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.
House Passes Bill on Suicide Prevention Research
On January 27, the House of Representatives passed the Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4704) by a vote of 385 to 8. The bill, sponsored by freshman Member Ben McAdams (D-UT), would direct the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund cross-disciplinary research—including research in the social and behavioral sciences—focused on preventing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, the bill enables NSF to collaborate with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund research grants on suicide prevention and promote the professional development of suicide prevention researchers. Although the bill was passed by the Democrat-controlled House, it is unlikely to…
NSF Hosting Symposium to Celebrate 70th Anniversary
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will host a symposium on February 6 and 7 to begin a year-long commemoration of NSF’s 70th anniversary. The symposium will take place at NSF’s Alexandria, Virginia headquarters and will also be webcast. The two-day event will feature past and present NSF Directors, Waterman award winners, and leaders from academia and industry. More information, the event agenda, and details about how to attend are available on NSF’s website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NCHS Releases First Estimate of Maternal Mortality in 13 Years
NCHS recently released its final 2018 mortality data, which includes the first official estimate of maternal mortality since 2007. NCHS suspended annual estimates of the maternal mortality rate (defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy) due to inconsistencies and errors in state death records. To create the new estimates, NCHS performed an analysis of the use of checkboxes indicating current or recent pregnancy that had been added to the standard death certificate and revised its coding procedures to ensure that it was sufficiently accounting for potential errors. Thanks to this work, NCHS…
NIMHD Names Psychologist Monica Webb Hooper Deputy Director
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the selection of Dr. Monica Webb Hooper as its new Deputy Director. Dr. Webb Hooper comes from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, where she is a professor of oncology, family medicine, and psychological sciences. She has also served as Associate Director for Cancer Disparities Research and Director of the Office of Cancer Disparities Research at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. She comes to NIMHD with years of expertise in minority health and cancer-related health disparities spanning multiple disadvantaged populations….
Defense Health Program Releases Anticipated Funding Opportunities for Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program
On January 10, the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the Defense Health Program at the Department of Defense released a pre-announcement of its fiscal year (FY) 2020 anticipated funding opportunities and topic areas. Topic areas include eating disorders, resilience training, and sleep disorders, among others. PRMRP supports research projects to improve the health, care, and well-being of all military service members, veterans, and beneficiaries and grant proposals must address at least one of the pre-determined topic areas. More information can be found on the Defense Health Program website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Analysis Finds that STEM Supports Two Thirds of U.S. Jobs
A new analysis released on January 28 found that 67 percent of U.S. jobs and 69 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) are supported by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The analysis, conducted by FTI Consulting on behalf of 10 leading U.S. scientific, engineering and industry organizations, including COSSA, found that STEM supports an outsized share of the U.S. economy and produces $2.3 trillion in federal tax revenue annually. The analysis—STEM and the American Workforce—takes one of the most inclusive views of the scientific workforce to date, factoring in jobs that rely on STEM fields regardless of…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 2
Featured News HOT TOPIC: Foreign Interference in the U.S. Research Enterprise & Policy Responses COSSA in Action COSSA Sends Letter in Support of Panchanathan Nomination to Lead NSF Congressional News Impeachment, Natural Disasters, and Elections Signal Difficult Road Ahead for FY 2021 Appropriations Federal Agency & Administration News OSTP Requests Feedback on Data Repositories and Data Sharing 2020 Census to Begin Counting in Rural Alaska Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Open Positions Community News & Reports Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Recent Reports Open Positions COSSA Member Spotlight SAGE Awards Inaugural Impact Writing Prize…
HOT TOPIC: Foreign Interference in the U.S. Research Enterprise & Policy Responses
COSSA has released the latest edition of our HOT TOPIC series, which are featured articles prepared by COSSA staff members offering insights into timely issues important to the social and behavioral science community. This edition, titled Foreign Interference in the U.S. Research Enterprise & Policy Responses, was written by Ben Goodrich. In recent years, United States federal research agencies have faced growing concerns of reports of U.S. research and intellectual property being stolen, illegally transferred, or tampered with by foreign governments, notably the Chinese government. These agencies have employed a variety of methods to protect research from foreign interference, including commissioning…
COSSA Sends Letter in Support of Panchanathan Nomination to Lead NSF
On January 21, COSSA submitted a letter to leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in support of the nomination of Sethuraman Panchanathan to be the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) (see previous coverage). The letter notes that “Dr. Panchanathan has a strong and clear vision on the role of research and innovation in ensuring our nation’s leadership in the global economy, and we are pleased to lend our collective voices in support of his nomination.” Panchanathan was nominated in December for a six-year term following the upcoming retirement of current NSF Director France…
Impeachment, Natural Disasters and Elections Signal Difficult Road Ahead for FY 2021 Appropriations
The second session of the 116th Congress kicked off earlier this month, and while the new year did not begin with a historically-long government shutdown as it did in 2019, Congress still faces a myriad of challenges to completing spending bills for the coming fiscal year. The Senate is expected to begin the impeachment trial of President Trump on January 21, which will fully occupy the Senate’s time, leaving significant legislative debates until after the trial concludes, which could be several weeks. While the House has finished its impeachment business, a backlog of work remains for the lower chamber, including…
OSTP Requests Feedback on Data Repositories and Data Sharing
The While House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a Request for Public Comment on January 17 on Draft Desirable Characteristics of Repositories for Managing and Sharing Data Resulting from Federally Funded Research. The request, published in the Federal Register, was issued on behalf of the multi-agency Subcommittee on Open Science of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Science. The proposed set of desirable characteristics are intended to improve the consistency of information that federal agencies provide to the scientific community about the long-term preservation of data resulting from federally funded research. The Subcommittee on Open…
2020 Census Count Begins in Rural Alaska
The U.S. Census Bureau starts counting the population of rural Alaska for the 2020 Census on January 21 in the remote Alaskan village of Toksook Bay. The decennial Census traditionally begins counting the populations in remote Alaskan villages much earlier than the official Census Day due to the hard-to-count nature of the region. The count of the rest of the U.S. population will officially start on Census Day, April 1. More information about the timeline of the 2020 Census can be found on the 2020 Census website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
SAGE Awards Inaugural Impact Writing Prize to Social and Behavioral Scientists
SAGE Publishing, a COSSA affiliate member, has announced the winners of its inaugural Impact in Action Writing Prize. Administered through its online platform Social Science Space, the award is given to researchers who effectively communicate through writing how social and behavioral science research leaves an impact in non-academic spaces. The recipients of the 2019 Impact in Action Writing Prize are: Cheryl Durwin & Dina Moore from Southern Connecticut State University Lynn Thigpen from the Wisdom Project Maria Kreuzer from the International University of Monaco Ian Male & William Farr from the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) Trust Submissions for…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 39 Issue 1
Featured News Sethuraman Panchanathan Nominated to Lead National Science Foundation COSSA in Action Early Bird Registration Open for 2020 Social Science Advocacy Day Still Time to Register for January’s Headlines Webchat APA’s Office of International Affairs Answers “Why Social Science?” Congressional News Congress Completes FY 2020 Appropriations Process; Read COSSA’s Analysis Native American Language Reauthorization Bill Signed into Law Senate Passes Bipartisan Resolution Supporting 2020 Census Federal Agency & Administration News White House Finalizes 2020 Data Strategy Action Plan National Institute of Mental Health Requests Information on Draft 2020 Strategic Plan NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Social Science Perspectives…
Sethuraman Panchanathan Nominated to Lead National Science Foundation
The White House announced on December 19 that President Trump intends to nominate Sethuraman Panchanathan to a six-year term as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Current NSF Director France Córdova’s term ends in March. Panchanathan has been a member of the National Science Board since 2014 and leads “knowledge enterprise development” at Arizona State University (ASU). Panchanathan holds his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering and was central in founding the School of Computing and Informatics and the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at ASU. Following Córdova’s retirement in March, Panchanathan’s nomination will require approval by the Senate….
Early Bird Registration Open for 2020 Social Science Advocacy Day
Registration for Social Science Advocacy Day 2020 is now open. COSSA’s annual spring event will include a kickoff session featuring special guest speakers (to be announced in the coming weeks), a half-day of intensive context setting and advocacy preparation, COSSA’s annual Celebration of Social Science Rooftop Reception, and a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill. COSSA members are encouraged to take advantage of our Early Bird discount and register by February 1 for only $75! Graduate and undergraduate students are eligible to register at a reduced rate of $25. Advocacy Day is open exclusively to individuals employed by or affiliated with COSSA…
Still Time to Register for January’s Headlines Webchat
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly COSSA Headlines webchat on Thursday January 9, in which COSSA staff will break down the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month, including how social science fared in the final fiscal year (FY) 2020 spending agreement, Trump’s new nominee to lead the National Science Foundation, and the launch of a pilot single-application portal for accessing restricted federal statistics. 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.
Congress Completes FY 2020 Appropriations Process; Read COSSA’s Analysis
In a final, year-end show of bipartisanship, Congress passed all of its FY 2020 appropriations bills last month. While still nearly three months late (FY 2020 began on October 1), completion of all 12 appropriations bills before the end of the calendar year is a welcomed departure from recent years that had some agencies not receiving their final budgets until well into the new year. This officially closes the books on FY 2020 and allows lawmakers to hit the ground running on FY 2021 funding when the new session starts this week. The two funding packages (H.R. 1865 and H.R….
Native American Language Reauthorization Bill Signed into Law
On December 20, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act (S. 256) was signed into law. The legislation reauthorizes the Native American Languages Preservation and Maintenance grant program and the Esther Martinez Initiative grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services. Both programs support projects to preserve and revitalize Native languages in tribal communities. In addition to reauthorizing the two programs, the legislation increases the maximum possible duration of all Esther Martinez grants from three years to five years and decreases the required minimum number of enrollees in Native American language programs. The text of the…