Science Community News
NASEM Calls for Experts for AI and Climate Change Roundtable
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has released a call for experts for their new roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Climate Change that is intended to explore the intersection of these two topical issues. Particularly, NASEM is interested in experts in mathematics and statistics, human-centered AI, risk assessment and management, environment and public health, misinformation and disinformation, and more. A full list of topics can be found here. The Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) is one of the collaborators working with the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences on this roundtable and social and behavioral…
Call for Applications: NASEM’s Mirzayan Fellowship
The application window for the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is now open. This 12-week fellowship is intended for current or recent graduate students to gain a broader understanding of science and technology policy as well as to explore possible career prospects that engage science and policy communities. The newest session will run from March 3, 2025 to May 23, 2025. More information on how to apply is available here and the deadline to apply is September 9, 2024. This article was contributed by COSSA Intern Rachel Bashe.
Remembering Sheila Jackson Lee
On July 19, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee passed away at the age of 74. Jackson Lee represented Texas’ 18th Congressional District since 1995 and was campaigning for her 16th term in office when she announced she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was one of the two longest-serving members of the Texas congressional delegation. Jackson Lee’s legislative accomplishments included establishing the Juneteenth federal holiday and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. She served Houston in elective office for close to 35 years, first as a Houston City Council member before winning election to the U.S. House in 1994. Jackson Lee was on three…
Good Science Project Seeks Proposals on Improving Funding and Practice of Federal R&D
The Good Science Project, a non-profit that seeks to improve the funding and practice of research and development (R&D), is seeking proposals from the public on actionable steps that government leaders and policymakers can take to positively reform R&D. The Good Science Project was developed in 2022 by Stuart Buck following the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the positives and negatives of the current science funding model within the federal government. To this end, the Good Science Project intends to publish a series of policy briefs from researchers and scientists on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal R&D, including but not limited to identifying…
NASEM Seeking Experts for Consensus Study on Education for Thriving in a Changing Climate
The Board on Science Education (BOSE) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking nominations for experts to appoint to an ad hoc committee for the development of the new Consensus Study on Education for Thriving in a Changing Climate. NASEM has developed this new ad hoc committee in response to rising global climate change and an interest in understanding human decision-making in the face of this changing climate. The committee will “examine evidence relating to how education can play a role in helping individuals and communities understand and respond to the impacts of changing climate.” With the use…
NASEM Pioneers the State of Science Address with President Marcia McNutt
On June 26, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted The State of Science Address, launching the annual discussion on the status of science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) in the U.S. During her opening remarks, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Marcia McNutt, discussed the decline of the STEM workforce and interest in research and development (R&D) in the U.S., including declines in published research articles and the development of high-quality drugs and patents compared to global counterparts, as well as the perceived fall of U.S. global leadership, citing that only eight percent of Americans believe the…
AAAS Accepting Nominations for 2025 Awards & Prizes
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced that nominations are now open for the following awards and prizes: AAAS also sponsors a wide range of other awards and prizes recognizing scientists, engineers, authors, journalists and public servants for significant contributions to science and the public’s understanding of science. The deadline for all nominations is June 30 and award winners will be announced in early 2025. Learn more on the AAAS website.
DBASSE Hosts First Webinar in 2024 Spring Hauser Webinar Series
On May 23, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) hosted the first of two webinars in their Hauser 2024 Spring Webinar Series titled, “Navigating the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Achieving Human-AI Harmony.” The webinar focused on the 2022 report titled Human-AI Teaming: State of the Art and Research Needs. The panel consisted of a diverse group of researchers from varying universities and organizations focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The panelists discussed changes in AI, including increased communication between real AI and humans, advancements in ethics of human-AI teaming, and ongoing…
DBASSE Announces Hauser 2024 Spring Webinar Series
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) has announced their Hauser 2024 Spring Webinar Series titled, “Navigating the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Achieving Human-AI Harmony“. The two-part webinar series will explore DBASSE’s expertise in artificial intelligence and highlight the value of social and behavioral science perspectives. This first webinar will expand on insights from the 2022 report, Human-AI Teaming: State-of-the-Art and Research Needs, to focus on how the presence of artificial intelligence systems affects the ways people work in teams. The session will explore the efficiencies and inefficiencies created by integrated…
Remembering Dr. Daniel Kahneman: A Pioneer of Behavioral Economics
The social and behavioral science community lost a giant with the passing of Dr. Daniel Kahneman on March 27 at the age of 90. Kahneman, known as the “grandfather of behavioral economics,” leaves behind a legacy that has fundamentally shaped our understanding of human decision-making, risk, and cognitive biases. Throughout his career, Kahneman’s research was heavily supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), receiving three significant grants that propelled his work on cumulative decision-making. His projects, such as “Understanding Loss Aversion,” “Analysis of Retrospective Utility,” and “Decision Under Uncertainty,” have paved the way for new insights in the fields of economics, psychology,…
COSSA Remembers Dr. Norman B. Anderson
COSSA mourns the passing of Norman B. Anderson, PhD, who died unexpectedly on March 1. Dr. Anderson, a clinical psychologist renowned for his research on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities, has left an indelible mark on the social and behavioral science community through this leadership, scholarship, and wisdom. Among his many leadership posts, Dr. Anderson served as the inaugural Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) from 1995 to 2000. In this role, he championed the inclusion and integration of the social and behavioral sciences across the NIH, laying the…
CNSTAT Releases Third Data Infrastructure Report in Series Intended to Modernize Data Collection
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) has released its third and final report in an ongoing series of data infrastructure reports intended to modernize and enhance data collection (previous COSSA coverage). This latest report, Toward a 21st Century National Data Infrastructure: Managing Privacy and Confidentiality Risks with Blended Data, builds off the previous two reports on mobilizing data and blending data from various sources by addressing concerns about mitigating privacy and confidentiality risks within the data infrastructure. The report provides potential policy approaches to protecting data privacy as well as a suggested framework…
OPPORTUNITY: FY 2025 Funding Request for NIH
COSSA, a member of the steering committee of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, has signed on in support of a funding request of “at least $51.303 billion” for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year (FY) 2025. The request would represent a $3.579 billion or 7.5% increase over the level included in the Senate bill for FY 2024. Other organizations wishing to lend their support to the NIH funding request for FY 2025 are encouraged to sign-on by March 1.
COSSA Remembers Science Champion Eddie Bernice Johnson
On New Year’s Eve, the scientific community lost one of its most dedicated champions. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) represented the people of Dallas in Congress for 30 years, retiring at the end of 2022. Over those 15 terms in Congress, Johnson served as a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, most recently serving as Chair. Johnson began her career as a nurse after being told that women could not be doctors. She rose through the ranks of the Veterans Administration hospital in Dallas, ultimately becoming chief psychiatric nurse. She became active in civil rights efforts and…
NASEM Seeks Experts for Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is seeking experts to be considered for the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication. NASEM is looking to fill four open seats on the Standing Committee in addition to collecting information for potential speakers, participants, and other forms of engagement. The Standing Committee is looking for expertise particularly in the following areas: science communication researchers (psychology, cognitive science, anthropology, sociology, political science); science communication practitioners (journalists, think tanks, federal agencies, and nonprofit research organizations); and related professions and disciplines (marketing, health communication/health promotion, risk communication, mass media communications; science education; research design…
CALL FOR EXPERTS: Communications Advisory Group for the National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced that they will be appointing a Communications Advisory Group to inform the direction of its communications and engagement activities. The group will be comprised of 15 volunteers to serve 2-year terms, beginning in January 2024. NAM is looking for a mix of experts with a particular interest in the following: Learn more about the group and submit nominations for members by December 15 here.
Call for Nominations: 2024 Golden Goose Award
Nominate your colleagues, collaborators, and role models for a 2024 Golden Goose Award! The Award honors federally funded researchers whose work may sound silly, odd, obscure, wasteful of taxpayer funding, or serendipitous, but has had a major positive impact on society. The purpose of the Award is to demonstrate the human and/or economic benefits of federally funded scientific research. It’s intended to demonstrate that scientific outcomes build upon each other and that the technological advances that flow from them cannot easily be predicted at the outset of a particular scientific research project. Nominations for the 2024 Award are being accepted through…
National Academies Hosting Workshop Encouraging Greater Science Accessibility
On November 30 through December 1, the National Academies of of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will be hosting a public workshop aiming to provide crucial insights and recommendations to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This two-day event is set to address topics surrounding scholarly publications and key focus areas of the workshop include promoting equity in publication, enhancing accessibility, addressing publication and increasing transparency of research. The National Academies invites all interested parties to participate and contribute to this vital conversation. For more information and to register,…
NASEM Seeks Experts for the Executive Committee of the Societal Experts Action Network
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) (see previous coverage) is seeking suggestions for experts to participate on their Executive Committee. SEAN is a network of leading individuals and institutions in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences that facilitates rapid responses to actionable questions from federal, state, and local decision makers. The National Academies staff will be looking to fill open seats on the Executive Committee of approximately 12 total volunteer experts with expertise particularly in the following areas: Submit nominations here by November 27. Follow COSSA’s continued coverage on the SEAN initiative.
Dr. Rayvon Fouché Delivers 2023 Henry and Bryna David Lecture
On October 12, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) featured Dr. Rayvon Fouché, Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, as the 2023 Henry and Bryna David Lecturer. The lecture was titled “Embracing the Social in Social Science: Notes for a Technoscientific Future” and addressed contemporary challenges in the scientific community. At the core of the discussion was analyzing the reasons for the reduction of public trust in scientific research, deviations from expert standards, and the feeling that science often excludes or misrepresents certain groups. Fouché’s research underscores this, finding that 80% of university faculty members hail from…