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 Academies SBS Policy Roundtable Meeting, âStimulating Effective Innovation in Governmentâ — October 30
The National Academies Policy Roundtable of the Behavioral and Social Sciences will conduct at its next meeting a seminar and discussion on stimulating effective innovation in government. The seminar will be held from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, 2014, in Room 120 of the National Academy of Sciences building at 21st and Constitution Avenue, N.W. The Policy Roundtable is chaired by David Ellwood, Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School.
NSF: RAPID Proposals Sought to Address Ebola Crisis
The National Science Foundation has issued a Dear Colleague Letter requesting research proposals âto conduct non-medical, non-clinical care research that can be used immediately to better understand how to model and understand the spread of Ebola, educate about prophylactic behaviors, and encourage the development of products, processes, and learning that can address this global challenge.â NSFâs Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism will be used to fund the proposals. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
DOD: 2015 Minerva Deadline Extended
As previously reported, the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has issued the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the 2015 Minerva Research Initiative, DODâs signature social science research program. DOD recently extended the deadline for the 2015 competition. White papers are now due November 10 and full proposals are due February 10. See the BAA for full details. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Events Calendar
11th Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research, American Educational Research Association, October 23, 2014 Measuring Dimensions of Subjective Well-Being: The Role of Official Statistics, National Academies Committee on National Statistics, October 24, 2014 Stimulating Effective Innovation in Government, National Academies Policy Roundtable of the Behavioral and Social Sciences, October 30, 2014 NSF Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Advisory Committee Fall Meeting, October 30-31, 2014 The City: 2014 Behavioral and Social Science Summit, Stanford University, November 8, 2014 A list of COSSA member conferences and annual meetings can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
SMRB Continues Discussion of Pre-College Engagement in Biomedical Science
During its October 14 meeting, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) continued its examination of the NIH grant review, award, and management process and its discussion of the evidence base for successful approaches for pre-college biomedical science programs designed to strengthen the biomedical workforce pipeline.
2015 MCAT Includes New Social and Behavioral Sciences Section
Starting in spring 2015, the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) will test prospective medical studentsâ knowledge of the social and behavioral sciences. The MCAT2015, the first update to the MCAT since 1992, includes a new section on âPsychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior.â The section is weighted equally to the two other subject-knowledge sections, âBiological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systemsâ and âChemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems,â in terms of length and number of questions (a fourth section on critical analysis is shorter).
SPSSI Seminar Explores the Psychology of Human Rights
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), a COSSA member, held the last seminar in its 2014 series, Psychological Insights into Legislative Issues, on October 8. The topic was âWho Cares about Human Rights? The Psychology of Human Rights Support,â and featured Sam McFarland of Western Kentucky University. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) sponsored the event series and shared how he first became passionate about human rights through his work during El Salvadorâs civil war in the 1980s.
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.