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
AAAS Seeks Nominations for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is seeking nominations for its annual Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility. The award honors scientists and individuals who have āacted to protect the publicās health, safety, or welfare; or focused public attention on important potential impacts of science and technology on society by their responsible participation in public policy debates; or established important new precedents in carrying out the social responsibilities or in defending the professional freedom of scientists and engineers.ā Nominations are due by September 1, 2014. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Importance of Statistics Highlighted by ASA White Papers and International Year of Statistics Workshop Report
The American Statistical Association (ASA), a COSSA governing member, has released three white papers detailing how statistics can contribute to the Administrationās research initiatives and priorities, particularly those of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Ā The white papers focus on the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, the Big Data Research and Development Initiative, and climate change. Ā In an overview of the white papers, ASA Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson observed that the papers share several common themes:
COSSA Joins Partners to Urge Senate Support for IES
On July 9, COSSA joined with a number of its member associations and sister coalitions on a letterĀ to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee expressing concern with the House-passed Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366), which is legislation to reauthorize the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the Department of Education. As currently written, the bill would ādiminish the autonomy, authority, and stature of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)ā within IES. The letter urges the Senate to amend the bill āto ensure that NCES data and statistics are objective, independent, and relevant to education…
House Approves Symbolic Attacks on NIH Grants
Note: This article was originally published on September 13, 2004. We’ve reposted it fromĀ COSSA’s archivesĀ due to its resonance with today’s climate in Congress. When a Federal agency has its budget doubled in five years, its expenditures attract a great deal of attention.Ā The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been a āmost favoredā agency for many years.Ā In the eyes of many of its supporters on Capitol Hill, the research it funds saves lives, including in some cases, their own.Ā Thus, from 1998 to 2003 NIHās budget grew from $13 billion to over $27 billion. NIH uses an elaborate system…