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 Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 8
Featured News Congress Split on Content, Timing of Next Supplemental Census Bureau to Add COVID-19 Questions to Business Surveys, Request Additional Time for Decennial OHRP Issues Guidance on Human Subjects Protections for Coronavirus Actions NIMHD Seeking Research Proposals on the Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Minority Health and Health Disparities National Academies Begins Series of Virtual Discussions on the Research Community’s Responses to COVID-19 New COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action Letters & Statements Federal Agency & Administration News OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier Named Acting NSF Director Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Fellowships & Professional Development…
Congress Split on Content, Timing of Next Supplemental
Congress left town in late March upon passage of its third COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill (see COSSA’s coverage) with no set timeline for return. Many are still speculating about what a fourth coronavirus supplemental bill might contain. Republicans are interested in a package focused on relief for small businesses and an infusion of cash for the Small Business Administration, while Democrats are seeking additional resources for hospitals, food stamp benefits, testing, and protective gear for frontline workers. The research and higher education communities, too, have been developing proposals for Congressional consideration. On April 7, four higher education associations sent a…
Census Bureau to Add COVID-19 Questions to Business Surveys, Request Additional Time for Decennial
The Census Bureau has been granted emergency authorization from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to add questions related to COVID-19 to its business surveys. Questions to measure the impact of the pandemic will be added to five surveys: the Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories & Orders (M3) Survey; the Building Permits Survey; the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey; the Monthly Retail Surveys; and the Quarterly Services Survey. The Census Bureau will be asking businesses whether they have temporarily closed any locations for at least one day, whether they experienced delays in their supply chains or product shipments, and whether…
OHRP Issues Guidance on Human Subjects Protections for Coronavirus Actions
The Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) within the Department of Health and Human Services has issued guidance for institutions and investigators conducting research in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance covers the following topics: (1) Public Health and Clinical Activities; (2) Excluded Public Health Surveillance Activities; (3) Legally Required Reporting; (4) Research Changes to Eliminate Apparent Immediate Hazards; (5) Proposing and Reviewing Study Changes; and, (6) Whether Suspensions of Research Must be Reported. The guidance document can be accessed at on OHRP’s website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIMHD Seeking Research Proposals on the Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Minority Health and Health Disparities
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Notice of Special Interest soliciting research proposals that aim to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting minority health and health disparities. In particular, the institute is interested in understanding how state and local public health policies affect health disparities, the role protective interventions may have in mitigating health disparities that COVID-19 may cause, and how behavioral or biological mechanisms may contribute to the spread of COVID-19. This notice is one of many coming out of the institutes and centers…
National Academies Begins Series of Virtual Discussions on the Research Community’s Responses to COVID-19
On April 9, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW) hosted the first event in a new virtual series discussing post-secondary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion series, which will take place over the course of several weeks, will bring together leaders from academia, industry, government, and civil society to address new developments in COVID-19 responses in different sectors of the research community. Each virtual event will touch on a specific topic on how researchers and their institutions can help support public health efforts. The April 9 event, which focused…
OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier Named Acting NSF Director
Kelvin Droegemeier, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has been named the acting director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) until the Senate confirms a permanent successor to the previous NSF Director, France Córdova. Córdova finished her six-year term heading the agency in March 2020 (see previous COSSA coverage for more details). The White House announced the nomination of Sethuraman Panchanathan as NSF Director in January 2020, however the timeline for the Senate to consider Panchanathan’s nomination has been made unclear by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to his tenure as OSTP Director, Droegemeier…
AAAS Accepting Nominations for 2021 Awards & Prizes
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced that the nominations process for several of its 2021 awards and prizes will open on April 15, 2020. The annual AAAS awards and prizes, which are announced at the AAAS Annual Meeting, recognize significant contributors to science and the public’s understanding of science. The awards and prizes that will accept nominations include: AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards (Closes: August 1, 2020) AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 7
Featured News COSSA Compiles Social Science Resources Related to COVID-19 COSSA’s Analysis of Enacted COVID-19 Supplemental Funding Legislation, FY 2020 April’s Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive on Social Science During the Coronavirus Crisis Census Bureau Temporarily Suspends 2020 Field Operations, In-Person Survey Interviews NSF Creates Resource Webpage for Information on COVID-19 Notable COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action Anthropologist Bill Maurer Answers “Why Social Science?” Read COSSA’s 2019 Annual Report Letters & Statements Congressional News House Science Committee Leaders Introduce Artificial Intelligence Legislation Federal Agency & Administration News NIH Seeks Revision Applications to Support Firearms Injury Research France Córdova Finishes…
COSSA Compiles Social Science Resources Related to COVID-19
COSSA is compiling a list of resources for social scientists and stakeholders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The list includes guidance from federal science agencies, collections of publicly available peer-reviewed research related to the crisis, resources from COSSA member associations, and more. It will be updated frequently; if you would like to share resources for inclusion, please contact us. There are a number of new databases for researchers wishing to amplify their work that may have relevance to the current crisis, including the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset, supported by the Allen Institute for AI, and a grassroots effort on GitHub…
COSSA’s Analysis of Enacted COVID-19 Supplemental Funding Legislation, FY 2020
Over the past month, Congress has passed three large stimulus bills in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, the three bills comprise the largest economic stimulus package in American history and touch nearly all aspects of American life, including scientific research, support for key economic sectors and small businesses, direct financial support to Americans, and boosts to social safety net programs. All three bills enacted in response to the crisis, so far, have been supplemental appropriations bills, meaning they provide funds to federal agencies and programs in addition to what has already been appropriated for the current fiscal year (FY…
April’s Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive on Social Science During the Coronavirus Crisis
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on Thursday, March 12. The COSSA team will break down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month, including how the coronavirus pandemic has affected infrastructure and operations at science agencies, organizations, and universities. As always, COSSA staff will be standing by to answer your questions. Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university can register for the webchat here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Census Bureau Temporarily Suspends 2020 Field Operations, In-Person Survey Interviews
The Census Bureau has announced further adjustments to its planned 2020 decennial census operations in response to the coronavirus epidemic (see previous coverage). On March 18, Census Director Steven Dillingham announced a two-week suspension of 2020 field operations. In addition, the Bureau’s two major facilities in Jeffersonville, IN, the National Processing Center and Paper Data Capture Center East, have dramatically reduced on-site staff to the minimum necessary to continue operations. These measures were further extended by an additional two weeks, through April 15, and could be extended even longer in accordance with public health guidelines. In addition, the Census Bureau…
NSF Creates Resource Webpage for Information on COVID-19
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a resource webpage compiling relevant information about NSF activities addressing the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Some of the resources available on the webpage include a FAQ about NSF awards, a document describing NSF’s implementation of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive, a Dear Colleague Letter inviting research proposals through the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program, and a list of NSF deadlines that have changed due to COVID-19. This resource page is frequently updated to include the most relevant and accurate information. In addition, on March 30, leadership from the Social, Behavioral and…
Read COSSA’s 2019 Annual Report
COSSA’s 2019 Annual Report is now available. Check it out to learn more about COSSA’s activities and successes over the past year. Find out how your organization can become a member of COSSA on our website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
House Science Committee Leaders Introduce Artificial Intelligence Legislation
On March 12, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee introduced the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (H.R. 6216). The legislation intends to accelerate and coordinate federal investments and facilitate new public-private partnerships in research, standards, and education in artificial intelligence, to ensure the United States leads the world in the development and use of responsible artificial intelligence systems. The legislation includes many opportunities for agencies to support research on the social and behavioral dimensions of artificial intelligence and emphasizes the importance of understanding the social,…
NIH Seeks Revision Applications to Support Firearms Injury Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a Notice of Special Interest soliciting competitive revision applications to programs that could potentially include firearms injury and mortality prevention research. This notice comes in the wake of NIH receiving $12.5 million dollars for research studying firearms injury and mortality prevention in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Appropriations bill (see COSSA’s analysis). Like all federal agencies, NIH is legislatively restricted from using its funding for certain activities such as advocating for gun control policies, but is able to fund research topics aiming to understand the underlying risk factors and variables. Topics cited…
France Córdova Ends Tenure as NSF Director; Timeline for Confirming New Director Unclear
National Science Foundation (NSF) Director France Córdova finished her six-year term as the head of the agency on March 31, 2020. Córdova, an astrophysicist and former Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California at Santa Barbara, served as NSF Director since 2014. A farewell message from Córdova to NSF staff is available on the NSF website. In January 2020, the White House announced the nomination of Sethuraman Panchanathan to succeed Córdova as NSF Director (see COSSA’s previous coverage). However, no hearing has yet been scheduled for Panchanathan’s consideration for the Senate-confirmed position due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic….
NSF Releases Report on Social Science Doctoral Recipients
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), the principal statistical agency within the National Science Foundation (NSF), released a report on “Doctorate Recipients in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE).” The report is part of a series of profiles highlighting trends in education related to each of NSF’s seven research directorates. The SBE report presents data on doctorates received in psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and other social sciences from NCSES’s Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctorate Recipients. The full report and associated data tables are available on the NCSES website. Back to this issue’s…