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 Speaks with University of Michigan Student Press on Top Ranking for Social Science Funding
Recently, Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) Executive Director Wendy Naus spoke with Nadia Taeckens of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor’s independent student paper, The Michigan Daily, for an article on COSSA’s 2023 College & University Rankings for Federal Social & Behavioral Science R&D. For the second year in a row, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor topped COSSA’s rankings, beating out universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (see previous coverage). In the article, Naus states, “(COSSA has) been using federally collected data to develop the rankings since 2016, because we were…
Congress on Spring Break, Returns April 18
Lawmakers have left Washington for a two-week spring recess. Upon their return later this month, work will continue on several thorny topics, including negotiations to raise the debt ceiling and setting top-line funding limits for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills. Appropriations subcommittees could begin crafting spending legislation over the next couple months, and those measures may include significant cuts to discretionary spending, including for research. As previously reported, House Republicans are seeking to cut non-defense discretionary spending back to FY 2022 levels; however, such cuts will not be supported by the Democrat-controlled Senate, setting the stage for major…
Nominations Open for 2023 James S. Jackson Memorial Award
The National Institute of Mental Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking nominations for the 2023 James S. Jackson Memorial Award. This award, named in memoriam for previous University of Michigan Professor of Psychology and former COSSA president James S. Jackson, honors an outstanding researcher with demonstrated exceptional individual achievement and leadership in mental health disparities research. Award recipients will also have shown excellence in mentorship, influence, and defined support of trainees. Nominations will be accepted through May 10, 2023. Read more information about the award’s criteria, application, and selection process here.
SEAN Report Addresses COVID-19 Related Challenges for Individuals with Precarious Employment
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) has released it’s latest rapid expert consultation, Addressing COVID-19 Related Challenges Facing Individuals Engaged in Precarious Employment. SEAN provides social, behavioral, and economic science researchers with resources to produce rapid-fire reports and recommendations to influence policy decisions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (see previous COSSA coverage). In this latest report, SEAN considers the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees in jobs that are considered to have low security, such as jobs with low wages and low benefits. The report found that employees in these positions had…
CNSTAT Releases Second Data Infrastructure Report in Series Intended to Modernize Data Collection
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) has released its second in an ongoing series of data infrastructure reports intended to modernize and enhance data collection (previous COSSA coverage). This latest report, Toward a 21st Century National Data Infrastructure: Enhancing Survey Programs by Using Multiple Data Sources, builds off the first by discussing how using multiple data sources beyond sample surveys could improve the data collection for statistics and social and economic research, as well as data equity. The report acknowledges several data sources that could improve data collection, including probability samples, administrative…
COSSA Welcomes Cal State San Bernardino’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as New Member
COSSA is thrilled to welcome the California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as its newest member! The CSUSB College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is the university’s primary school for the social sciences. CSUSB is a research university in San Bernardino, California and receives over $800,000 annually in federal social and behavioral science funding. COSSA’s full membership list can be found here. Information on how to join is on the COSSA website.
COSSA Releases Analysis of President’s Budget Request for FY 2024 for Social Science
On March 9, the Biden Administration began releasing details of its fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request to Congress, with additional information rolling out over subsequent days. In total, the Biden Administration is requesting $209.7 billion for research and development activities across the federal government in FY 2024, an increase of $8.9 billion. Within that amount, $101.2 billion is sought for basic and applied research activities, an increase of $3.5 billion. The budget identifies several cross-government priorities for the President, including: As you will read throughout this report, the FY 2024 budget request prioritizes investment in these and other areas…
118th Congress: Profile of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) is an important committee to the research community in that it is responsible for securing appropriations and drafting legislation for the Department of Education (ED), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The LHHS Subcommittee is one of the most sought-after committee appointments in the Senate due to the wide scope of agencies and priorities under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME)…
DOD Announces Awards for Social Science Research Under the Defense Education and Civilian University Partnership
The Department of Defense (DOD) has announced a $2 million award for partnerships between six university and Defense Professional Military Education (PME) institution faculty teams in an effort to facilitate connections between faculty who share complementary research interests. These Defense Education and Civilian University Research (DECUR) Partnerships exist under DoD’s Minerva Research Initiative, which strengthens the DOD’s connections with the social science community and helps DoD better understand and prepare for future challenges. Each DECUR partnership is set to pursue one of the following research projects: Read more about the awards and partnerships here.
COSSA Board Member Sara Curran Comments on U.S. Race & Ethnicity Standards
On March 16, The Seattle Times quoted Director of the University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology and At-Large member of COSSA’s Board of Directors Sara Curran in an article on the need to update the U.S. standards of collecting race and ethnicity data. The recent push to revise the race and ethnicity data standards has been a priority of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has led town halls to collect public feedback on the proposed changes to the standards (see previous COSSA coverage). In the article, Dr. Curran states that “these categories change…
NIH Seeking Feedback on Plan to Enhance Public Access to Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a Plan to Enhance Public Access to the Results of NIH-Supported Research, a direct response to the August 2022 memorandum from the White House directing federal research agencies to make publications and data from federally funded research publicly accessible (see previous COSSA coverage). The plan outlines the agency’s proposed actions to make NIH research more publicly accessible, especially in regard to research data and scholarly publications. In addition, NIH will be accepting feedback on the public access plan, with particular interest on the following topics: Comments will be accepted through April 24,…
March Headlines to Feature Discussion on the FY 2024 Funding Outlook for Social & Behavioral Science Research
COSSA’s regular webinar series, COSSA Headlines, is back for 2023 and will kick off March 16 with a discussion on President Biden’s FY 2024 budget request for science and outlook for research funding in the new Congress. The COSSA team will also highlight ways social and behavioral science researchers can weigh on with their elected officials to support federal research funding. Register for the webinar here.
118th Congress: Profile of the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) is an important committee to the research community in that it is responsible for securing appropriations and drafting legislation for scientific agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Justice (DOJ), Census Bureau, and several other science and statistical agencies. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, Patty Murray (D-WA) announced Democratic subcommittee assignments in mid-February. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) remains as the CJS Chair, and, for the minority, Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) has also remained in his position as Ranking Member. The Subcommittee is expected to begin holding…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on a Science and Technology Strategy
On March 1, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (SST) held a public hearing titled The United States, China, and the Fight for Global Leadership: Building a U.S. National Science and Technology Strategy. The hearing focused on the geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China as well as the development of a National Science and Technology Strategy, a framework mandated in the 2022 enacted CHIPS and Science Act that aims to make the U.S. more competitive technologically. Witnesses included Former Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, President and CEO…
House Energy and Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on Data Privacy and Security
On March 1, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on data security, mass data collection, and the need to protect Americans’ privacy in the wake of resulting targeted ads and the vulnerability of consumer data. Salient points regarding the necessity for data security, with implications for researchers and anyone concerned about privacy standards were discussed at length. Witnesses included President and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology Alexandra Reeve Givens, Founder and Chief Product Officer of Anonym Graham Mudd, and Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor for Consumer Protection at Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP…
OSTP to Host Listening Sessions to Inform the Federal STEM Strategic Plan
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting virtual listening sessions throughout March to inform development of the 2023-2028 Federal STEM Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan was first introduced in 2013 by the National Science and Technology Committee (NSTC) during the Obama Administration, and was continued by the Trump Administration in 2018 (previous COSSA coverage). The Strategic Plan is a five-year plan that seeks to improve STEM education and the workforce and is required by the America COMPETES Re-authorization Act of 2010. The listening sessions will be facilitated by the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute…
OMB, Stakeholders Preparing for Changes to Race and Ethnicity Standards
As previously reported by COSSA, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is in the process of revising and modernizing their race and ethnicity standards that were last updated in 1997. The Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards is hosting a series of Town Halls to receive feedback from the public on the initial proposals. The Town Halls are scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 at 2pm ET, Friday, March 17 at 2pm ET, and Saturday, March 18, at 2pm ET. Registration has not yet opened but will be available here. OMB will also record the sessions…
OSTP and BJS Requesting Feedback on Criminal Justice Statistics
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) within the Department of Justice have released a request for information regarding the collection of criminal justice data and statistics. The request seeks to inform the Biden Administration’s practices on data collection, use, and transparency and will aim to identify how to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies. The request builds off of a previous Executive Order (E.O. 14074) on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety. Comments will be accepted through March 30, 2023….
Penn State and OSTP Host Final Evidence Forum
Penn State University’s Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative held an Evidence Forum alongside the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on February 22. As a part of a series of events, the Evidence Forums were held to foster communication between federal agencies and the public to share evidence-based research strategies. At the final of ten Evidence Forums, Penn State focused on the need to improve equity within research. The forum concluded that affected populations should be central to identifying solutions and that researchers must consider societal impacts. Neeli Bendapudi, the President of Penn State, emphasized the importance of disciplines working…