Search Results: open access
NIH Requesting Comments on Newly Released Draft Policy for Data Management and Sharing
On November 6, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a draft of the new NIH Policy on Data Management and Sharing. The policy is intended to clarify rules on the handling and sharing of potentially sensitive NIH data while allowing access to the data to be more available for use in research. The draft policy requires all NIH-funded research resulting in the generation of scientific data to be submitted alongside a Data Management and Sharing Plan outlining any potential restrictions or limitations of data management. NIH is accepting public comments on the draft policy until January 10, 2020. More…
January 2020 Headlines: 2019 Policy Wrap Up & Look Ahead
View the slides. COSSA’s January 2020 Headlines webchat recapped down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month, including how social science fared in the final fiscal year (FY) 2020 spending agreement, Trump’s new nominee to lead the National Science Foundation, and the launch of a pilot single-application portal for accessing restricted federal statistics.
Senate Science Subcommittee Holds Hearing on âResearch and Innovation: Ensuring America’s Economic and Strategic Leadershipâ
On October 22, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather held a hearing titled âResearch and Innovation: Ensuring America’s Economic and Strategic Leadershipâ to discuss the significance that research and innovation have in ensuring U.S. leadership in the global economy. The witnesses were Dr. Rebecca Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Executive Vice President of Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise; Dr. David Shaw, Provost and Executive Vice President of Mississippi State University; and Dr. Diane Souvaine, Chair of the National Science Board. Subcommittee Chair Cory Gardner (R-CO) stressed the need…
SSRC Launches MediaWell Platform on Disinformation Research
On October 22, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), a COSSA member, hosted a launch event for MediaWell, an initiative intended to track and aggregate research on mis- and disinformation in the media. The event consisted of an introduction to the mission and function of MediaWell and a panel discussion on current trends of disinformation in the media. Panelists included Editor-in-Chief at The Markup Julia Angwin, Director of the Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative at the German Marshall Fund Karen Kornbluh, Director of Journalism Research at the Pew Research Center Amy Mitchell, and Professor of Government at Dartmouth College Brendan…
COSSA Statement in Support of the Improving Justice Programs through Science Act of 2019 (S. 2286/H.R. 3989)
The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) supports the Improving Justice Programs through Science Act of 2019 (S. 2286 and H.R. 3989) as introduced by Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Madeleine Dean. The bill would reestablish the Science Advisory Board within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Department of Justice, the charter of which lapsed in 2018 under the Trump Administration. Â As an organization that works to promote and advance the role the social and behavioral sciences play in informing policy, COSSA recognizes that having an active science advisory body within the Department of Justice will help ensure…
National Academies Releases Report on The Promise of Adolescence
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently published a consensus study report on The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth, which details the neurobiological as well as the social and economic factors that affect adolescent mental and physical well-being and development. The report defines adolescence as beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20s, and it claims that key areas of the brain mature and develop during this time. This process is impacted both by the biological components of development as well as the environmental factors and stressors surrounding it, which supports…
OMB Releases First Set of Evidence Act Guidance
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued the first set of guidance related to implementing the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (or Evidence Act), legislation that builds on the recommendations of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking to formalize the use of data and evidence in informing the everyday work of federal agencies. The guidance provides detailed information for federal agencies on developing Learning Agendas, which identify the agencyâs priority questions to be informed by evidence; sets out the requirements and responsibilities for the senior roles mandated by the legislationâChief Data Officer, Evaluation Officer, and Statistical Official;…
Administration Ends Attempts to Add Citizenship to 2020 Census
On July 11, President Trump announced that he would no longer seek to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 Census. The announcement appears to resolve over a year of controversy and confusion, which culminated in a tumultuous two weeks that included a Supreme Court ruling stating the question could not be asked unless the Administration could provide a better explanation, an announcement that the Census Bureau had begun printing materials without a citizenship question, a commitment from the Department of Justice to continue fighting to add the question back in, and upheaval in the governmentâs legal team. Census…
NIH Seeks Input on the Need for an Administrative Data Enclave
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on the potential development of a secure data enclave within the NIH using existing funds. This enclave would allow approved research organizations to access sensitive non-public NIH information such as information on peer review outcomes, grant progress reports, and demographic information of NIH grant applicants. NIH approval would be required for researchers to access the data. The NIH is seeking information about this proposed data enclave including examples of research that is currently not pursuable without such access, whether the benefits of a data enclave are worth…
NASEM Report Evaluates Strategies for Reducing Child Poverty
In response to a 2015 Congressional directive to conduct a comprehensive study of child poverty in the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a new report, A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty. The consensus study report evaluates the evidence surrounding the efficacy of existing federal programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and proposes a strategy for reducing the child poverty rate in the United States by half over the next decade. The authoring committee identifies several priority areas for research, including developing effective work-oriented child…
OHRP Releases Draft Guidance for Transitioning Studies to Revised Common Rule; Comments Requested
The Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released draft guidance for transitioning studies to the revised Common Rule. The Common Rule is the set of regulations governing research involving human participants. After a lengthy revision process (see COSSAâs previous coverage), changes to the Common Rule updating a number of its provisions took effect on January 21, 2019. The draft guidance released by OHRP gives details on how an institution may voluntarily transition a study initiated before the implementation date to the new regulations. The complete draft guidance can be accessed…
White House Releases STEM Education Strategic Plan
On December 4, the White House released Charting a Course for Success: Americaâs Strategy for STEM Education, a strategic plan developed with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science and Technology Council Committee on STEM Education. The five-year strategic plan seeks to ensure all Americans have access to quality education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Goals include building a strong foundation of STEM literacy, increasing diversity in STEM, and preparing the STEM workforce of the future. The plan lays out pathways to these goals, including developing strategic STEM partnerships, engaging students…
National Academies Establishes Standing Committee on Science Communication Research and Practice
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced on November 21 the establishment of a new standing committee to bring together science communication practitioners and researchers. The Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication Research and Practice will engage broad networks of stakeholders from across sectors to advance science communication around the goals of building a coherent knowledge base about communicating science, making it easier for science communicators to access research, and support organizations and individuals communicating science outside the science enterprise. More information about the standing committee and a list of members can be found at the NASEM…
The New Research Compact: Social Science Partnerships for the Common Good
RSVP HERE In an era of mis- and disinformation and the questioning of expertise, the integrity and accessibility of socially relevant knowledge is critical to informed public debate on vital issues. The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) convened the To Secure Knowledge Task Force to examine how present and future social science research can be secured through partnerships between the academy, government and the private sector. Such collaboration will ensure that scholarship continues to inspire informed public debate and policy decisions. Please join SSRC president Alondra Nelson and leaders from the scientific community for a panel discussion of the report…
Comments Sought on Federal Data Strategy Best Practices
As recommended in the Presidentâs Management Agenda released back in March, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been leading the development of a government-wide Federal Data Strategy to better manage the governmentâs data resources and improve the accessibility and usability of federal date for decision-making. The developers have finalized ten principles to guide the strategy across the themes of Ethical Governance, Conscious Design, and Learning Culture and are seeking comments on 47 aspirational best practices that are intended to âinform agency actions on a regular basis, to be continually relevant, and to be sufficiently general so…
NIH Studying Impacts of Recent Hurricanes on Health Risks and Resilience
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced eight awards that will support researchers examining the health impacts of hurricanes Maria and Irma on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017. The grants, which are funded through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), will focus on the impacts of psychosocial stressors related to the recent hurricanes, âsuch as grief, separation from home and loved ones, loss of income, and limited access to medical care.â More information and a full list of the grantees are available on the NIH website. Back to this issueâs table…
NCHS Releases Health, United States
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released the 41st edition of one of its flagship publications, Health, United States, the âreport cardâ on the nationâs health. Health, United States, 2017 compiles federal data on a wide range of topics related to morbidity, mortality, health care utilization and access, health risk factors, prevention, health insurance, and personal health care expenditures. The 2017 edition includes a special feature on mortality; life expectancy at birth has decreased for two years in a few, for the first time since 1993. The complete report is available on the NCHS website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Ask a Criminologist: Understanding Increases in Homicide Rates: How the Opioid Epidemic and Police-Community Relations Impact Homicides
Congressional âAsk a Criminologistâ Series Understanding Increases in Homicide Rates: How the Opioid Epidemic and Police-Community Relations Impact Homicides Tuesday, May 22 at 2:00 PM 2226 Rayburn House Office Building Ice cream and coffee will be served RSVP online Please join the Crime & Justice Research Alliance (CJRA) and the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) for our third annual âAsk a Criminologistâ Congressional briefing with leading criminology experts from around the country exploring the most important topics in crime, justice, policing and national security. These briefings provide an opportunity for Congressional staff and key stakeholders to engage directly…
Common Rule Agencies Release Proposal for 6-Month Delay of Revisions, Optional Implementation of âBurden-Reducingâ Provisions; Comments Sought for 30 Days
On April 20, the 17 agencies regulated under the Common Rule, the set of regulations governing human subjects research, released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would delay implementation of revisions to the Common Rule by an additional six months, setting a new compliance date of January 21, 2019. The stated rationale for the delay is to âprovide additional time to regulated entities for the preparations necessary to implement the 2018 Requirements.â The Obama-era changes had been originally scheduled to go into effect on January 19, 2018 but were delayed by an Interim Final Rule announced in January 2018…
House and Senate Release Bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Bill
On November 1, members of the House and Senate introduced the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, the âdown-paymentâ legislation that would enact some of the less complicated (and less controversial) recommendations of the report from the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (see COSSAâs coverage and statement). The bill was introduced in the House by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) as H.R. 4174 and cosponsored by Representatives Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), and Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and in the Senate by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) as S. 2046 and cosponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI). The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform…