COSSA Member Spotlight
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Issues Perceptions of Science in America Report
On February 12, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a COSSA member, issued a new report assessing the current state of public trust for science in the U.S. Perceptions of Science in America is the first report to be issued as part of the Academy’s ‘Public Face of Science project, a three-year activity that looks to better understand and explain the complex relationship between the scientific community and the public. Drawing from existing public opinion survey data sources, including government and non-governmental surveys, the report identifies three main takeaways about the state of science among public audiences: (1) confidence in…
Catch Up on COSSA’s Advocacy Twitter Chat with MPSA
On January 23, COSSA co-hosted a Twitter chat with the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), a COSSA governing member, that shared tips for social scientists who would like to become more involved in advocacy. You can read a recap of the conversation here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
ASA Launches New “Count on Stats” Initiative
The American Statistical Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, has launched a new initiative called Count on Stats to “enhance awareness about the importance, reliability, and trustworthiness of government data” and defend the federal statistical system against political attacks. ASA’s partners in the initiative include COSSA governing members the American Association for Public Opinion Research, the American Educational Research Association, and the American Sociological Association. More information about the program is available on ASA’s website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
APA Seeking Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowship Applications
The American Psychological Association (APA), a COSSA governing member, is accepting applications for its 2018-2019 Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowships. The APA Congressional Fellowship Program provides two psychologists each year with the opportunity to spend a year working as special legislative assistants in a Senate or House office. The APA Executive Branch Fellowship Program gives psychologists the opportunity to spend a year working within a federal agency working on issues related to science policy and research administration. More information about both programs is available on the APA website. Applications for both fellowships are due by January 5, 2018. Back to…
AERA Offering Congressional Fellowship Opportunity
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing members, is inviting education researchers to apply for its 2018 Congressional Fellowship Program. The program offers doctoral scientist from any field of education research the opportunity to spend as year as a resident scholar within a Congressional office. More information is available on the AERA website. Applications are due by December 15, 2017. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
ASA Accepting Applications for Science Policy Fellowship
The American Statistical Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, is accepting applications for its 2018 Science Policy Fellowship. The fellowship is a full-year postdoctoral-level position, renewable for a second year, that offers fellows the opportunity work to advocate for statistics and experience first-hand how federal science policy is formed. More information is available on ASA’s website. Applications are requested by December 31. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
John Holdren Wins 2018 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA Member, announced former White House Science Advisor John Holdren as the winner of the 2018 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. Holdren is a trained plasma physicist who served as President Obama’s Science Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and is currently the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The Moynihan Prize was established in 2007 to “recognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgement…
SRCD Accepting Application for Federal, State Policy Fellowships
The Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD), a COSSA governing member, is accepting applications for its Federal and State Policy Fellowships for the 2018-2019 academic year. SRCD sponsors both Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowships through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program. Applications for the federal fellowships are due by December 15, 2017. SRCD also offers two state policy fellowships: a Post-Doctoral State Policy Fellowship in Early Childhood and a Pre-Doctoral State Policy Fellowship in Early Learning. Letters of intent for the state fellowships are due December 22, 2017. Back to…
COSSA Welcomes the University of Pittsburgh
COSSA is pleased to welcome the University of Pittsburgh as its newest university member. The University of Pittsburgh ranks 25th in the nation in federal funding of R&D in the social and behavioral sciences and is one of largest recipients of federally sponsored R&D overall. COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Annual AERA Brown Lecture to Feature Alfredo J. Artiles
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing member, will hold its 14th annual Brown Lecture in Education Research on October 19 in Washington, DC. The 2017 lecture will be delivered by Alfredo J. Artiles, Dean of Graduate Education and the Ryan C. Harris Professor of Special Education at Arizona State University. Artiles’ work focuses on the intersection of disability with other socio-cultural differences and how to better understand and address related educational disparities. More information on Artiles and the lecture, including how to register to attend in person or watch via webcast, is available on the AERA website….
COSSA Welcomes the African Studies Association
COSSA is pleased to welcome the African Studies Association as its newest affiliate member. The African Studies Association is “the flagship membership organization devoted to enhancing the exchange of information about Africa.” COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
CASBS Accepting Applications for 2018 Fellowship
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University, a COSSA member, is now accepting applications for its residential fellowships for the 2018-2019 academic year. The CASBS fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to pursue innovative ideas and expand horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship is considered a career milestone by most recipients, and almost all report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Center’s website through November 3, 2017 for the 2018–2019 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements, see…
COSSA Welcomes National Council on Family Relations and University of Georgia
COSSA welcomes two new members this month. The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) has joined as an affiliate member. NCFR is the oldest multidisciplinary professional association focused solely on family research, practice, and education. COSSA is also pleased to welcome the University of Georgia (UGA) as a new university member. Located in Athens, Georgia, UGA is a flagship research university, land-grant, Sea Grant, and Space Grant university and is home to the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research. COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of…
Society for Research in Child Development Announces Next Executive Director
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), a COSSA Governing Member, has announced the appointment of Laura L. Namy, Ph.D. as its next Executive Director. Namy served for 19 years in the Psychology Department and Linguistics Program at Emory University where she founded and supervised the Language and Learning Laboratory and directed the interdisciplinary Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. She will begin her tenure at SRCD on September 5, replacing Lonnie Sherrod who has served in the position since 2007. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
AAPOR Report Assesses 2016 Election Polling Performance
After Donald Trump’s surprise win in the 2016 election, the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), a COSSA governing member, convened a committee to review the performance of pre-election polling (AAPOR has convened such committees after the past several elections). The committee, chaired by Courtney Kennedy of the Pew Research Center, recently released An Evaluation of 2016 Election Polls in the U.S., outlining its findings and recommendations. According to the committee, “While the general public reaction [to the election result] was that ‘the polls failed,’ we found the reality to be more complex – a position held by a…
CJRA and COSSA to Host “Ask a Criminologist” Panel on Technology and Policing
The Crime & Justice Research Alliance (CJRA) (a collaborative effort of the Academy of Criminal Justice Science and the American Society of Criminology, both COSSA members) and COSSA will be hosting the second in a series of “Ask a Criminologist” Congressional briefings on Wednesday, June 21. This interactive event will feature criminologist experts who will provide an overview of research on the latest technologies police are using across the country. Experts include CJRA Chair Dr. Nancy La Vigne of The Urban Institute, Dr. Cynthia Lum of George Mason University, Dr. Eric Piza of John Jay College, and Eddie Reyes of…
Alan Krueger to Deliver 2017 Moynihan Lecture
On May 18, the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, will formally award the 2017 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize to Alan B. Kreuger, Bendheim Professor of Economics & Public Policy at Princeton University. The award recognizes “social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgment to advance the public good.” Kreuger, whose work focuses on analyzing the economic and policy implications of the growing “gig” economy, will deliver a lecture on Capitol Hill entitled “Independent Workers: What Role for Public Policy?” Information on the lecture, including how to attend, is…
COSSA Welcomes Florida State University
COSSA is pleased welcome Florida State University as its newest member. Located in Tallahassee, Florida State ranks eighth in the nation in federal funding of R&D in the social and behavioral sciences. COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Society for Prevention Research Joins COSSA
COSSA is happy to welcome the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) as a Membership Organization. SPR is an “organization dedicated to advancing scientific investigation on the etiology and prevention of social, physical and mental health, and academic problems and on the translation of that information to promote health and well-being.” COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Members Join March for Science
Several COSSA member organizations, including the American Anthropological Association, American Association of Geographers, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, American Sociological Association, Linguistic Society of America, Society for Social Work and Research, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues have partnered with the March for Science. COSSA had previously announced its partnership with the March in February (a complete list of partner organizations is available here). The March will take place on April 22 in Washington, DC and at more than 300 satellite locations around the world. Like science more generally, the March for Science is nonpartisan. It…