and Senate, all carrying a message about the need to prioritize funding for social and behavioral science research. COSSA is especially grateful to the sponsors of this year’s event. Thank you to all involved for making this such an impactful experience! Thank you to our 2024 sponsors! Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors COSSA Member Benefit Participation in…
House-Passed GOP Budget Would Decimate Science Funding
On April 26, the House passed along party lines the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023. The bill, which was developed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other GOP members a week prior, represents the Republican’s opening bid in negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling. Under the measure, the bill would suspend the federal debt limit until March 31, 2024, or until debt reaches $1.5 trillion, which ever comes first. However, as expected, the bill would demand steep cuts elsewhere in the budget to accommodate the increased borrowing authority. The White House and Congressional Democrats are seeking a…
Social Scientists Take to Capitol Hill for Social Science Advocacy Day
On April 24-25, COSSA held its annual Social Science Advocacy Day events in Washington, DC. Over 50 social and behavioral science researchers, students, and advocates from 11 different states descended on Capitol Hill to discuss with Congress the importance of funding for federal agencies and programs that support social and behavioral science research. This was COSSA’s first in-person Social Science Advocacy Day since 2019. Materials used to help articulate the value of social and behavioral science research are available on the COSSA website, including FY 2024 Appropriations Requests and new topical one-pagers. To participate in social science advocacy from home, visit…
Appropriators Hold Hearings on the President’s FY 2024 Funding Request for the NSF and NASA
Last month, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees held hearings to review the Biden Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 proposed budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition to the NSF budget, the Senate Appropriations Committee also reviewed the budget request for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Both hearings addressed the request of funding increases for the agencies while also highlighting the global competition challenges the US scientific enterprise is facing, specifically relating to China as they continue to heavily invest in research and development. NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan was the sole witness at the House hearing and…
House LHHS Subcommittee Holds Budget and Oversight Hearing on NIH, CDC, and ASPR
On April 19, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee held a budget and oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) fiscal year (FY). Testifying about the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget requests for their respective agencies were Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of CDC; the Honorable Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of ASPR; and Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Acting Director of NIH. Chairman Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL) expressed concerns over the President’s budget request (see COSSA’s…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on FY 2024 R&D Budget Request
On April 26, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request for research and development (see COSSA’s analysis of the President’s budget request). Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Dr. Dan Reed, the Chair of the National Science Board (NSB), testified before the Committee. Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) commended the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and its prioritizing of scientific innovation, while also acknowledging that innovation strives on predictable and stable…