A staple since COSSAās 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.Ā
Public Comment Sought for Death Master File Certification Program
On December 30, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register for the establishment of a certification program to ācertifyā persons to access Death Master File (DMF) information about an individual within three years of that individual’s death. The new program would replace the temporary certification program in place since 2013. The deadline for comments has been extended to March 30. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Profile of New BEA Director in Amstat News
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Director Brian Moyer was recently profiled in Amstat News, the membership newsletter of the American Statistical Association (ASA). The piece gives readers a closer look at the new BEA head, whose tenure began in September 2014, as well as a deeper understanding of the agency itself. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NRC Roundtable Discusses Need for Improved Public Understanding of Social Science Research
On January 8, the National Research Council (NRC) Roundtable on the Application of Social and Behavioral Science Research convened its first meeting. Chaired by Arthur āSkipā Lupia from the University of Michigan, the Roundtable brings together a diverse set of stakeholders in the social and behavioral science community to discuss ways to improve public understanding of social science research as well as the research communityās understanding of the uses of research by various sectors, such as industry, military, or public health. Membership includes āthose who create SBS research, those who use it, and those who know how to communicate about…
NSF: Science of Learning Collaborative Networks
The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites proposals for the creation of new research networks to address important questions in the Science of Learning (SL). The networks are intended to āfoster the creation of new networks of investigators who will integrate scientific ideas across disciplines and professions to conduct novel, exploratory research that has the potential to provide transformative advances in our understanding of learning.ā The solicitation and NSFās new Science of Learning Program represent the next phase in NSFās support for SL after the recent sunsetting of its Science of Learning Centers (SLC) program, which launched in 2003. The goals…
NIH: BD2K Biomedical Science Training Coordination Center
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications for a coordination center designed to narrow the gap between the availability of biomedical big data and the ability of biomedical scientists to utilize such data accurately, effectively, and efficiently. The funding opportunity announcement, NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Biomedical Science Training Coordination Center (RFA-ES-15-004), responds to increasingly large, diverse, and complex biomedical datasets. These datasets tax conventional methods for sharing, managing, and analyzing data. Researchersā abilities to capitalize on biomedical big data science-based approaches are limited by poor data accessibility and interoperability, the lack of appropriate tools, and insufficient…
NIH: BD2K MOOC on Data Management for Biomedical Big Data
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications designed to develop an open, online educational course that complements and/or enhances the training of a workforce to meet the nationās biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. The funding opportunity announcement (FOA), NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative Research Education: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Data Management (RFA-LM-15-001), focuses on curriculum or methods development.
NIJ: Forensic Science and Elder Abuse
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has issued a solicitation for proposals on research and development in forensic science for criminal justice purposes. The agency is looking to fund research that will ā(1) Increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice or; (2) Result in the production of useful materials, devices, systems, or methods that have the potential for forensic application.ā Proposals examining human factors as they relate to specific disciplines within forensic science will be accepted. More information is available in the full solicitation. The deadline for proposals is April 8, 2015.
COSSA Welcomes New Members in 2015
COSSA welcomes two new members this year. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) has joined as COSSAās 19th Governing Member association. As a Governing Member, SPSP holds a seat on the COSSA Board of Directors. SPSP is the largest organization of social psychologists and personality psychologists, with more than 5,500 members. COSSA is also pleased to welcome the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR) at the University of Georgia as a new member in the Centers and Institutes category. OIBR strives to ācatalyze high-impact interdisciplinary researchā in the social and behavioral sciences across the university. COSSAās full membership…
Events Calendar
Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, January 14-18, 2015 Southern Political Science Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, January 15-17, 2015 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Long Beach, CA, February 26-28, 2015 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, March 3-7, 2015 Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations Annual Meeting, New Brunswick, NJ, March 5-7, 2015 COSSA Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 9-10, 2015 A list of COSSA membersā annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA webpage. Back to this issueās table of…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 33 Issue 23
Featured News NIH Discontinues National Childrenās Study COSSA in Action COSSA Urges Census to Maintain Field of Degree, Marriage Questions in ACS Congressional News Congress passes FY 2015 Spending Bill, Adjourns for the Year Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Seeks Social Science Communications Specialist SMRB Accepts Working Group Report On Pre-College Engagement In Biomedical Science NSF Updates Transparency and Accountability Practices New Releases From NCHS: Health Insurance Coverage, Contraception, Nut Consumption Publications & Community Events Gilbert White Lecture Focuses on Reducing Losses from Natural Hazards Funding Opportunities NIH: Cancer Institute Releases Series of Funding Announcements NIJ: Social Science Research…
COSSA Urges Census to Maintain Field of Degree, Marriage Questions in ACS
On December 9, COSSA submittedĀ public commentĀ to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging the decision to remove several questions from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) be reversed. AsĀ previously reported, the ACS recently underwent a comprehensive review of its current 72 questions, which resulted in a proposal to remove questions deemed of ālow benefit.ā COSSAās comments outline the importance of Person Question No. 12āUndergraduate Field of Degreeāand Person Questions No. 21-23, relating to marital history, to the social science research community. The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), a COSSA sister organization, also submittedĀ public comment. More information on the…
Congress passes FY 2015 Spending Bill, Adjourns for the Year
Congress adjourned this week for the remainder of 2014 after a busy, and often contentious, lame duck legislative session. Among its post-election activities was passage of a spending package for 11 of the 12 outstanding fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bills. The ācromnibus,ā as it is being called inside the Beltway, was signed into law by President Obama on December 16. COSSA has prepared a full analysis of the spending package outlining its impact on social and behavioral science research programs funded across the federal government. Read on for full details. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NSF Seeks Social Science Communications Specialist
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking candidates for a new position within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). The Communications Specialist will ādevelop and implement a strategy to communicate information about the Directorate’s support of research, education, and training in the social, behavioral and economic sciences.ā Among the required qualifications includes āexperience with a science organization developing and implementing integrated communications strategies to promote research about social, behavioral, and economic sciences to a variety of audiences and stakeholders.ā The announcement closes on January 16, 2015. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NSF Updates Transparency and Accountability Practices
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced revisions to its guidelines for program officers and principle investigators (PIs) intended to better communicate the value of the research it funds. According to an NSF press release, language added to the guidelines for program officers require that non-technical project descriptions āserve as a public justification for NSF funding by articulating how the project serves the national interest, as stated by NSF’s mission: to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; or to secure the national defense.ā Training and guidelines will also assist program staff in writing…
New Releases from NCHS: Health Insurance Coverage, Contraception, Nut Consumption
The National Center for Health Statistics has released several new reports covering a variety of health-related topics: Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, JanuaryāJune 2014 ā In the first six months of 2014, the uninsured rate dropped from 26.5 percent in 2013 to 20.4 percent, with a larger drop among young adults aged 19-25. Current Contraceptive Status Among Women Aged 15ā44: United States, 2011ā2013 ā During the survey period, 61.7 percent of women were currently using contraception, with the pill, female sterilization, condoms, and long-acting reversible contraceptives being the most common methods. Nut…
NIJ: Social Science Research on Forensic Science
In a recently issued Dear Colleague letter, Acting National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Director William Sabol emphasized NIJās interested in receiving proposals āthat examine the social science questions related to the effective use of forensic evidence to identify and process criminal offenders and to explore the impact of these advances on the criminal justice system.ā Particular areas of interest for fiscal year 2015 include digital forensics, ballistics forensics, and crime scene scanning technology. See the full letter for more details. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Events Calendar
American Historical Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, January 2-5, 2015 Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, January 2-5, 2015 American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, January 3-5, 2015 Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, January 8-11, 2015 COSSA Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 9-10, 2015 A list of COSSA member annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA web page. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NIH Discontinues the National Childrenās Study
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has decided to discontinue the National Childrenās Study (NCS). At the December 12 meeting of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), a working group charged by NIH director Francis Collins to evaluate whether the NCS āas currently outlined is feasible, especially in light of increasing and significant budget constraints,ā concluded that the NCS as currently designed is not. The working group further recommended āthat the NIH champion and support new study designs, informed by advances in technology and basic and applied research, that could make the original goals of the NCS more…
SMRB Accepts Working Group Report on Pre-college Engagement in Biomedical Science
On December 15, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) unanimously approved theĀ Report of the SMRB Working Group on Pre-college Engagement in Biomedical Science. Chaired by Clyde Yancy, Northwestern University, the working group was charged by NIH director Francis Collins āto recommend ways to optimize NIHās pre-college programs and initiatives that both align with the NIH mission and ensure a continued pipeline of biomedical science students and professionals.ā The group released preliminary findings at its October meeting (see Update, October 28, 2014).
Gilbert White Lecture Focuses on Reducing Losses from Natural Hazards
The National Academiesā Board on Earth Sciences and Resources held its annual Gilbert F. White Lecture in the Geographical Sciences on December 4. Susan Cutter, Distinguished Carolina Professor at the University of South Carolina (and a past president of COSSA), delivered the lecture, which focused on āWhy More Knowledge Is Not Reducing Natural Hazard Losses.ā She explained that despite huge increases in our knowledge of the physical processes and social forces that interact during natural disasters, losses from such events have only grown.