Executive Branch News
National Endowment for the Humanities Releases 2018 Summer Programs for Teachers
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has released information about its 2018 tuition-free summer programs, which it offers each year to provide an opportunity for K-12, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics. These programs focus on specific topic, texts, and questions in the humanities and promote connections between teaching and research in the humanities. Additionally, the NEH offers stipends to help cover the cost of travel and living expenses for these one- to four-week programs. The applications for summer 2018 programs are due March 1, 2018. More information and a list of topics is…
Alex Azar, Former Pharmaceutical Executive, Nominated to Lead HHS
President Trump has nominated Alex Azar to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would include oversight of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), among other federal agencies. Azar served as general counsel and deputy secretary to the Department under the George W. Bush administration and served as the president of Lilly Co., part of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., until earlier this year. Azarâs nomination comes following former HHS Secretary Tom Priceâs resignation after news surfaced of improper use of private jets for government…
Linda Capuano Nominated as Head of Energy Information Administration
Linda Capuano, energy technology fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policyâs Center for Energy Studies at Rice University, has been nominated to lead the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the principal statistical agency located within the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to joining the Baker Institute, Capuano worked at Marathon Oil Corporation and Solectron Flextronics. She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. EIAâs most recent Administrator, Adam Sieminski, left the agency in January. John Conti, EIAâs Deputy Administrator is currently serving as Acting Administrator. Capuanoâs nomination next goes to the Senate for a confirmation hearing…
OBSSR to Host Annual Research Festival on December 8
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) is hosting the âNIH Behavioral and Social Science Research Festival: Connecting People to Advance Healthâ on Friday, December 8. The festival will bring together behavioral and social scientists from inside and outside NIH to network, collaborate, and share ideas. The agenda will include a keynote address from Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities as well as plenary sessions on international research, behavioral neuroscience, and social factors and health. This event will not be webcast. More details and registration information…
COSSA Joins Societies in Requesting Changes to NIH Clinical Trial Policy
In a letter sent to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins on October 27, COSSA and 21 other scientific societies and associations requested that NIH revisit a new policy that alters the definition of âclinical trialsâ funded by the agency and institutes new reporting requirements for such research (see COSSAâs coverage of this issue). While the letter is supportive of the goal of enhancing transparency of NIH-funded research, including introducing registration and reporting requirements, the signatories express concern that âbasic science research is being redefined as a clinical trial at NIH and that âbasic science investigators will be…
William Beach, Former Budget Committee Economist, Nominated as BLS Commissioner
The White House has nominated William Beach for a four-year term as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), succeeding Erica Groshen, whose term expired in January, and William J. Wiatrowski, the Acting Commissioner since Groshenâs departure. Currently Vice President for Policy Research at George Mason Universityâs Mercatus Center, Beach holds a Ph.D. in economics from the UKâs Buckingham University. Prior to joining the Mercatus Center, Beach served as the Chief Economist for the Senate Budget Committeeâs Republican staff and the Lazof Family Fellow in Economics director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation. BLS Commissioners…
GAO to Study Potential Federal Interference in Science
According the Washington Post, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will undertake a study of federal agenciesâ scientific integrity policies and potential federal interference in the scientific process at the request of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). Nelson, the Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, made the request in a letter dated September 25, 2017. Citing concerns stemming from reports of possible interference in the scientific process at the Environmental Protection Agency, changes to agenciesâ public information related to climate change, and the cancellation of a study that might be damaging to the fossil fuel industry, Nelson asked…
NSFâs Statistical Division Seeks Director
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting applications for the position of Division Director of the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), NSFâs principal statistical agency housed within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE). The NCSES Division Director âassesses needs and trends involving the national surveys, implements overall strategic planning and policy setting for the Division, provides leadership and guidance to Division staff members, determines funding requirements, prepares and justifies budget estimates, balances program needs, allocates resources, oversees the evaluation of proposals and recommendations for awards and declinations, and represents NSF to relevant external groups.â More…
GAO Report on Firearm Storage Highlights Lack of Federal Funding for Gun Research
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report entitled Personal Firearms: Programs that Promote Safe Storage and Research on Their Effectiveness that compiles information on public and non-profit programs promoting safe storage of personal firearms and the results of research on the effectiveness of such programs. The report was produced at the request of 19 Democratic senators, including Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). The report finds that âthere is relatively little research on safe firearm storage,â and that âlack of funding and dataâ is often cited as…
HHS May Delay Common Rule Implementation
On October 7, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs issued a notice that it is reviewing a rule that would delay the implementation date for most of the changes to the Common Rule, the set of regulations governing research involving human participants, by one year, pushing the effective date for the changes from January 2018 to January 2019 (see COSSAâs analysis of the changes, which were announced in January of this year). The delay would still allow âthe use of three burden-reducing provisions during the delay year,â but there is little clarity on what those provisions are…
NIH Provides Guidance on New Human Subjects, Clinical Trials Form
As previously reported, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been working for the last few years to enhance its stewardship of and increase transparency over the clinical trials it funds. COSSA described the planned changes and their impact on the social science research community in a Hot Topic piece earlier this month. All social and behavioral science researchers who have received NIH funding in the past, or who are looking to apply in the future, are strongly encouraged to review this information as your research may now fall under NIHâs revised definition of a âclinical trial.â NIH released a…
HOT TOPIC: New NIH âClinical Trialsâ Definition to Impact Basic Social and Behavioral Science Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been working for the last few years to enhance its stewardship of and increase transparency over the clinical trials it funds. The agency, which is the largest funder of clinical trials in the U.S., issued a Notice of Revised NIH Definition of âClinical Trialâ (NOT-OD-15-015) in late 2014 laying out a new, expanded definition to govern which research projects are to be categorized as a âclinical trialâ from here on out. While this change has been in process for the last few years, it wasnât until more recently that the biomedical and behavioral…
GAO Recommends Changes to NSF Indirect Cost Guidance
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Indirect Costs for Research, finds that the National Science Foundation (NSF) âdoes not consistently take steps to ensure it pays no more than its fair share of indirect costs.â Indirect costs, also referred to as facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, represent the portion of NSF awards that cover operational costs, such as maintenance, rent, and utilities. The report notes that while NSF has produced guidance for setting indirect cost rates, it is not implemented consistently. The report makes recommendations to ensure NSF staff follow its…
HHS Requests Comments on Draft Strategic Plan
The Department of Health and Human Services has invited comments on its draft strategic plan for fiscal years (FY) 2018-2022. The plan describes how the Department plans to advance its mission according to five strategic goals: â(1) Reform, Strengthen, and Modernize the Nation’s Health Care System; (2) Protect the Health of Americans Where They Live, Learn, Work, and Play; (3) Strengthen the Economic and Social Well-Being of Americans across the Lifespan; (4) Foster Sound, Sustained Advances in Sciences; and (5) Promote Effective and Efficient Management and Stewardship.â HHS is accepting comments through October 26, 2017. More information is available in…
NSF Releases Video on Social Science Researchâs Importance to Disaster Preparedness
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a video on September 15 highlighting the contributions of the social sciences in disaster preparedness and response. The video explains that together with improvements in the science of forecasting, social science has helped more effectively communicate the potential risk of natural disasters and more effectively respond after disasters hit. The video is among a suite of new resource posted to the NSF website highlighting the many contributions of basic science to everyday life. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letters on Research Methodologies for STEM Education and Broadening Participation in Science
The Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a Dear Colleague Letter on September 19 announcing their intention to support fundamental research on methodologies that support valid inferences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The letter also includes invitations to submit proposals on a variety of aspects of research methodology for a variety of grant types, including conference proposals or early-stage research. More information can be found here. EHR also released a Dear Colleague Letter on September 26 in partnership with the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) to announce their…
NSF Extends Application Deadline for Director of Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Position
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking candidates for the Director of the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) within the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The BCS Director is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the Division and implementing overall strategic planning. The BCS Division provides funding for research that helps advance scientific knowledge about the brain, human cognition, language, social behavior, and culture. Applications must be submitted by October 29, 2017. The position requirements can be found on USAJobs. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Releases Final Report
On September 7, the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (CEP) released its final report, The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking. The Commission was established by the bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2016, which had been introduced by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in the House and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in the Senate. The Commission consisted of 15 members appointed by the President, Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader, with five members being selected for their privacy expertise. Katharine G. Abraham, University of Maryland, chaired the Commission, with Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution, as her…
NIH Requests Information on ECHO-wide Cohort Data Collection Protocol
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking input into the development of the cohort data collection protocol for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. ECHO was formed late last year to âinvestigate how exposure to a range of environmental factors in early developmentâfrom conception through early childhoodâinfluences the health of children and adolescents.â ECHO represents the follow-on activity to the now-discontinued National Childrenâs Study. The Request for Information seeks comments on a number of aspects of the ECHO-wide cohort, which will entail data collection from 84 existing cohorts. Input is sought on the data elements, types…