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National Academies to Host Workshop on Graduate Training in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ā The National Academiesā Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) is hosting a two-day workshop on Graduate Training in the Social and Behavioral Sciences on June 8 and 9. The workshop is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and will analyze the current employment of PhDs in the social and behavioral sciences, the future of the social and behavioral science workforce, and other relevant topics. A tentative agenda can be found here.Ā Register today. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Academies Calls for Science Communication Partnership Proposals
As part of efforts to build on its December 2016 report, Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has announced that it will make two awards to support the āformation and development of partnerships of science communication researchers and practitioners and facilitate their efforts to plan collaborative projects that pursue shared research interests.ā Support for the awards is provided by the Rita Allen Foundation. More information is available on the project website. Submissions are due by June 2, 2017. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Academies Report Examines Impact of Social Competencies on College Success
On April 13, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education released a report, Supporting Studentsā College Success: The Role of Assessment of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Competencies. Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the reportĀ āexamines how to assess interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies (e.g., teamwork, communication skills, academic mindset, and grit) of undergraduate students for different purposes.ā It also establishes āpriorities for the development and use of assessments related to the identified intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies that influence higher education success, especially in STEM.ā Central themes of the report include diversity and…
National Academies Releases New Research Integrity Report
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released the Committee on Responsible Scienceās report, Fostering Integrity in Research, on April 11. The report assesses the state of research integrity, including trends, challenges, and educational efforts, updating the 1992 Academies report, Responsible Science. The 1992 report proposed the current definition of research misconduct, defined as the āfabrication, falsification, or plagiarismā of research. The new report supports retaining that definition, but also calls for the recognition of detrimental research practices (DRPs). DRPs are āquestionable research practices, such as the misleading use of statistics that falls short of falsification and failure to…
National Academies to Launch Study on the Future of Food and Agriculture Research; Nominations Sought for Executive Committee
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced a new study, Science Breakthroughs 2030: A Strategy for Food and Agriculture Research. The year-long study hopes to āidentify ambitious scientific directions in food and agriculture made possible by incorporating knowledge and tools from across the science and engineering spectrum.ā The study is sponsored by the Supporters of Agriculture Research (SoAR) Foundation, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the Department of Agricultureās National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Nominations are currently being sought for the studyās executive committee, which will author the projectās final consensus report, after seeking…
DBASSE Seeks Deputy Executive Director
The Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is seeking a new Deputy Executive Director. More information on the position and application instructions are available here. Back to this issueās table of contents.
National Academies Releases Report on Dual Language and English Learners
On February 28, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures, a report by the Committee on Fostering School Success for English Learners. The report assesses the current state of English language education in the United States and offers recommendations on how to improve learning outcomes for dual language learners (DLLs) and English learners (ELs). Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states have a responsibility to address disparities in the educational outcomes of DLLs/ELs. The report contains 14 recommendations designed to inform policy and offers a…
Academies Board on Environmental Change and Society Seeking New Members
The Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is accepting nominations for new members. BECS focuses on research on interactions between humans and their environment. While members represent disciplines across the social and natural sciences, the Board is particularly interested in candidates with expertise on human-environment interactions, adaptive management, transformative change, and methods for integration of social and natural sciences. More information and instructions on submitting nominations are available on the National Academies website. Nominations are due by March 21. Back to this issueās table of contents.
National Academiesā Global Change Research Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicineās Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is soliciting nominations for new members. The Committee, whose expertise spans the physical, ecological, and social science of global change, advises the USGCRP and supports climate communication activities across the Academies. Members serve three-year terms, with an option to reappoint after the first term. The Academies are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in extreme event risk and human dimensions of global change, among other fields. Nominations are due on March 15, 2017 and can be submitted by filling out this form….
National Academiesā Gulf Research Program Sponsoring Course on Scientific Synthesis
The Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is sponsoring a hands-on course on data science run by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. This intensive training is designed to help established researchers, as well as early career researchers gain skills in data management, data science, and scientific synthesis. See the website for details about the program and how to apply. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NAM Releases Report: Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Board on Population Health and Public Health Practiceās Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States recently released a report, Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity, which reviews the āstate of health disparities and explores the underlying conditions and root causes that contribute to health inequity.ā Highlighting the need for additional research, among the reportās recommendations is a call on the funders of research (government, foundations, and higher education) to āsupport research on (a) health disparities that examines the multiple effects of structural racism (e.g., segregation) and implicit and…
Deadline Extended: Call for White Papers: Social and Behavioral Science for National Security
The Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is leading a decadal survey to identify opportunities for the social and behavioral sciences to contribute to the analytic responsibilities of the intelligence community. This survey, sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, includes two separate calls for white papers. The deadline for the current call has been extended to February 15, 2017. This call is seeking input from academics and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences with experience in intelligence and/or insight into the needs and challenges of…
Call for White Papers: Social and Behavioral Sciences for National Security
The Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is leading a decadal survey to identify opportunities for the social and behavioral sciences to contribute to the analytic responsibilities of the intelligence community. This survey, sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, includes two separate calls for white papers. The Board is currently calling for input from academics and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences with experience in intelligence and/or insight into the needs and challenges of the intelligence community with respect to the use of social and…
OāConnell Named Next DBASSE Director
The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has announced that it has named Mary Ellen OāConnell as Executive Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE), effective November 14. OāConnell is currently serving as DBASSEās Deputy Director and will succeed Robert Hauser, who is retiring. In addition to serving in leadership roles on several Academies Boards, including the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS); the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS); and the Board on Human-Systems Integration (BOHSI), OāConnell also led initiatives at the Department of Health and Human Services and the…
Social and Behavioral Scientists Among New National Academy of Medicine Inductees
The National Academy of Medicine announced the election of 79 new members, including 70 regular members and nine international members. The newly elected cohort includes several members who work in the social and behavioral sciences. They include Anita Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania; Cheryl Ann Marie Anderson, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health, at the University of California, San Diego; Peter Brian Bach, Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Laura L. Carstensen, Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor in…
National Academies, Director of National Intelligence, Host Summit on Social and Behavioral Sciences for National Security
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a Summit on Social and Behavioral Science for National Security on October 4 and 5. The Summit marked the beginning of a decadal survey, sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences, to identify potential contributions by the social and behavioral science to national security. The sponsors are seeking input on what research is relevant to the topic of the study and suggestions regarding town halls and conferences as the study begins. More information and updates about the decadal study…
Committee on National Statistics Releases Report on Reducing Burden in the American Community Survey
The Committee on National Statistics of the Division of Behavioral and Social Science and Education (DBASSE) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has published a report on their March workshop dedicated to improving the American Community Survey (ACS). The workshop examined different approaches to reducing the burden on respondents, including reducing the number of questions asked to individual respondents though matrix sampling, eliminating the need for some questions by using administrative records, increasing cooperation with the survey, reducing the length of the survey. The full report is available here. Back to this issueās table of contents.Ā
National Academies Seeks Comments on Indicators for Undergrad STEM Education
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineās (NAS) Board on Science Education (BSE) seeks comments on its draft report, Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education. An expert panel, the Committee on Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education, was convened to develop national indicators for monitoring the quality of undergraduate STEM. The Committee proposes āa conceptual framework of goals and objectives for improving the quality of undergraduate STEM.ā A two-phase study, the Committee now seeks input as it prepares to develop indicators. A series of questions for consideration can be accessed on BSEās website. In addition, a one-day public meeting…
2017 National Academies Workshop on Current and Future Training Needs in Social and Behavioral Sciences
In an August 31 blog post, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Director William Riley announced the convening of a 2017 National Academies workshop that is being sponsored by OBSSR and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate. The workshop will address the current and future training needs in the behavioral and social sciences and responds to the various reports in recent years that āindicate that a majority of behavioral and social sciences doctors are entering research careers in areas outside of the traditional academic research track; and…