Search Results: AI
OBSSR Marks 20th Anniversary at NIH, on Capitol Hill
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) marked its 20th anniversary with a three-day celebration on June 23-25 on the NIH Bethesda campus and Capitol Hill. The celebration began with the 8th Matilda White Riley Award and Lecture in Behavioral and Social Sciences on June 23. The award is given in recognition of an outstanding behavioral or social scientist whose research has contributed to both the deepening of knowledge and its application in a manner that furthers NIHâs mission of improving health. This year the award went to Kevin Volpp and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn.
Events Calendar
American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Madison, WI, August 6-9, 2015 American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 National Conference on Health Statistics, Bethesda, MD, August 24-26, 2015 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, September 3-5, 2015 Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, September 11-13, 2015 A list of COSSA membersâ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA website. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like to…
HOT TOPIC: Scientific Organizations Reflect on Building âTrust in Scienceâ
By Julia Milton, COSSA The scientific community has been grappling with topics related to science communication and public trust in science lately. This spring, several major scientific organizations met to focus on these issues. To name a few, the National Academy of Scienceâs 2015 Henry and Bryna David Lecture was held on âCommunicating the Value and Values of Science;â the AAASâ annual Forum on Science and Technology Policy held not one, but two break-out sessions on âPublic Opinion and Policy Making,â as well as an evening plenary lecture entitled âScience to Action: Thoughts on Convincing a Skeptical Public;â and the Academiesâ…
NIH Issues Notice on Enhancing Reproducibility
On June 9, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research (OER) issued a Notice (NOT-OD-15-103) in an effort to clarify and revise application instructions and review criteria “to enhance reproducibility of research findings through increased scientific rigor and transparency.” The release of the Notice is to raise awareness and begin “culture shifts in the scientific community.” In a June 9 blog post, Sally Rockey, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, and Larry Tabak, Principal Deputy Director of NIH, explained, âThese changes will prompt applicants and reviewers to consider issues, whichâif ignoredâmay impede the transparency needed to reproduce key…
Share Your Basic Research Success Stories
In a June 2 blog post, Jo Handelsman, Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), urged the scientific community to share examples of basic research that has yielded unexpected, yet important insights. Handelsman states, âOne of the hallmarks of science is that the path to knowledge is often indirect, and that in addition to rigorous investigation, discovery is often shaped by serendipity, human curiosity, and sometimes even heroism.â Unfortunately, basic science, especially in the area of social science, continues to be attacked by some who fail to see the valuable ties between…
Members of Congress Address NIH Precision Medicine Working Group Workshop on Digital Health Data and Research Cohort Design
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) addressed a special session of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Council to the Director (ACD) Precision Medicine Initiative Working Group at the Public Workshop, Digital Health Data and Research Cohort Design, on the campus of Vanderbilt University on May 28-29. The workshop is part of series by the ACD Working Group and builds on the April 28-29 workshop held on the NIH campus that focused on the development and implementation of a large national cohort, as well as identification of the unique scientific questions and opportunities of using such…
NIH Minority Health Institute Moves Ahead on Science Visioning of Health Disparities
At the June 9 meeting of National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NACMHD), outgoing Acting Director Yvonne Maddox updated the Council on the Institute’s Science Visioning process for health disparities research. NIH Deputy Director Larry Tabak will serve as the Instituteâs Acting Director until newly appointed director Eliseo Perez-Stableâs arrival in September. To initiate the process, the Institute released a request for information in April (see Update, May 4, 2015). Maddox reported that a trans-NIH Science Vision Advisory Group had been appointed and working groups are being established. The working groups will hold discussion forums around areas…
2015 Marks the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of OBSSR
The past two decades have seen increasing recognition of the importance of behavioral and social factors in the prevention and treatment of disability and disease. OBSSRâs mission is to stimulate behavioral and social sciences research throughout NIH and to integrate these areas of research more fully into the NIH health research enterprise, thereby improving our understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease. Please join the Coalition for the Advancement of Health through Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (CAHT-BSSR) to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research with a poster exhibition and reception featuring research…
How People Learn II: The Science and Practice of Learning
On June 10, the National Research Council (NRC) Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BCSS) held its inaugural meeting to update and extend the 2000 NRC report, How People Learn. The ad hoc committee is chaired by Cora Marrett, former Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation. Marrett observed that many things have changed since the original report was released and acknowledged the “phenomenal group of volunteersâ tasked with updating the report.
Events Calendar
Making Changes: Learning from Social Science Research to Drive Behavior Change, Washington, DC, June 18, 2015 OBSSR 20th Anniversary Celebration, Bethesda, MD, June 23-25, 2015 OBSSR Capitol Hill Exhibition & Reception, Washington, DC, June 24, 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Madison, WI, August 6-9, 2015 American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 A list of COSSA membersâ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA website. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like…
Scientific Organizations Reflect on Building âTrust in Scienceâ
Summary The scientific community has been grappling with topics related to science communication and public trust in science lately. According to Pew Research Associate Director Cary Funk, the public generally has confidence in both the institution of science and scientists as a profession. However, when it comes to specific science-related issues like evolution, attitudes become more varied and may be correlated with factors like political ideology, education, and religiosity, depending on the topic. There is certainly a sense that âscienceâ has been on the defensive lately as public policy debates on climate change, childhood vaccinations, and genetically modified foods generate…
House Passes FY16 NSF, Census, Justice Spending Bill
After two days of debate and consideration of dozens of amendments, the House passed the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill this evening on June 4 by a vote of 242 to 183. Twelve Democrats voted in favor of the bill with 10 Republicans voting against. As previously reported, this annual spending bill–which provides funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Justice (DOJ) research programs, and the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies–includes very troubling provisions impacting social and behavioral science research (see COSSA’s analysis for full details). There were no amendments…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 10
Featured News House Advances Bills to Cut Social Science Funding Federal Agency & Administration News Census Bureau Outlines Content Changes to American Community Survey NIH Requests Comment on Precision Medicine Cohort, Strategies to Address Community Engagement and Health Disparities Publications & Community Events âMarshmallow Testâ Researchers Named First 2015 Golden Goose Award Recipients The Census Project Sheds Light on the American Community Survey NRC Board on Children, Youth, and Families Seeks Director Funding Opportunities Events Calendar View the archived email.
House Advances Bills to Cut Social Science Funding
As we have been reporting over the last several weeks, the U.S. House of Representatives has been busy considering legislation to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act, landmark legislation first enacted in 2007 to reignite U.S. investment in scientific research. It serves as authorizing legislation for the National Science Foundation (NSF), among other agencies. The House version of COMPETES reauthorization is a major departure from earlier versions, garnering deep opposition from the broader scientific community, including from COSSA. Among the many problematic provisions in the bill is language to cut NSFâs Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate by half. Despite…
Census Bureau Outlines Content Changes to American Community Survey
The Census Bureau issued a Federal Register Notice on May 29 outlining its proposal for updating the content and methodologies of the American Community Survey (ACS). As previously reported the Census Bureau proposes to retain the field of degree and marriage questions originally slated for elimination from the ACS beginning in 2016. In addition, the proposal plans to remove a couple of other questions that have been deemed of no or low benefit. The Notice states these changes are an âinitial step in a multi-faceted approach to reducing respondent burden.â Public comment on the proposal is due by June 28;…
âMarshmallow Testâ Researchers Named First 2015 Golden Goose Award Recipients
The first of the 2015 Golden Goose Awards, which recognize federally funded research that has had unanticipated societal and economic benefits, will go to three psychologists, Walter Mischel, Philip Peake, Yuichi Shoda, for their work related to self-control in children. In the late 1960s, Mischel developed the âmarshmallow testâ as a simple way to measure childrenâs ability to delay gratification. However, follow-up studies revealed an unexpected correlation between ability to exert self-control at a young age and success later in life. The work has had an enormous impact on our understanding of human behavior and changed the way we approach…
NRC Board on Children, Youth, and Families Seeks Director
The Board on Children, Youth, and Families (BCYF) at the National Research Council is inviting applications for a new Board Director. The Director is responsible for overseeing activities of the Board, which âbrings a multidisciplinary and evidence-based perspective to bear on the development of policies and programs for children, youth, and families, drawing upon the collective knowledge and analytic tools of the behavioral, health and social sciences.â More information and application instructions are available here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Events Calendar
Making Changes: Learning from Social Science Research to Drive Behavior Change, Washington, DC, June 18, 2015 OBSSR 20th Anniversary Celebration, Bethesda, MD, June 23-25, 2015 OBSSR Capitol Hill Exhibition & Reception, Washington, DC, June 24, 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Madison, WI, August 6-9, 2015 American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 A list of COSSA membersâ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA website. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like…
NIH Requests Comment on Precision Medicine Cohort, Strategies to Address Community Engagement and Health Disparities
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking feedback (NOT-OD-15-107) to help it in creating a national research cohort of one million or more Americans as part of the President’s proposed Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) (see Update, May 19, 2015). The agency is specifically interested in feedback relating to the development and implementation of effective community engagement strategies for the cohort, and the ability to conduct transformative research to address health disparities. The aim is to assemble a “cohort reflective of the rich diversity of the U.S. population.”
NIMHD: Advancing Health Disparities Interventions Through Community-Based Participatory Research
Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has resulted in an increasing growth in knowledge of the complexity of the interactive factors influencing health across the life course. There is extensive research evidence that report poorer health outcomes for socially disadvantaged populations, including low-income and racial and ethnic groups. Many community health promotion and disease prevention programs fail for various reasons that include the lack of a participatory approach or cultural sensitivity, despite the recommendation for tailored and multilevel interventions.