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
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 33 Issue 18
In this issue… Congressional Activities & News Congresswoman Johnson Defends NSFâs Merit Review Process Federal Agency & Administration Activities & News White House Hosts Conference on BRAIN Initiative NIH Council of Councils Discusses Stable Support for Investigators NIGMS Advisory Council Approves New Grant Mechanism; Discusses Reproducibility NIH Center for Scientific Review to Host Peer Review Webinars for New Grant Applicants NSF Seeks Nominations for Waterman Award Agriculture Census Highlights Organic Farms Notable Publications & Community Events Roundtable on Health Literacy Seeks Nominations for New Members Henry and Bryna David Lecturer Proposes âInternational Climate Clubâ Funding Opportunities Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects…
Congresswoman Johnson Defends NSFâs Merit Review Process
Last week, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, released a letter penned to Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) expressing concern over the chairmanâs ongoing âinvestigationâ into the merit review process at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and criticism of individual grants funded by NSF. Her letter comes as Chairman Smith has issued a third request in 18 months for NSF to provide the Committee with confidential, pre-decisional merit review documents for 30 additional grants; Smith has previously asked for documentation on a group of five grants and a second group…
White House Hosts Conference on BRAIN Initiative
On September 30, the White House hosted a conference on President Obamaâs BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative. The Initiative is a large-scale effort to provide researchers with important insights to treat a variety of disorders, including Alzheimerâs disease, schizophrenia, and traumatic brain injury, among others. Four agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), have together committed more than $110 million to the Initiative in FY 2014 (see Update, April 7, 2014, pg. 26).
NIH Council of Councils Discusses Stable Support for Investigators
At the September meeting of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils, NIH Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak provided an update of the agencyâs activities, including an update on the agencyâs efforts to pilot âlonger-term, stable supportâ for NIH investigators.
NIGMS Advisory Council Approves New Grant Mechanism, Discusses Reproducibility
At the September meeting of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Advisory Council, director Jon Lorsch provided an update on a number of issues, including the National Institutes of Healthâs (NIH) data reproducibility efforts, the NIGMS strategic planning process, and an overview of the impacts of the previous NIH budget-doubling period âon the biomedical research ecosystem.â In addition, the Council approved the Instituteâs concept clearance to create the new Maximizing Investigatorsâ Research Award (MIRA), clearing the way for NIGMS to proceed. Reproducibility Lorsch noted that reproducibility is not a single issue but an issue of reproducibility of data,…
NIH Center for Scientific Review to Host Peer Review Webinars for New Grant Applicants
In early November, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) plans to host four Meet the Experts in NIH Peer Review webinars designed to provide new NIH grant applicants and other interested individuals with valuable insights into the submission and review processes. CSR is NIHâs gateway for grant applications and their review for scientific merit. It organizes the peer review groups, or study sections, that evaluate the majority of the research grant applications sent to the agency. The webinars will address the various types of grant mechanisms supported by NIH: Academic Research Enhancement Awards (R15), Fellowship…
NSF Seeks Nominations for Waterman Award
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting nominations until October 24 for the 2015 Alan T. Waterman Award. The Waterman Award is given annually âin recognition of the talent, creativity, and influence of a singular young researcher;â nominations are accepted for researchers from all fields of science supported by NSF. Among the requirements, candidates must be 35 years of age or younger or be not more than seven years beyond receipt of his/her Ph.D. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Agriculture Census Highlights Organic Farms
The National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) released findings from the 2012 Census of Agricultureâs Special Organics Tabulation illustrating some key differences between organic and conventional farms. Forty-two percent of organic farms sell directly to consumers, compared with only 7 percent of all U.S. farms. Organic farms are also more likely to participate in non-traditional markets, such as marketing directly to retail outlets, producing value-added products, or distributing products through farm-shares or CSAs (community-supported agriculture). Organic farms also invest more in renewable energy production. More on the Census is available on the NASS website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Roundtable on Health Literacy Seeks Nominations for New Members
The Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Health Literacy is seeking nominations for new members. Specifically, it is seeking health literacy experts from a variety of fields including nursing, pediatrics, pharmacy, primary care, public or population health, research, and transformative technologies. The Roundtable was established in 2005 to build upon the work of the IOM consensus report, Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. It is composed of leaders from academia, industry, government, foundations and associations, and representatives of patient and consumer interests who have an interest and role in improving health literacy. The Roundtableâs mission is to inform, inspire, and…
Henry and Bryna David Lecturer Proposes âInternational Climate Clubâ
Economist William D. Nordhaus delivered the 2014 Henry and Bryna David Lecture at the National Academy of Sciences on October 2. Nordhaus is the Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University and will chair the Boston Federal Reserve Bank for 2014-2015. The topic of his lecture was âClimate Clubs: How to prevent free-riding in international environmental agreements.â
Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects of Bariatric Surgery
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is seeking applications designed to measure psychosocial and behavioral variables in individuals undergoing bariatric surgery to understand how they predict success and risk and examine mechanisms of behavior change. The funding opportunity announcement, Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects of Bariatric Surgery (RFA-DK-14-026), responds to the dramatic increase in the number of bariatric surgeries performed in the U.S. over the last decade, including those performed on adolescents.
AERA to Host 11th âBrown Lecture in Education Researchâ â October 23
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA Governing Member, will be hosting the 11th Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research on October 23 in Washington, DC. This yearâs lecture, âA Long Shadow: The American Pursuit of Political Justice and Education Equality,â presented by James D. Anderson of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will observe the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The annual lecture highlights the important role research plays in broadening understanding of education equality. You may register to attend the lecture here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
CASBS and SSRC to Host 2014 Behavioral and Social Science SummitâNovember 8
The Center for Advanced Study in the behavioral Sciences at Stanford University (CASBS) with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), both COSSA members, will host the 2014 Behavioral and Social Science Summit on November 8 at Stanford University. This yearâs summit, âThe City,â will feature social and behavioral scientists speaking about âthe best means and policies for improving the urban experience.â The list of speakers and discussion topics, as well as registration information can be found on the summit website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 33 Issue 17
In this issue… Featured Article AAA&S Restoring the Foundation Report Calls for Increased Federal Investment in Research Congressional Activities & News Funding Bills Punted Until After Midterm Elections Rep. Johnson Defends Social Science and Education Research at Dyslexia Hearing Education Research, NCES Bill Clears Senate Panel House Appropriations Committee Democrats Introduce FY 2015 Labor, HHS, and Education Bill House Subcommittee Discusses Suicide Prevention and Treatment Federal Agency & Administration Activities & News NIH Issues Final Genomic Data Sharing Policy NCHS and Census Release Data on Health Insurance Coverage PCORI Seeks Public Comment on Draft Peer Review and Public Release Proposal…
AAA&S Restoring the Foundation Report Calls for Increased Federal Investment in Research
On September 16, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a COSSA member, released a new report, Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream. The report makes the case that Americaâs economic successes in the twentieth century have largely been due to our investments in scientific research and that failure to maintain sustainable funding for research âcould threaten the very principlesâopportunity, social mobility, innovationâthat have inspired our nation for the past century.â
Funding Bills Punted Until After Midterm Elections
The House and Senate easily passed a continuing resolution (CR), or temporary spending measure, last week to keep the federal government operating through December 11. With fiscal year (FY) 2015 approaching on October 1, Congress was not able to complete its work on the FY 2015 appropriations bills before adjourning again to campaign for Novemberâs midterm elections. The CR (H.J. Res. 124) totals $1.012 trillion and extends current year (FY 2014) funding and policy directives into the first 10 weeks of FY 2015. In addition, the bill includes an across-the-board cut of 0.0554 percent to keep spending within the discretionary…
Rep. Johnson Defends Social Science and Education Research at Dyslexia Hearing
The full House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on The Science of Dyslexia on September 18. The panel heard from the co-chairs of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus, researchers whose work focuses on dyslexia, and other advocates. Much of the discussion focused on how to better leverage the wealth of scientific evidence we have to help children and adults with dyslexia succeed. However, in her opening statement, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), pointed out that much of this knowledge is the product of those disciplines members of the Committee have disparaged in the past: âA significant amount…
Education Research, NCES Bill Clears Senate Panel
On September 17, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee marked up and reported out the Strengthening Education through Research Act, or SETRA (H.R. 4366). The bill, which was passed by the full House of Representatives in May, would amend and reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA) through 2020. ESRA serves as authorizing legislation for the Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Research, National Center for Education Statistics, and other components within the U.S. Department of Education. COSSA joined the American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA Governing Member, and other groups on…
House Appropriations Committee Democrats Introduce FY 2015 Labor, HHS, and Education Bill
On September 15, the Democratic members of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee (Labor-HHS), led by Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), introduced their version of a fiscal year (FY) 2015 funding bill for the programs within the Subcommitteeâs jurisdiction. The Labor-HHS bill is the only appropriations bill that has yet to be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee. Thus far, the Subcommitteeâs Republican majority has given no indication that it intends to introduce a Labor-HHS bill this year. This is the second consecutive year and third year out of the last four that the Subcommittee…
House Subcommittee Discusses Suicide Prevention and Treatment
On September 18, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing, âSuicide Prevention and Treatment: Helping Loved Ones in Mental Health Crisis.â Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), a psychologist, explained that the hearing was an attempt to âtake the conversation about suicide out of the dark shadow of stigma and into the bright light of truth and hope. Suicide is the deadly outcome of mental illness. Suicide is when depression kills. Suicide is an epidemic and its impact is staggering.â