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 Submits Senate Testimony in Support of Social Science at NSF, Census, NIJ and BJS
Each year, COSSA submits outside witness testimony to the Congressional Appropriations subcommittees responsible for funding federal agencies important to the social sciences. Earlier this month, COSSA submitted testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies calling for robust funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Census Bureau in fiscal year (FY) 2021. All of COSSA’s FY 2021 testimony will be posted on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COPAFS Names New Executive Director
The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) has announced the selection of Paul Schroeder as its next executive director effective May 15. Schroeder has previously held positions at the research firm EurekaFacts, Abt Associates, and Westat. Schroeder holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Virginia. He succeeds Cynthia Clark, who has led the organization since December 2018. COSSA congratulates Schroeder on his appointment and looks forward to continuing to work closely with COPAFS on issues affecting federal statistical agencies. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 9
Featured News Advocates Working to Promote Social Science Amid COVID-19 Crisis Senate Returns Next Week with Uncertain Agenda; House Staying Home Census Launches COVID-19 Household Survey Notable COVID-19 Resources COSSA in Action Demographer Allison Plyer Answers “Why Social Science?” Letters & Statements Federal Agency & Administration News White House Announces Appointments for PCAST and NSB Data Strategy Releases Update on Implementation NSF Announces Fairness in Artificial Intelligence Collaboration with Amazon Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Community News & Reports Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Recent Reports Events Calendar
Advocates Working to Promote Social Science Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Today, about 40 social and behavioral scientists and other stakeholders are participating in COSSA’s 6th Annual Social Science Advocacy Day, meeting virtually with Members of Congress and their staff about the many ways social and behavioral science is helping to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow our advocates’ efforts on Twitter by following @COSSADC and using the hashtag #whysocialsciencev. Others can get in on the action by responding to COSSA’s newest action alert. Visit COSSA’s Take Action page to tell Congress that the social sciences stand ready and willing to help the United States recover from this crisis. In addition, COSSA…
Senate Returns Next Week with Uncertain Agenda; House Staying Home
While the Senate is planning to return to in-person work in Washington, DC on May 4, the House abruptly changed course and, upon recommendation from the House physician, will not be reconvening next week. No timeline has been set for the House’s return. While working mostly remotely, the House and Senate passed its fourth supplemental appropriations bill on April 24 related to the crisis. The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) provides additional funding for small business loans, additional support for health care providers, and funding for additional COVID-19 testing. There is much speculation surrounding the…
Census Launches COVID-19 Household Survey
The Census Bureau has applied for and received emergency authorization from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct a new household survey to collect information about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on American families. The COVID-19 Household Pulse Survey will ask individuals about their employment status, spending patterns, food security, housing, physical and mental health, access to health care, and educational disruption during the coronavirus pandemic. The survey was developed with input from agencies across the federal statistical system, including the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the National Center…
White House Announces Appointments for PCAST and NSB
On April 20, the White House announced the appointment of several individuals for key positions in the Administration including two seats on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and four seats on the National Science Board (NSB), the advisory body to the National Science Foundation (NSF). This wave of nominations for PCAST follows an announcement from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director and PCAST Chair Kelvin Droegemeier that several future PCAST nominees would come from academia rather than industry (read previous COSSA coverage for more details). The two nominees for PCAST are:…
Data Strategy Releases Update on Implementation
The Federal Data Strategy has released an update for the first quarter of 2020 on the implementation of its 2020 Action Plan (see previous coverage). The update includes a list of the early milestones the strategy has met so far, such as the establishment of a Federal Chief Data Officers Council and Federal Data Policy Committee, as well as those that are in progress. More information is available on the Data Strategy website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NSF Announces Fairness in Artificial Intelligence Collaboration with Amazon
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking research proposals for the NSF Program on Fairness in Artificial Intelligence in Collaboration with Amazon, a program seeking to support research on how to ensure fairness in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The program is partially funded by Amazon, although the company will not have a role in the award selection process. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of artificial intelligence research, many fields of the social and behavioral sciences may be supported by this program including information science, statistics, cognitive science, and psychology. Some of the research topics that may be supported include:…
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…