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
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 38 Issue 18
Featured News OSTP Outlines Research Security Priorities COSSA in Action Letters & Statements Congressional News Senate Appropriations Efforts Slow to Start as End of Fiscal Year Looms House Science Committee to Host Hearing on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work Federal Agency & Administration News National Science Board Releases Report on the Skilled Technical Workforce Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Recent Reports Community News & Reports Recent Reports COSSA Member Spotlight Samantha Power to Receive 2019 Moynihan Prize & Deliver Lecturev Fellowships & Professional Development Events Calendar
OSTP Outlines Research Security Priorities
In a September 16 letter to the research community, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Kelvin Droegemeier described several of the officeâs priorities and planned activities for protecting the security of the U.S. research enterprise. The letter expresses concern over recent efforts by some foreign powers to âexploit, influence, and undermine our research activities and environments,â and concludes that âUnited States policies and practices must evolve thoughtfully and appropriatelyâ to guard against such attacks. In particular, the letter notes that talent-recruitment programs sponsored by foreign governments have been at the center of several attempts to exploit U.S. research….
Senate Appropriations Efforts Slow to Start as End of Fiscal Year Looms
Both chambers of Congress returned to Washington following the annual August recess and, as COSSA has reported, they only have a few weeks to make progress on fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills before FY 2019 ends on September 30. At the time of this writing, the full House of Representatives has passed 10 of the 12 appropriations bills and the Senate has passed two bills out of the full Appropriations Committee. While the Senate has jumped into appropriations upon returning from recess, with two bills approved in committee and consideration of 3 bills scheduled, there remains only about a…
House Science Committee to Host Hearing on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work
The Research and Technology Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will host a hearing on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work on September 24. The hearing will feature Dr. Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation; Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson, Professor of Management Science and Director at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy; Ms. Rebekah Kowalski, Vice President of Manufacturing Services at the ManpowerGroup; and Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President of Ivy Tech Community College. Dr. Lupia is expected to discuss the NSF Ten Big Ideas, including Future…
National Science Board Releases Report on the Skilled Technical Workforce
On September 12, the National Science Board (NSB), the advisory body for the National Science Foundation (NSF), held a briefing on Capitol Hill announcing the release of a report on the Skilled Technical Workforce (STW), the sector of working individuals in science and engineering fields who do not hold bachelorâs degrees. NSB Chair Diane Souvaine and NSB Member Victor McCrary hosted the briefing. The report analyzes the current STW and offers policy recommendations to improve the well-being of the sector. The report recommends improving messaging about opportunities in the STW, fixing gaps and silos in data concerning the STW, analyzing…
Samantha Power to Receive 2019 Moynihan Prize & Deliver Lecture
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, announced that Samantha Power, former Ambassador to the United Nations, will receive the 2019 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize and deliver a public lecture at a ceremony in Washington, DC on October 3, 2019. Ambassador Power currently is the Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and the William D. Zabel Professor of Practice in Human Rights at Harvard Law School. The Moynihan Prize was established in 2007 to ârecognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgement…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 38 Issue 17
Featured News White House Outlines FY 2021 R&D Budget Priorities COSSA in Action COSSA & AESIS to Partner on Upcoming Conference on the Societal Impact of Social Sciences and Humanities Septemberâs Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive with SBE Assistant Director Arthur Lupia Answers âWhy Social Science?â Congressional News State of Play: FY 2020 Appropriations for Social Science Research Schatz, Rep. Dean Introduce Legislation to Re-Establish Science Advisory Board at the Department of Justice Federal Agency & Administration News IES Director Seeks Input on Topic Areas, Announces Possible Request for Applications Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment…
White House Outlines FY 2021 R&D Budget Priorities
On August 30, Acting Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought, with Kelvin Droegemeier, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), issued a joint memorandum to federal agency and department heads on âFY 2021 Administration Research and Development Budget Priorities.â The memo lays out five key White House priorities as agencies begin working on their budget submissions for the next fiscal year and five âhigh-priority crosscutting actionsâ for agencies to maximize success in the science and technology enterprise. This is the first set of R&D priorities released under the…
COSSA & AESIS to Partner on Upcoming Conference on the Societal Impact of Social Sciences and Humanities
COSSA is excited to be partnering with the Network for Advancing and Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science (AESIS Network) on an international conference on the Impact of Social Sciences and Humanities on Society in Washington, DC this October 18-19. AESIS is an international, open community for various types of professionals working on stimulating and demonstrating the impact of science on economy, culture and well-being. The Washington event will be the third of its kind organized by AESIS to discuss ways to optimize the impact of research and scholarship specifically in the social sciences and humanities. COSSA is a sponsor…
Septemberâs Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive with SBE Assistant Director
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly COSSA Headlines webchat on Thursday September 12, in which COSSA staff will recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participantsâ questions. The September chat will feature a deep dive discussion with Dr. Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). 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.
State of Play: FY 2020 Appropriations for Social Science Research
Both chambers of Congress will be back in Washington next week and will have only a few weeks to make progress on the fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills before FY 2019 ends on September 30. At the time of this writing, 10 of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed by the full House of Representatives. However, the Senate had deferred its consideration of any spending bills (even in subcommittee) until a compromise was reached to provide reprieve from budget caps set in place by the Budget Control Act of 2011. On August 2, President Trump signed a two-year…
Sen. Schatz, Rep. Dean Introduce Legislation to Reestablish Science Advisory Board at the Department of Justice
On July 25, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA) introduced S. 2286 and H.R. 3989, the Improving Justice Programs through Science Act. If enacted, the bill would reestablish a Science Advisory Board at the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) within the Department of Justice to better integrate scientific knowledge to inform crime reduction nationwide and provide scientific backing and evidence-based policies in the OJPâs programs and activities, including grants. The Board was originally chartered by the Obama Administration in 2010 and since then provided OJP with guidance in several proactive criminal justice reform efforts, including: the importance…
IES Director Seeks Input on Topic Areas, Announces Possible Request for Applications
Mark Schneider, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research, evaluation, and statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education, announced in a blog post on August 13 that he is considering three new topic-specific requests for applications (RFAs) and seeking comment on the topics around which IES research is structured. The three proposed off-cycle RFAs are âusing state longitudinal data systems to measure long-term outcomes,â âusing NAEP [National Assessment of Educational Progress] process data,â and âsystematic evaluation of widely used math and reading programs.â The blog post includes more details about the proposed RFAs and a request…
National Academies Release Report on Strengthening Support Systems for Military Families
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) released a consensus study report on the social challenges affecting the families of military service members and potential solutions. The report covers a wide array of issues including the well-being of military families, demographic characteristics of military families, opportunities and challenges of military life, stressors affecting military children, high-stress events, and the efficacy of existing military family support systems. The report also illustrates several recommendations for the Department of Defense (DOD) to address these issues including standardizing definitions of âfamily well-being,â improving understanding…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 38 Issue 16
Featured News NIH Extends Enforcement Delay of Clinical Trials Policy Until September 2021 COSSA in Action Augustâs Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive on Effectively Advocating from Home AAPSS Answers âWhy Social Science? Letters & Statements Congressional News Budget Deal Signed; Congress Leaves for Summer Recess with FY 2020 Outcome Unknown House Subcommittee Holds OSTP Oversight Hearing; Senate Confirms Nominee for Chief Technology Officer Federal Agency & Administration News NIH Establishes Research Network on Opioid Use Disorder in the Criminal Justice System Nomination Opportunities Funding Opportunities Notices & Requests for Comment Open Positions Fellowships & Professional Development Community News &…
NIH Extends Enforcement Delay of Clinical Trials Policy Until September 2021
On July 24, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a notice announcing a further delay of enforcement of clinical trials reporting requirements for NIH-funded research designated as âbasic experimental studies with humans.â The enforcement date, originally extended to September of this year, has been pushed to September 24, 2021. A blog post from the NIH Office of Science Policy describes the extension as necessary to address the challenges of reporting requirements for some researchers by continuing to search for common ground with the basic science community. The notice is the latest iteration of NIH statements relating to changes to…
Augustâs Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive on Effectively Advocating from Home
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on Thursday, August 8, in which COSSA staff will recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participantsâ questions. The August chat will feature a deep dive discussion on how to advocate for social science without having to travel to DC. 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.
Budget Deal Signed; Congress Leaves for Summer Recess with FY 2020 Outcome Unknown
On August 2, President Trump signed a two-year budget agreement that provides federal programs relief from automatic spending cuts set to take effect in fiscal years (FY) 2020 and 2021 as well as raises the debt ceiling for two years. The deal allows Congress to appropriate spending increases for defense and non-defense discretionary programs, including for research, healthcare, and the upcoming 2020 Census. The passage of the budget deal clears the way for Congress to pass FY 2020 funding bills when it returns in September from its annual summer recess, but it will have to act quickly to avert a…