A staple since COSSAâs earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.Â
National Science Board Seeks Nominations for 2016 Class
The National Science Board, which is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and independent advisory body to the President and Congress on federal science policy, is seeking nominations for eight vacancies with terms of 2016-2022. Eight seats on the 25-member Board turn over every two years; members are appointed by the President of the United States for six year terms. The NSB is particularly interested in receiving nominations of individuals with expertise in the following areas: large/complex facility planning, construction, management and transformation; international projects and the globalization of research; metrics and performance measurement; neuroscience and the…
NIH Associate Director for Data Science Discusses Opportunities and Challenges of Data Science
At the September 1 meeting of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) Council of Councils, Associate Director for Data Science (ADD) Philip Bourne discussed the opportunities and challenges of data science. Bourne began by asking: âWhat are we going to do with our data?â He explained that from his point of view, science is at point of significant change as a consequence of the amount of data that is being generated. Biomedical research is becoming more analytical, and scientific change is happening faster than anticipated as a result of faster accumulation of…
Michael S. Lauer Named NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
On September 28, National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins announced the selection of Michael S. Lauer as the new Deputy Director for Extramural Research. Collins noted that Lauer brings both research expertise and administrative skills to the job, as well as âkeen insights into the world of extramural research.â Lauer is expected to begin this new position within the coming weeks. Lauer served as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences. Prior to that, he served as director of NHLBIâs Division of Prevention and Population Science, and most recently, the…
CPR Briefing Highlights NIH Peer Review Process
The COSSA-led Coalition to Promote Research (CPR) recently organized its second congressional briefing of 2015 (see Update, March 24, 2015) designed to provide an overview of the National Institutes of Healthâs (NIH) peer review process for congressional staff. The briefing, NIH Priority Setting: How Peer Review Assists the NIH in Selecting the Best Science, highlighted the process used by the NIHâs Center for Scientific Review (CSR) with the help of scientific experts from around the country. Briefing speakers included CSR director Richard Nakamura and Danielle Li of Harvard University. Felice Levine, executive director of the American Educational Research Association (AERA),…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 17
Featured News White House SBS Team Issues Inaugural Report; President Signs Executive Order Congressional News Advocates Call for Budget Deal as End of Fiscal Year Nears Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Seeks Nominations of Early-Career Researchers for Waterman Award Senior Leadership Changes Occurring at NIH NIH Releases Precision Medicine Initiative Framework for Cohort of One Million Perez-Stable Joins NIMHD; Participates in First Advisory Council Meeting Census Releases New ACS Estimates Publications & Community Events Social Science Teams among 2015 Golden Goose Winners Funding Opportunity Announcements Events Calendar
NSF Seeks Nominations of Early-Career Researchers for Waterman Award
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting nominations for the 2016 Alan T. Waterman Award, which is given to an outstanding young researcher each year. Nominees are accepted from any field of science supported by NSF and must be under 35 or within 7 years of completing his or her PhD. Candidates âshould have demonstrated exceptional individual achievement in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality, originality, innovation, and significant impact on the field so as to situate him or her as a leader among peers.â The recipient of the award receives a grant of $1 million over five years…
Census Releases New ACS Estimates
The Census Bureau has released a new set of annual data from the American Community Survey (ACS). The 2014 1-Year estimates provide information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico on the dozens of economic, housing, social, and demographic topics covered by the ACS. The new data can be accessed here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Social Science Teams among 2015 Golden Goose Winners
Recipients of the 2015 Golden Goose Award were honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC on September 17. The Golden Goose Award recognizes researchers whose federally funded work may have seemed odd or obscure when it was first conducted but has resulted in significant benefits to society. COSSA is a supporter of the Award. The 2015 recipients included a group of psychologists whose work on delayed gratification in children (the âmarshmallow testâ) had far-reaching implications for our understanding of human behavior, education, and health. The Golden Goose Award also honored two scientists whose collaborative research on âhypsographic demographyâ (the study…
Events Calendar
Building Strength in Numbers: How Do Early Interventions in Math Instruction Add Up? Washington, DC, September 25, 2015 Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL, November 7-15, 2015 North American Regional Science Council Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, November 11-14, 2015 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Miami, FL, November 12-14, 2015 Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 12-15, 2015 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, November 13-15, 2015 American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, November 18-22, 2015 American Society…
White House SBS Team Issues Inaugural Report; President Signs Executive Order
On September 15, President Obama signed an Executive Order calling on federal agencies and departments to use âbehavioral science insightsâ to âdesign government policies to better serve the American people.â The order comes as the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST), a team of about a dozen behavioral scientists within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), issued its first annual report. SBST was established in 2014 as a mechanism for testing and applying social and behavioral science interventions to make government programs more efficient and more accessible. The team is chaired by the White House Office of Science and…
Advocates Call for Budget Deal as End of Fiscal Year Nears
One week out from the start of fiscal year (FY) 2016 and Congress has yet to decide on a path forward for funding the government that will not result in a government shutdown come October 1. A continuing resolution (CR) must be enacted in the next week to allow Congress the time it needs to complete the 12 outstanding FY 2016 appropriations bills. Language of a short term CR could surface in the Senate as early as today. Even still, with the arrival of Pope Francis in the nationâs capital this week and a short Congressional break to observe Yom…
Senior Leadership Changes Occurring at NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been experiencing a turnover in the leadership over the past month as several long-term directors have decided to retire and/or move on to new endeavors. Â In August, Alan Guttmacher, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), announced his plans to retire at the end of September. The Friends of NICHD paid tribute to Guttmacher on September 15 with a farewell breakfast in recognition of his dedication and leadership in advancing science and improving human health and well-being. COSSA serves on the Friends Executive Committee. As director of one…
NIH Releases Precision Medicine Initiative Framework for Cohort of One Million
On September 17, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) presented its recommended design framework for building a national research participant group, or âcohort,â of one million or more Americans, that would be part of the President’s proposed Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) (see Update, April 21, 2015 and June 15,2015). In a statement accepting the ACD’s recommendations, NIH Director Francis Collins pointed to the need to remain nimble and adaptable as the Initiative progresses. The agency intends to move quickly to build the necessary infrastructure so that participants can begin enrolling in the cohort in…
Perez-Stable Joins NIMHD Participates in First Advisory Council Meeting
Just two weeks into his new position, newly appointed National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) director Eliseo Perez-Stable presided over his first meeting of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NACMHD) on September 17. Perez-Stable was appointed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins in April (See Update, May 4, 2015). Perez-Stable shared his excitement to be at the NIH and his appreciation for the opportunity to work on a topic that he is passionate about. As a resident, he was interested in Latino health care, particularly patient-doctor communication styles,…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NIH Opportunities: NIA/NINR: Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Disease (R01) (PAR-15-348) NIA: Health Disparities and Alzheimer’s Disease (R01) (PAR-15-349) NIA: Emerging Directions for Addressing Health Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease (R03) (PAR-15-350) NIA/NINR: Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Disease (R21) (PAR-15-351) NIAAA: Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Consortia (Collaborative U01) (RFA-AA-16-004) NIAAA: Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Consortia Research Resource Core (U24) (RFA-AA-16-005) NIAAA: Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Consortia Administrative Resource Core (U24)Â (RFA-AA-16-006) NIA: Aging Research on Stress and Resilience to Address Health Disparities in the United States (R01) (RFA-AG-16-022) NCI:…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 16
Featured News Congress Returns for a Busy Fall COSSA in Action COSSA Comments on NSF Reauthorization; Senate Seeks Input on STEM Workforce Federal Agency & Administration News HHS Releases Proposed Updates to the Common Rule White House Chief Data Scientist Seeks Input NIH Plans for Redirection of National Childrenâs Study Funds OAR Outlines Overarching AIDS Research Priorities; Studies of Behavior and Social Conditions with Multiple Negative Outcomes Deemed Low Priority NIH Issues Guidelines for HIV/AIDS Research Priorities Publications & Community Events AAAS Seeks Stories on the Importance of Scientific Conferences Funding Opportunity Announcements Events Calendar
Congress Returns for a Busy Fall
Following a month-long August recess, Congress returns to work this week to a full agenda of must-pass items. At the top of the list will be passing a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown come October 1. However, unrelated controversies dealing with Planned Parenthood and the Confederate flag will likely make the road to a CR difficult in the coming weeks. Assuming we get to October 1 without the government shutting down, the next big issue on the agenda is brokering some sort of deal to reverse or at least mitigate the impacts of…
AAAS Seeks Stories on the Importance of Scientific Conferences
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is soliciting stories about the value scientific conferences bring to collaboration and the progress of science. As you may know, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued government-wide regulations in 2012 that put hard caps on the amounts federal agencies can spend on conference participation and travel. Congress put further restrictions in place, specifically for international conferences. All of this has resulted in the proliferation of onerous and timely approval processes for travel requests by federal employees and ultimately a major decline in attendance by scientists who work for…
Events Calendar
Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, September 11-13, 2015 Innovations in Research: Collaborations & Transformations, Cleveland, OH, September 16, 2015 NIH Priority Setting: How Peer Review Assists NIH in Selecting the Best Science, Washington, DC, September 22, 2015 Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL, November 7-15, 2015 North American Regional Science Council Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, November 11-14, 2015 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference, Miami, FL, November 12-14, 2015 Social Science History Association Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 12-15, 2015 Association for Behavioral…
COSSA Comments on NSF Reauthorization; Senate Seeks Input on STEM Workforce
As previously reported, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee spent the summer engaging with scientific stakeholders to inform possible reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, or legislation authorizing the National Science Foundation (NSF). In July, the Committee put out a request for input on the topic of âMaximizing the Impact of Basic Research.â COSSA submitted detailed comments to the Committee on August 14. The Committee is now seeking input on the topic of âBuilding a STEM Workforce.â Interested parties are invited to comment on any/all of the following questions: How does the availability of STEM graduates affect corporate decision-making…