A staple since COSSA’s 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.
COSSA’s State Funding Fact Sheets Now Updated with FY 2013 Data
COSSA has updated its state-by-state funding fact sheets with data for fiscal year (FY) 2013, the most current federally-collected survey data available. The fact sheets use these data to demonstrate the local economic impact of federal investment in the social and behavioral sciences by providing detailed information on how much funding states receive, where it comes from, and where it goes. They are available for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Click here to see how much funding your state receives. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Evidence-Based Policymaking Bill Advances through House
On July 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission Act of 2015 (H.R. 1831). Introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) with companion legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 991) by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the bill would establish a 15 member commission tasked with studying how best to expand the use of and/or coordinate federal administrative data for use in evaluation of federal programs. The commission would also explore whether to establish a federal clearinghouse for program and survey data, which would be accessible to “qualified researchers” from the public and private sectors. More information…
William T. Riley Appointed NIH OBSSR Director
On July 30, National Institute of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins announced the appointment of William “Bill” T. Riley, PhD, as the next Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Riley has served as Acting Director of the OBSSR since May, 2014. Riley has been with NIH since 2005, serving as Deputy Director of the Division of AIDS and Health & Behavior Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He joined the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as Program Director of the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences in 2009….
NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases 2013-2014 Report
Research grants to extramural scientists represent more than 80 percent of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. The agency’s Office of Extramural Research (OER) provides the infrastructure to make this happen, whether it is through developing policies and procedures or providing electronic systems, among other things, for extramural staff across NIH’s 27 institutes, centers, and offices and “for more than 166,000 external users in 24,000 research institutions worldwide.” OER recently released its 2013-2014 report. OER director Sally Rockey notes that the report looks back at 2013 and 2014 and includes examples of the impact OER has had on “ensuring…
NIH Releases Alzheimer’s Disease Bypass Budget Proposal for FY 2017
On July 27, National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins released the first Professional Judgement Budget, also known as the Bypass Budget, for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias, Bypass Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2017—Reaching for a Cure: Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research at NIH. The bypass budget was mandated by Congress in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act enacted in 2011 (P.L. 111-375). The fiscal year (FY) 2017 bypass budget outlines the “optimal approach NIH would take in an ideal world unconstrained by fiscal limitations.” It concludes that NIH could “significantly accelerate progress against Alzheimer’s disease with…
AAAS Calls for Nominations for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
Nominations are being sought for the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. The award recognizes scientists, engineers, or associations who have acted to foster scientific freedom and responsibility, for example, “acting to protect the public’s health, safety or welfare; focusing public attention on important potential impacts of science and technology on society by their responsible participation in public policy debates; or establishing important new precedents in carrying out the social responsibilities or in defending the professional freedom of scientists and engineers.” Nominations are due by September 1, 2015. Back to this issue’s table…
DBASSE Seeks Science Education Program Officer
The Board on Science Education (BOSE) within the National Academies’ Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) is accepting applications for a Program Officer. The Program Officer “will be responsible for managing programs or projects and is responsible for developing project strategies and ensuring projects meet their stated objectives. He/she will serve as the liaison between expert committee members, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and other applicable parties and will supervise staff.” More information and application instructions are available here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows to Host Live Chat
On August 20, Science and Technology Policy Fellows from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will host a live chat session to answer questions about the fellowship. The session is geared in particular towards those with backgrounds in the social sciences who want to learn more. More details and a link to watch are available on the AAAS website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NCHS/CDC: Research and Methods in Health Statistics (RFA-SH-16-001) NIMHD: NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention (U54)(RFA-MD-15-014) NICHD: Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity (BRITE) in Maternal and Child Health (R15) (PAR-15-319) NIMH: Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34) (PAR-15-323) NIH: BRAIN: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01) (RFA-EB-15-006) (NBIB, NCCIH, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIMH, NINDS, OBSSR, ORWH) Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Congressional Briefing Explores the Impact of Education on Mortality
On July 27, the Population Association of America (PAA) held a congressional briefing, “Live Long and Prosper: The Impact of Education on Mortality,” which focused on the federal investments in longitudinal demographic research that have allowed researchers to identify and measure how educational attainment affects important life factors, including long-term health and mortality. COSSA joined PAA, a COSSA Governing Member, along with several other COSSA member organizations in sponsoring the briefing. Sharing the latest findings with a standing-room-only audience, the panel of distinguished researchers included Robert M. Kaplan, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and former director of the…
CASBS Is Accepting Applications for Its 2016-2017 Residential Fellowship
Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is currently accepting applications for residential fellowships for the 2016-17 academic year. The CASBS fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for scholars to pursue innovative research and expand their horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship has been considered a career milestone for any scholar, and most recipients report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Center’s website through November 6, 2015, for the 2016-2017 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements,…
Events Calendar
American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 Enhancing Policy, Transforming Careers: Chat Series with S&T Policy Fellows, August 20, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 National Conference on Health Statistics, Bethesda, MD, August 24-26, 2015 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, September 3-5, 2015 Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, September 11-13, 2015 Innovations in Research: Collaborations & Transformations, Cleveland, OH, September 16, 2015 Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 A list of COSSA members’ annual meetings and…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 14
Featured News Why Social Science? Share Your Stories! Congressional News Senate Committee Seeks Comments on COMPETES Revision FY 2016 Process Stalled as Congress Heads for Summer Break Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill Advances through Committee Federal Agency & Administration News NIH Seeks Input on Congressionally-Mandated Agency-Wide Strategic Plan NIH Seeks Comments on Proposed Alternative to National Children’s Study Publications & Community Events AAAS Collecting Stories to Highlight the Importance of Scientific Conferences Funding Opportunity Announcements COSSA Member Spotlight COSSA Welcomes Virginia Tech Events Calendar
Senate Committee Seeks Comments on COMPETES Revision
On July 8, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee issued a press release requesting public input to help guide the Committee’s development of America COMPETES Act reauthorization legislation. A follow-up release was issued last week providing additional details on the Committee’s plans. COMPETES is legislation originally enacted in 2007 that sought to ensure U.S. leadership in science and technology by making targeted investments at U.S. basic science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF). As COSSA has been reporting, the House introduced and ultimately passed its version of COMPETES legislation earlier this year with steep proposed cuts to social…
FY 2016 Process Stalled as Congress Heads for Summer Break
Despite promises from Republican leaders in the House and Senate to pass fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations legislation through “regular order” this year, the FY 2016 process has stalled amid issues ranging from a policy rider pertaining to flying of the Confederate flag on federal grounds that killed the bills in the House and calls for the need to broker a larger budget deal. The House and Senate made some progress before the process sputtered out in recent weeks, with both chambers advancing all 12 of their bills through committee and the House managing to pass six of them; however,…
AAAS Collecting Stories to Highlight the Importance of Scientific Conferences
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has launched a campaign to illustrate for policymakers the positive impacts scientific and technical conferences have on research. Over the past several years, federal regulations and policies have made it increasingly difficult for scientists and researchers employed by the federal government to attend conferences. AAAS is asking for stories that “highlighting the importance of conference participation to a healthy scientific and technical community,” particularly stories that involve collaboration with scientists from federal agencies, national labs, or research institutes. Stories may be submitted on the AAAS website. Back to this issue’s table…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NICHD: Innovative Development/Use of Technology to Increase HIV Testing and Linkage to Care Efforts in Adolescent Populations (R41/R42, R43/R44) (RFA-HD-16-029) (RFA-HD-16-030) NHLBI: Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium (SCDIC): Using Implementation Science to Optimize Care of Adolescents and Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (U01, U24) (RFA-HL-16-010) (RFA-HL-16-011) NIAAA: Alcohol Use Disorders: Behavioral Treatment, Services and Recovery Research (R01, R03) (PA-15-299) (PA-15-300) Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes Virginia Tech
COSSA is thrilled to welcome Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) as its newest university member. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Tech receives more than $7 million annually in federal social and behavioral science research awards and is home to the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment. COSSA’s full membership list can be viewed here. Interested in joining COSSA? More information here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Events Calendar
Live Long and Prosper: the Impact of Education on Mortality, Washington, DC, July 27, 2015 Toxic Stress: How Economic Inequality Hurts Early Childhood Development, Washington, DC, July 30, 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Madison, WI, August 6-9, 2015 American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 National Conference on Health Statistics, Bethesda, MD, August 24-26, 2015 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, September 3-5, 2015 Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville,…