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 Participating in Development of New Vision for U.S. Science and Technology
Throughout the fall, a task force of more than 60 leaders in science, technology, industry, government, and philanthropy has been meeting to discuss and develop a new Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST). The bipartisan group includes representatives spanning the various sectors that touch the U.S. scientific enterprise. The near-term goal is to develop a draft of the vision that can be shared with the incoming Presidential Administration and Congress in the coming weeks with the final vision slated to be complete by early 2025. COSSA Executive Director Wendy Naus is serving on the Task Force. According to a press release, the…
CNSTAT Releases Eighth Edition of Principles & Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency
The Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released the eighth edition of Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, a report released every four years to coincide with presidential terms. The consensus study report provides an explanation of the federal statistical system and offers guiding principles and best practices for federal statistical agencies. While the practices and principles remain largely the same as past versions (see previous COSSA coverage), the most recent report includes updated information on the changes made to the federal statistical system in the past four years. The…
SRCD Accepting Applications for Policy Fellowship Program
The Society for Research Development (SRCD) is accepting applications for their U.S Policy Fellowship Program. This fellowship provides postdoctoral placements for postdoctoral child development experts for one to two years in a US federal or state agency, or a congressional agency, with a focus on child and family policy. Fellows work in fast paced environments on policy implementation programs, drafting memos, developing research funding, and more. SRCD is seeking researchers that are passionate about evidence-based policymaking, who are open to learning, and want to explore policy-related fields. Interested applicants can apply here. The application process includes a written portion, an interview, and a match-making…
Preparing for Next Week’s Elections: Content from COSSA!
In anticipation of next week’s elections, we wanted to share some of our past Why Social Science? posts and Headlines webinars to help you navigate the next few days. Why Social Science? COSSA Headlines Webinars In our recent COSSA Washington Update, we compiled a list of Competitive Elections for the SBS Community to Watch where you can find some races that will have an effect on our community. The article also includes links to the Cook Political Reports where you can keep a close eye on the races. We also recommend another tracker from The Hill to keep a close…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue November 19
Last Spring, the White House released a seminal report detailing the important contributions the social and behavioral sciences make to addressing some of the nation’s most pressing challenges and promoting better use of social and behavioral science research in evidence-based policymaking across the federal government. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking in May following two years of work by social and behavioral science experts from across federal agencies and departments. Join COSSA on November 19 for a discussion with Kei Koizumi, OSTP Principal Deputy…
Congress: Competitive Elections for the SBS Community to Watch
As November 5 rapidly approaches, Congress is likely to see some leadership changes in both the House and the Senate. With a current slim majority in both chambers, competitive races have Democrats and Republicans battling for control. The 2024 CPR Senate Race Ratings from the Cook Political Report details the Senate races that are competitive, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Significantly more Democrat-held seats are in competitive races than Republican-held seats in the Senate. Similarly, the 2024 CPR House Race Ratings from the Cook Political Report details the House races that are competitive, including races in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,…
Social Scientists, STEM Education Experts to Join National Science Board
On October 15, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the newest class of National Science Board members, which includes sociologist and former White House official Alondra Nelson. The National Science Board (NSB) is the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms and new members are appointed by the President. Alondra Nelson is a sociologist who served as the first Deputy Director for Science and Society at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)…
The Reestablished NIH Scientific Management Review Board Schedules First Meeting
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reestablished the Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) to review the agency’s structure and research portfolio and make recommendations to the NIH director. While SMRB was originally created by Congress in 2006, the review board hasn’t met or issued any reports since 2015 (see previous COSSA coverage). In response to growing Congressional criticism of the NIH, including Republican discontent about the handling of COVID-19 (see previous COSSA coverage), SMRB has scheduled their initial meeting for November 12 to review the NIH’s mission, structure, and budget as well as SMRB’s history and future directions. Notably,…
OBSSR Releases 2025-2029 Strategic Plan
On October 15, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) released its Strategic Plan for 2025-2029. This is OBSSR’s fourth strategic plan in its 27-year history. The plan, which was developed over the last three years with input from the stakeholder community, also reflects recommendations made in recent years by two NIH Council of Councils working groups on Trans-NIH Research Opportunities in the Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences (2021) and Integration of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at NIH (2022). The new strategic plan emphasizes health equity as a crosscutting theme and identifies three research priorities: (1) Coordinating and promoting…
NASEM Calls for Experts for Study on Disabilities in STEM Workforce
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has put out a call for experts to participate in a study focused on increasing knowledge about barriers, solutions, and policies facing people with disabilities to advance a robust STEM workforce and STEM education workforce. NASEM staff is looking to build a team of approximately 12-16 volunteers whose tasks will include collecting information on potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications regarding this study. NASEM is seeking experts in the following areas: disability studies, STEM career development, STEM and STEM education workforce, employment law, disability accommodations for academic and…
Congress on the Campaign Trail
Congress departed for the campaign trail on October 1 after passing a continuing resolution (CR) to extend the appropriations deadline to December 20 (see previous COSSA coverage). Expected to return on November 12 after the elections, Congress will return ready to draft the final appropriations bills or seek a second CR to allow for the new Congressional session to take the helm. Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage of Congressional news.
NSF Researchers Awarded Physics Nobel Prize
John Hopfield at Princeton University and Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto, Canada were awarded the physics Nobel Prize for their research on artificial neural networks. The Nobel laureates received several funding grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), including Hinton’s award for the Search Methods for Massively Parallel Networks from the Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science (AICS) program, to support this work. Following the announcement, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan praised, “The laureates brought their understanding of the fundamental physical workings of nature into a new realm and created an entirely new foundation that has led to what we…
NIJ Seeks Input into Public Access Plan
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is seeking stakeholder input into the development of its Public Access Plan. NIJ is interested in hearing from NIJ grantees, criminal justice practitioners, researchers, publishers, and other interested parties. Development of the plan aligns with the Biden Administration’s 2022 directive that federal agencies make peer-reviewed publications resulting from federal funding freely available to the public immediately following publication. However, it is important to note that given its size, NIJ is not required to comply with the 2022 memorandum, unlike larger federal science agencies (e.g., National Institute of…
NASEM Publishes Follow-Up on State of Science Address
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently published an update to President Marcia McNutt’s State of Science address in which they reemphasized her main points from the speech, and brought in guest authors to expand on what is needed to improve the U.S. research enterprise (see previous COSSA coverage). This collection of articles includes: “K-12 Education” by Alexandra Fuentes; “Addressing Red Tape” by Matt Owens; “Bidirectional Collaboration” by James Manyika; “Cultivating Trust” by J. Marshall Shepherd; and “Learning to Listen” by Stephanie Diem. In McNutt’s State of Science address, encouraging innate childhood curiosity was linked to strengthening…
Research!America Requesting Proposals for 2024-25 Civic Engagement Microgrants Program
Research!America announced the application period for its Civic Engagement Microgrant Program is now open. The program awards grants of up to $4,000 to graduate student and postdoc-led groups in STEM (including social science) to design projects that create dialogue with public officials, local community leaders, and the public around issues of common concern. These funds provide opportunities for grantees to develop skills in areas such as communication and program planning, along with an understanding of public policy and government to have an impact in their local communities. Applications are due November 4, 2024. More details are available on Research!America’s website.
Call for Applications: APSA’s Pracademic Fellowship
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is accepting proposals for the Pracademic Fellowship Program on a rolling basis. The Pracademic Fellowship Program aims to bridge the gap between academia and the world of practitioners by supporting mid-career faculty members to work in federal government agencies in the Washington, D.C. area. Fellows work directly with decision-makers involved in programs of their interest and get a first-hand vantage point of a federal agency’s decision-making environment. The program is open to faculty members in political science, public management, public policy, public administration, and related fields, and is particularly well-suited to mid-career faculty taking advantage of overlaps with…
Congress Passes CR; Pushes Deadline to December 20
Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to push the budget deadline of September 30 to December 20, allowing members to depart for the campaign trail in October. The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 9747) extended current fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending levels for the twelve-week interim. As previously reported by COSSA, the House attempted to attach the CR to a bill seeking to require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote during federal elections that did not receive support. With the deadline pushed to after the elections, it’s unclear whether Congress will return ready to draft the final appropriations…
NSF Launches New Directorate Profiles Resource
The National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a new resource within the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). This new resource provides profiles on the seven NSF directorates including the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) and includes visualizations on research doctorate recipients from US academic institutions for fields of science and engineering. With data sourced from the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), this tool was designed to present data on the directorates in a more accessible and visually appealing way. A link to the full resource can be found here….
Dr. Adam Gamoran Nominated by Biden as Next IES Director
On September 9, President Biden nominated Dr. Adam Gamoran as the next Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). If confirmed, Gamoran would replace the current Acting Director, Dr. Matthew Soldner, who has been serving since the departure of Dr. Mark Schneider in April 2024. Gamoran is a sociologist with a PhD from the University of Wisconsin who currently serves as the President of the William T. Grant Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to research that improves the lives of young people. Before his role at the William T. Grant Foundation, Gamoran held the John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and…