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 14
Featured News Federal Research Agencies Release Guidance on OMB’s Administrative Flexibility Changes Notable COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action July’s Headlines Webinar to Feature Deep Dive Discussion on NSF/NASEM Network to Answer COVID Policy Questions “Why Social Science?” Features Experts on Policing Congressional News Funding for DOD Social Science Research Restored in House and Senate Defense Authorization Bills RISE Act Would Provide Relief Funding for Federally Funded Scientists House Committee Releases Climate Policy Report, Recommends Strengthening of Research Enterprise Recent Reports Federal Agency & Administration News Census Releases Updated Demonstration Data Products PCAST Holds Virtual Meeting, Swears in New Members from…
Federal Research Agencies Release Guidance on OMB’s Administrative Flexibility Changes
In response to a June 18 memo (M 20-26) issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extending certain administrative flexibilities to federal grant recipients as relief for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, federal research agencies have released guidance statements clarifying the memo’s implications for recipients of research grants. On June 25, both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) released nearly identical sets of guidance in response to the OMB memo explaining how the changes to the flexibilities will specifically affect recipients of their grants. The flexibilities include an allowance to continue…
July’s Headlines Webinar to Feature Deep Dive Discussion on NSF/NASEM Network to Answer COVID Policy Questions
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on Thursday, July 9 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. The COSSA team will break down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month, followed by a deep dive discussion with Dr. Monica Feit, Deputy Executive Director of the Academies’ Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) on the Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN), an initiative of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to deploy the social sciences to answer urgent COVID-19 policy questions….
Funding for DOD Social Science Research Restored in House and Senate Defense Authorization Bills
Both the House and Senate’s drafts of the annual authorization bill for the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), include language preventing the elimination of funding for DOD’s basic social science research program, the Minerva Research Initiative, as proposed in the Administration’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2021. Both bills propose a total of $17 million in the Defense-Wide funding line for the Minerva initiative, which if enacted would be a sizeable increase over the $11.4 million the program received in FY 2020. While the Minerva Initiative receives some funding from the Navy and Air…
RISE Act Would Provide Relief Funding for Federally Funded Scientists
On June 24, Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act (H.R. 7308), which would authorize $26 billion in relief funding for federal science agencies to support researchers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds could be used to enable graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and Principal Investigators to complete work that was disrupted by COVID-19, or extend the training or employment of researchers on an existing research project for up to two years because of the disruption of the job market. The bill follows a similar Dear Colleague Letter led…
House Committee Releases Climate Policy Report, Recommends Strengthening of Research Enterprise
On June 30, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis majority staff released the report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America, a sweeping set of policy recommendations to address and combat climate change. The report recommends several initiatives to be taken by the U.S. government that would expand the federal science and technology sector’s ability to address climate change, including strengthening the research enterprise. Some of the recommendations that are relevant to the social and behavioral science research enterprise include: Expanding and sustaining funding for…
Census Releases Updated Demonstration Data Products
The Census Bureau has released a new set of demonstration data products that show how its new disclosure avoidance strategy (DAS) will impact the quality of its 2020 Census data products (see previous coverage). The Census Bureau is releasing a set of benchmark metrics to track the impact of the ongoing development and improvements to its privacy-protecting algorithm on data accuracy. These metrics will be updated every six weeks so data users can track the ongoing improvements Bureau staff are making to the algorithm. In addition, the Census Bureau has released a set of privacy-protected microdata files (PPMF) to allow…
PCAST Holds Virtual Meeting, Swears in New Members from Academia
On June 30, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held a virtual meeting during which two new members of PCAST were sworn in. Abraham “Avi” Loeb, Professor and Chair of the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University, and Daniela Rus, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were sworn in after being nominated in April amid discussions that new PCAST nominees would represent academia given that representatives from industry have already been appointed (see previous COSSA coverage for more details). Much of the meeting was dedicated to discussing…
NIMHD Seeking Research Applications Addressing COVID-19 Consequences on Vulnerable Populations
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new funding opportunity for community interventions to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among health disparity and vulnerable populations. The announcement specifically encourages applicants to address adverse psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic on the health of these populations. Applications open on July 28 and will be accepted through August 28. More information is available on the NIMHD website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 13
Featured News White House Issues Ban on Entry of Skilled Foreign Workers Notable COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action Letters & Statements Congressional News Policing Research Bill Introduced as Congress Continues Focus on Police Reform Federal Agency & Administration News Sethuraman Panchanathan Confirmed as Next NSF Director Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Open Positions Community News & Reports SEAN Releases Rapid Consultation on Evaluating Types of COVID-19 Data Scientific Community Responds to Racism and Police Violence through #ShutDownSTEM Campaign Nomination Opportunities COSSA Member Spotlight SPSP Names New Executive Director Events Calendar
White House Issues Ban on Entry of Skilled Foreign Workers
On June 22, President Trump issued a proclamation further extending restrictions on foreign travel to the United States in order to reduce the competitiveness of the U.S. labor market. The proclamation argues that due to the economic downturn and resulting unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, foreign workers “pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers.” The proclamation prohibits the entry of foreign workers under several visa categories commonly used by science and academic institutions to hire employees with unique skills and specialized training, including H-1B and H-4 visas, for skilled workers and their spouses respectively; J-1 visas,…
Policing Research Bill Introduced as Congress Continues Focus on Police Reform
In the wake of mass protests against police violence throughout the country, Congress has been active in introducing several bills addressing systemic racism and police violence, including a bill for more social and behavioral science research on these issues. On June 18, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (SST), introduced the Promoting Fair and Effective Policing Through Research Act, a bill that mandates that the National Science Foundation (NSF) fund social and behavioral science research on policing practices and the mitigation of police violence. It also directs the National Institute of…
Sethuraman Panchanathan Confirmed as Next NSF Director
On June 18, the Senate confirmed Sethuraman Panchanathan to be the 15th Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), an agency that had been without a Senate-confirmed director since France Córdova’s term expired in March. Panchanathan, who was nominated to lead the agency in January, holds a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering and serves as the Executive Vice President of Knowledge Enterprise Development and as Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Arizona State University. He has also served on the National Science Board since 2014. The timeline for the Senate to consider Panchanathan’s nomination was delayed significantly by the…
SEAN Releases Rapid Consultation on Evaluating Types of COVID-19 Data
The Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN), a collaboration between the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the National Science Foundation (NSF) (see previous coverage), has released its first rapid expert consultation in response to COVID-19. The report, Evaluating Data Types: A Guide for Decision Makers using Data to Understand the Extent and Spread of COVID-19, is intended to assist leaders in understanding the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. It was released alongside an interactive tool to help policymakers explore the information in more detail. The consultation summarizes the benefits and drawbacks of seven specific COVID-19 measurements that…
Scientific Community Responds to Racism and Police Violence through #ShutDownSTEM Campaign
On June 10, several academic and scientific organizations participated in the Shut Down STEM campaign, forgoing business as usual to instead reflect upon racism and police violence and its effect on science and research. Participants in #ShutDownSTEM took action in several ways, including the cancelling meetings, classes, and research activities, discussing potential methods to improve the research climate for Black researchers, and participating in a broader social media campaign using the hashtags #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia. More information can be found on shutdownstem.com. Back to this issue’s table of contents
SPSP Names New Executive Director
The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), a COSSA governing member, has announced the selection of Rachel Puffer as its next Executive Director effective July 7. Puffer currently serves as the Vice President for Membership and Meetings at the Gerontological Society of America. Brian Riddleberger, SPSP’s Chief Operating Officer, has been serving as Interim Executive Director during the search and will return to his COO role. COSSA congratulates Puffer on her appointment and looks forward to continuing to work with SPSP to advance the social and behavioral sciences. Back to this issue’s table of contents
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 12
Featured News Message from COSSA on Police Violence and Racial Injustice Notable COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action June’s Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive Discussion on Police Violence with Dr. Kristin Dukes Letters & Statements Congressional News Congress Looking to Move FY 2021 Funding Bills in Coming Weeks Bipartisan Bill Would Mandate DOD Fund Social Science Research Federal Agency & Administration News White House Launches Search for Chief Statistician IES Announces Changes, Requests Applications for Several of its Largest Grant Programs Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Open Positions Community News & Reports Nomination Opportunities…
Message from COSSA on Police Violence and Racial Injustice
We stand in solidarity with those protesting against the abuses of police power and the racist systems that perpetuate this violence. One of the fundamental lessons from the social sciences is that our lives are governed by social systems that were designed to bestow advantages and disadvantages unequally. While the social sciences have helped to illuminate those structures and the inequities and harms they create, the science community has failed to effectively address them within the scientific enterprise itself. While we cannot undo the horrific injustices of the past, we are committed to eradicating the scourge of white supremacy—both within…
June’s Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive Discussion on Police Violence with Dr. Kristin Dukes
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on Thursday, June 11 at 2:00 pm Eastern. The COSSA team will break down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month, followed by a deep dive discussion with Allegheny College Dean for Institutional Diversity Kristin Dukes, PhD, a social psychologist whose work has focused on police violence against racial and ethnic minorities. Participants may submit questions in advance by emailing Julia Milton (jmilton@cossa.org). Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university can register for the webchat here. Back to…