A staple since COSSAâs 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.Â
Senate Subcommittee Releases Report, Holds Hearing on Securing U.S. Research from Foreign Talent Recruitment Plans
On November 18, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released a staff report on federal agenciesâ efforts to protect the U.S. research enterprise from illegal technology transfer and research espionage occurring through foreign talent recruitment activities such as Chinaâs Thousand Talents Plan. The report offers details of prevention activities employed at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of State, the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the White House Office of Science and Technology…
PCAST Holds First Meeting, Swears in New Members
On November 18, the Presidentâs Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held its first meeting since the council was reconstituted in October. The meeting included discussions of possible work streams for PCAST, opportunities for collaboration with the National Science Board (the advisory body of the National Science Foundation), and updates on White House initiatives. Additionally, Kelvin Droegemeier, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Chair of PCAST, swore in two new PCAST members: Shannan Blunt, professor of electoral engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas, and Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Associate Dean…
NIH Requesting Comments on Newly Released Draft Policy for Data Management and Sharing
On November 6, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a draft of the new NIH Policy on Data Management and Sharing. The policy is intended to clarify rules on the handling and sharing of potentially sensitive NIH data while allowing access to the data to be more available for use in research. The draft policy requires all NIH-funded research resulting in the generation of scientific data to be submitted alongside a Data Management and Sharing Plan outlining any potential restrictions or limitations of data management. NIH is accepting public comments on the draft policy until January 10, 2020. More…
NEH Releases 2020 Summer Programs for Teachers
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has released information about its 2020 tuition-free summer programs, which it offers each year to provide an opportunity for K-12, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics. These programs focus on specific topics, texts, and questions in the humanities and promote connections between teaching and research in the humanities. Additionally, NEH offers stipends to help cover the cost of travel and living expenses for these one- to four-week programs. The applications for summer 2020 programs are due March 1, 2020. More information and a list of topics is available…
National Academies Launches Committee on Science and Innovation Leadership for the 21st Century
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineâs Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy and Committee on Science, Technology, and Law have established an ad hoc committee on âScience and Innovation Leadership for the 21st Century: Challenges and Strategic Implications for the United States.â The committee will produce a consensus report with recommendations on how to â1) draw attention to the most overlooked challenges, based on current research on U.S. competitiveness and trade, technology, and innovation policies; 2) develop a future agenda for needed research in areas that have not been fully explored; 3) identify current government infrastructure that…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 38 Issue 22
Featured News Census Bureau Releases âDemonstrationâ Decennial Data Products, Working with National Academies to Collect Public Input COSSA in Action Novemberâs Headlines to Feature Deep Dive on 2020 Census Congressional News FY 2020 Spending Still Uncertain, Continuing Resolution Likely Through December House Committee Passes Higher Education Act Reauthorization Federal Agency & Administration News White House Hosts Summit of the Joint Committee on the Research Environment New Advisory Committee on Evidence Building Seeking Nominations NIH to Host 2019 Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports…
Census Bureau Releases âDemonstrationâ Decennial Data Products, Working with National Academies to Collect Public Input
On October 29, the Census Bureau released a set of demonstration data products that show how the privacy measures planned for 2020 Census data would have applied to data from the 2010 Census. In a blog post, Census Bureau Chief Scientist John Abowd and Associate Director for Demographic Programs Victoria Velkoff assert that the âmethods we used to protect the 2010 Census and earlier statistics can no longer adequately defend against todayâs privacy threats.â They describe the new disclosure avoidance techniques planned to protect 2020 Census data and invite researchers and data users to experiment with the new demonstration products…
Novemberâs Headlines to Feature Deep Dive on 2020 Census
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly COSSA Headlines webchat on Thursday November 14, in which COSSA staff will recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participantsâ questions. The November chat will feature Mary Jo Hoeksema, Director of Government Affairs for the Population Association of America and Co-Director of the Census Project, on the 2020 Census. Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university can register for the webchat here. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
FY 2020 Spending Still Uncertain, Continuing Resolution Likely Through December
As COSSA has reported, the federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap measure that has frozen funding for federal agencies at fiscal year (FY) 2019 levels, which is set to expire on November 21. On October 31, the Senate made progress on its FY 2020 appropriations work by passing a package of four spending bills, including the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill that funds the National Science Foundation and Census Bureau, but leaving the fate of the remaining eight appropriations bills â and final year funding â uncertain. While the final decisions on…
House Committee Passes Higher Education Act Reauthorization
On October 31, the House Education and Labor Committee reported out its version of the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill, The College Affordability Act. The legislation includes a reauthorization of the Title VI International Education Programs and extends the six currently funded international education programs, including both Domestic Programs (also known as Title VI) and Overseas Programs (also known as Fulbright-Hays). The legislation also proposes that the funding level for International Education Programs should be increased to $125 million and be updated annually to account for inflation. This would be significantly higher than the $72.2 million appropriated in fiscal year (FY)…
White House Hosts Summit of the Joint Committee on the Research Environment
The Joint Committee on the Research Environment (JCORE), a committee of the National Science and Technology Council, hosted a White House Summit in Washington, DC on November 5. JCORE was established in May 2019 and, as COSSA has reported, is working to address some of the most pressing challenges facing Americaâs research and scientific community. COSSA, along with other members of the scientific community, attended and discussed topics including administrative burdens on federally funded research; rigor and integrity in research; and safe, inclusive, and equitable research settings. Representatives from industry, academia, and senior officials from the National Institutes of Health,…
New Advisory Committee on Evidence Building Seeking Nominations
The Department of Commerce is accepting nominations for a new Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building, established by the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (see COSSAâs coverage) and in accordance with the Federal Data Strategy. Â The Committee is authorized for two years and is tasked with assisting the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in carrying out its statutorily-mandated responsibilities related to evidence-building, âevaluating and providing recommendations to the OMB Director on how to facilitate data sharing, enable data linkage, and develop privacy enhancing techniques;â and âreviewing the coordination of data sharing or availability for…
NIH to Host 2019 Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) is hosting the 2019 NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival on December 6 on NIHâs main campus in Bethesda, MD. The festival brings together researchers from around NIH and will feature three plenary sessions. Chanita Hughes-Halbert from the Medical University of South Carolina will serve as a keynote presenter and Alia Crum from Stanford University will serve as a featured presenter. Registration details and more information about the festival may be found on the OBSSR website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Sudip Parikh Named Next AAAS CEO
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named Sudip Parikh its next CEO effective January 6, 2020. Parikh is currently Senior Vice President at DIA Global, a non-profit organization and publisher that mobilizes life science professionals from across all areas of expertise to engage with patients, peers, and thought leaders. He also worked at the research and development organization Battelle and served as a science advisor and professional staff for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. Parikh will succeed Rush Holt, who left the organization in September. AAAS CEO Emeritus Alan Leshner has been Acting CEO in the interim….
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 38 Issue 21
Featured News National Academies Releases Review of Minerva Initiative COSSA in Action NC State Psychologists Answer âWhy Social Science?â Letters & Statements Congressional News Senate Continues to Debate Spending Bills as CR End Looms Senate Science Subcommittee Holds Hearing on âResearch and Innovation: Ensuring America’s Economic and Strategic Leadershipâ Federal Agency & Administration News White House Reconstitutes Presidentâs Council of Advisory on Science and Technology OSTP Committee Releases Roadmap on Stemming the Opioid Crisis Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Recent Reports Fellowships & Professional Development Community News & Reports National Academy of Medicine Launches Healthy Longevity Global Competition Nominations Solicited for…
National Academies Releases Review of Minerva Initiative
The National Academies of Sciencesâ Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences released Assessing the Minerva Research Initiative and the Contribution of Social Science to Addressing Security Concerns, a consensus study report assessing the impact, procedures, and direction of the Minerva Research Initiative. The Minerva Research Initiative is a grant program of the Department of Defense (DOD) that funds unclassified, university-based, basic research in the social sciences relevant to national security. The report discusses the programâs challenges and successes and offers recommendations to strengthen the programâs structure and help broaden its reach and usefulness. The report includes recommendations for both…
Senate Science Subcommittee Holds Hearing on âResearch and Innovation: Ensuring America’s Economic and Strategic Leadershipâ
On October 22, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather held a hearing titled âResearch and Innovation: Ensuring America’s Economic and Strategic Leadershipâ to discuss the significance that research and innovation have in ensuring U.S. leadership in the global economy. The witnesses were Dr. Rebecca Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Executive Vice President of Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise; Dr. David Shaw, Provost and Executive Vice President of Mississippi State University; and Dr. Diane Souvaine, Chair of the National Science Board. Subcommittee Chair Cory Gardner (R-CO) stressed the need…
Senate Continues to Debate Spending Bills as CR End Looms
The federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap measure that has frozen funding for federal agencies at FY 2019 levels, which is set to expire on November 21. While the House had passed 10 of the 12 appropriations bills through the chamber before the summer recess, the Senate is beginning to make progress as well. It too has passed 10 of the 12 bills out of committee and is currently debating a package of four bills on the Senate floor. While the Senate is certainly making up for lost time, there have been reports that…
White House Reconstitutes Presidentâs Council of Advisory on Science and Technology
On October 22, the Trump Administration issued an executive order reconstituting the Presidentâs Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST is comprised of experts from science and technology from outside the government who volunteer to advise the White House; it has not met since the Obama Administration. In addition to reconstituting the council, the President also appointed seven members to PCAST. The members primarily have backgrounds in the private sector: Dario Gill of IBM research, A.N. Sreeram of Dow Chemical, Sharon Hrynkow of Cyclo Therapeutics, H. Fisk Johnson of S.C. Johnson Inc., Catherine Bessant of Bank of America,…