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
NSF Social Science Director Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Repositioning
On September 24, Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF), published a Dear Colleague letter announcing the repositioning of some basic research programs within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) at NSF. The letter describes the repositioned programs, which include Human Networks and Data Science; Linguistics; Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence; Security and Preparedness; Accountable Institutions and Behavior; Law and Science; Science of Science: Discovery Communication and Impact; Ethical and Responsible Research; and Science and Technology Studies. The letter notes that these changes do not affect current NSF/SBE…
Octoberâs Headlines Webchat to Feature Deep Dive on Challenges Facing USDA Research and Statistics
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly COSSA Headlines webchat on Thursday October 10, in which COSSA staff will recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participantsâ questions. The October chat will feature Katherine Smith Evans, Director of the Committee for Government Relations for the American Economic Association and former Administrator of the Economic Research Service, on challenges facing the Department of Agricultureâs Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university can register…
President Signs Continuing Resolution Keeping Government Open Until Thanksgiving
On Friday September 27, just three days before the end of fiscal year (FY) 2019, the President signed into law a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government open until November 21. This stopgap measure will continue funding the government at FY 2019 levels and was approved by the House on September 19 and the Senate on September 26. This CR will allow the Senate to finish its work on spending bills and reconcile differences with the spending proposals from the House. At the time of this writing, the House has passed 10 of the 12 appropriations and the Senate…
Senate Makes Progress on FY 2020 Appropriations for NSF, Census, NIH, Education, USDA
With the passage of a continuing resolution through Thanksgiving giving Congress some breathing room to complete fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations, the Senate Appropriations Committee has finally made progress in approving a number of its annual appropriations bills. COSSA has released analyses of three Senate bills that fund agencies important to the social and behavioral sciences: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and Census Bureau Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which funds the National Institutes of…
House Science Committee Holds Hearing on Responding to Extreme Weather Events, Highlights Social & Behavioral Science Solutions
On September 26, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology (SST) held a hearing on understanding, forecasting, and communicating about extreme weather and other events related to climate change. Witnesses included J. Marshall Shepard, Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program in the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia; James Done, Project Scientist and Willis Research Fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; Adam Sobel, Professor of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Director and Chief Scientist of the Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate at Columbia University; Berrien Moore, Director of the National Weather Center at the…
NICHD Releases 2020 Strategic Plan
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) released their 2020 strategic plan, a guiding document laying out the instituteâs research priorities for the next five years. Earlier this year, COSSA submitted comments on behalf of the social and behavioral science community addressing a draft version of the strategic plan. The NICHD strategic plan lays out five main research objectives: Understanding the molecular, cellular, and structural basis of development; Promoting gynecologic, andrologic, and reproductive health; Setting the foundation for healthy pregnancies and lifelong wellness; Improving child and adolescent health and the transition to adulthood; Advancing…
NIH Evaluates Strategy on Countering Foreign Influence in Research
On September 25, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released three reports addressing efforts to combat the prevalence of foreign influence in research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The OIG reports evaluate three tactics used in NIHâs strategy in securing research from foreign influence in institutional reporting of foreign financial interests and affiliations, reviewing financial conflicts of interest in extramural research, and securing the peer review process from foreign influence. The OIG reports each provide several recommendations to the NIH on how to improve these initiatives. The strategy…
AAAS Accepting Applications for 2020-21 Science & Technology Policy Fellowships
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has announced it is seeking applicants for their Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) for the 2020-21 fellowship cycle. Eligible candidates should hold a doctoral level science degree or a masterâs in engineering, be a U.S. citizen, have solid STEM credentials, have good communication skills, and desire to enhance federal science policy. Applications will be accepted until November 1. More information about the fellowship can be found on the AAAS website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
National Academies Hosts Official Launch of Decadal Survey for the Social and Behavioral Science for Advancing Intelligence Analysis
The National Academies of Sciencesâ Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) held a report launch event for the Decadal Survey of the Social and Behavioral Science: A Research Agenda for Advancing Intelligence Analysis on September 30. This event brought together members of the survey committee, representatives from the federal government, and research organizations to discuss findings, recommendations, and next steps for collaboration between research communities and the intelligence community. The report was published in March 2019 and was featured on COSSA Headlines in May. The September report launch event will be archived on the BBCSS website. Back to…
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.