COSSA Member
COSSA Member Organizations
ASA Webinar Corrects the Record on âRace and Sex Stereotypingâ Executive Actions
The American Sociological Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, held a webinar on October 20 to respond to recent White House actions prohibiting trainings and other activities that touch on white privilege, structural inequality, and other supposedly âdivisiveâ concepts (see previous coverage). The webinar âSociology Speaks: Experts Explain the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotypingâ featured three sociologists, Karyn Lacy of the University of Michigan, Bandana Purkayastha of the University of Connecticut, and Shelley Correll of Stanford University, who corrected the misrepresentations of these concepts in the orders and memoranda and explained how they have contributed to a…
AAAS Forum Focuses on COVID Impacts, Systemic Racism in Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held its annual Science & Technology Policy Forum in a virtual format on October 13-14. The forum featured two days of panels and lectures focused on pressing policy issues facing the sciences. The majority of the first dayâs sessions focused on how COVID-19 has impacted science and innovation, the essential role science has played in responding to the pandemic, and lessons that can be drawn from this experience to strengthen the science and technology enterprise going forward. The second day featured a number of sessions on confronting the dark history of…
AERA to Host Virtual Brown Lecture on the âSegregation Pandemicâ
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing member, will host its annual Brown Lecture in Education Research virtually on October 22 at 6:00 pm ET. The 2020 lecture is entitled âThe Segregation Pandemic: Brown as Treatment or Placebo?â and will be delivered by William F. Tate IV, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Carolina, and a leading expert on the intersections between education, society, and public health. The Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research commemorates the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and is designed…
Nominations Open for 2021 Moynihan Prize
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) is now accepting nominations for the annual Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize in Social Science and Public Policy. The Moynihan Prize was created to recognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgment to advance the public good. The winner is recognized at a formal event to be (tentatively) held in 2021 and receives a $20,000 prize. The nomination form can be found here and nominations will be accepted until October 16, 2020. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
AAAS Accepting Nominations for 2021 Awards & Prizes
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced that the nominations process for several of its 2021 awards and prizes will open on April 15, 2020. The annual AAAS awards and prizes, which are announced at the AAAS Annual Meeting, recognize significant contributors to science and the publicâs understanding of science. The awards and prizes that will accept nominations include: AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards (Closes: August 1, 2020) AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public…
SAGE Awards Inaugural Impact Writing Prize to Social and Behavioral Scientists
SAGE Publishing, a COSSA affiliate member, has announced the winners of its inaugural Impact in Action Writing Prize. Administered through its online platform Social Science Space, the award is given to researchers who effectively communicate through writing how social and behavioral science research leaves an impact in non-academic spaces. The recipients of the 2019 Impact in Action Writing Prize are: Cheryl Durwin & Dina Moore from Southern Connecticut State University Lynn Thigpen from the Wisdom Project Maria Kreuzer from the International University of Monaco Ian Male & William Farr from the United Kingdomâs National Health Service (NHS) Trust Submissions for…
Sudip Parikh Named Next AAAS CEO
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named Sudip Parikh its next CEO effective January 6, 2020. Parikh is currently Senior Vice President at DIA Global, a non-profit organization and publisher that mobilizes life science professionals from across all areas of expertise to engage with patients, peers, and thought leaders. He also worked at the research and development organization Battelle and served as a science advisor and professional staff for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. Parikh will succeed Rush Holt, who left the organization in September. AAAS CEO Emeritus Alan Leshner has been Acting CEO in the interim….
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…
AAAS Accepting Applications for 2020-21 Science & Technology Policy Fellowships
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced it is seeking applicants for their Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) for the 2020-21 fellowship cycle. Eligible candidates should hold a doctoral level science degree or a masterâs in engineering, be a U.S. citizen, have solid STEM credentials, have good communication skills, and desire to enhance federal science policy. Applications will be accepted until November 1. More information about the fellowship can be found on the AAAS website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Samantha Power to Receive 2019 Moynihan Prize & Deliver Lecture
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, announced that Samantha Power, former Ambassador to the United Nations, will receive the 2019 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize and deliver a public lecture at a ceremony in Washington, DC on October 3, 2019. Ambassador Power currently is the Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and the William D. Zabel Professor of Practice in Human Rights at Harvard Law School. The Moynihan Prize was established in 2007 to ârecognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgement…
COSSA Welcomes SAGE Publishing
COSSA is pleased to welcome SAGE Publishing as its newest affiliate. SAGE is a leading publisher of research in the social sciences. SAGE has joined under COSSAâs new affiliate membership category, which invites users of social science findings and other stakeholders to join in COSSA’s advocacy on behalf of the social and behavioral science community. COSSAâs full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
AAAS Accepting Nominations for 2020 Awards & Prizes
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has opened the nominations process for several of its annual awards and prizes that recognize significant contributions to science and the publicâs understanding of science. The awards and prizes currently accepting nominations include: AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy, AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards, AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, AAAS Mentor Awards, AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, John P….
Social Science Research Council Issues Final âTo Secure Knowledgeâ Report
The Social Science Research Council (a COSSA member) convened the To Secure Knowledge task force in 2017 to consider optimal conditions for social science in this moment, including the infrastructure of social research, standards of inquiry, and the role of rigorous understanding in public affairs. The task force released its final report at a livestreamed event on September 17. The report includes recommendations and describes how present and future scholarship can be secured through partnerships between the academy, government, philanthropy, and the private sector. The reportâs key recommendations include: New funding partnerships should be created to facilitate coordination between government,…
Puerto Ricoâs Statistical Agency Spared from Reorganization (For Now)
Legislators in Puerto Rico have backed away from a plan to dismantle Puerto Ricoâs statistical agency, the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (PRIS). The proposal had been included in drafts of a government reorganization bill being considered by the commonwealthâs Legislative Assembly; it would have moved the independent agency to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and outsourced many of its activities to the private sector. COSSA joined a letter led by the American Statistical Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, to call for PRIS to maintain its independence. The provision was ultimately removed in the final conferenced version…
PAA Congressional Briefing Explores Factors Affecting Life Expectancy
On April 9, the Population Association of America (PAA), a COSSA governing member, hosted a Congressional briefing entitled Grave Consequences: Why Some Americans Are No Longer Living Longer on the decline of average life expectancy among some groups in the United States. COSSA was a co-sponsor of the event. Andrew Fenelon, researcher at the University of Maryland, spoke about the regional divergence in adult mortality. The Central South has a higher mortality rate than the rest of the country and has gotten worse over time, while the East Coast has shown significant improvements. Shannon Mannat, researcher at Syracuse University, presented…
AERA & AAPSS Briefing Focuses on Inequality and Public Education
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA), both COSSA members organizations, hosted a Congressional briefing on March 22 entitled, In the Age of Inequality, Does Public Schooling Make a Difference? The event discussed the effects of public schooling since the âColeman Reportâ of 1966, a groundbreaking and controversial study that found schools have little influence on inequality in America, and instead studentsâ growth is determined by their socioeconomic status and race. AAPSS and AERA welcomed four panelists who discussed their research on public schoolingâs influence on the opportunities of underserved youth….
AAAS Accepting Nominations for Awards and Prizes
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has opened the nominations process for several of its annual awards and prizes that recognize significant contributions to science and the publicâs understanding of science. The awards and prizes currently accepting nominations include: AAAS Award for Public Engagement with Science â Recognizes scientists and engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the popularization of science (Nominations accepted through August 1, 2018) AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science â Recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who have demonstrated excellence in their contributions to public engagement with science activities (Nominations accepted…
Catch Up on COSSAâs 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 issueâs table of contents.