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.
SBE Releases Dear Colleague Letter Encouraging EPSCoR Submissions
The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) housed within the National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submissions to already established NSF funding opportunities from the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). EPSCoR was developed to target specific areas in the U.S. with increased opportunity to study and join the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce to improve geographic and institutional diversity. As directed by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, NSF is in the process of dedicating more funding towards the EPSCoR jurisdictions. The letter reaffirms SBE’s commitment to support research in the social and…
Upcoming AAPSS Webinar: “Media Policy for an Informed Citizenry”
On April 17, The American Academy of Political & Social Science (AAPSS) will be hosting an open webinar titled “Media Policy for an Informed Citizenry: Revisiting the Information Needs of Communities for Democracy in Crisis”. AAPSS is a COSSA member institution. The topic of this webinar is based on the May 2023 edition of The Annals, a scholarly periodical produced by AAPSS. The webinar will discuss how people obtain news and information and how changes in technology have influenced the availability and reliability of such information. The webinar will be moderated by Molly Laas of the Social Science Research Council and will feature experts from…
COSSA’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request for Social and Behavioral Science
On March 11, the Biden Administration transmitted its fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request to Congress. The FY 2025 budget was released while Congress was still working to finalize its annual appropriations bills for FY 2024 (the fiscal year that began October 1, 2023). The FY 2024 appropriations process was completed on March 22 with the passage of a second omnibus package (see related article). The first package was passed on March 8. As COSSA has been reporting over the last several months, the FY 2024 appropriations bills were bound by strict budget caps that were agreed to in January (although the same deal was floated much earlier…
Advocacy Day Spotlight: Last Chance to Register!
Next week is COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day! This is your last chance to register before we close the form. Register here! Social Science Advocacy Day will be taking place April 8-9, 2024 in Washington, DC and is open to anyone affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university. Not a member? Learn how here. Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day.
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinars continue April 23
COSSA’s 2024 Headlines Webinar series will continue to feature discussions with leaders of federal science agencies, providing opportunities for the social and behavioral science community to learn about agency research programs, funding opportunities, and priorities. Upcoming Webinars: Did you miss March’s webinar? You can watch the recording now to catch up on our discussion about the research and education programs and priorities of the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation with Dr. James L. Moore III. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations.
President Biden Signs Final Round of FY 2024 Appropriations Bills
With little time to spare, Congressional appropriators came to final agreement on fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding for the remaining six appropriations bills. As recently reported, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law a package containing six of twelve annual appropriations bills, including the bill that funds the National Science Foundation, Census Bureau, National Institute of Justice, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, among other agencies and departments. The latest package was announced this week and contains the following FY 2024 bills: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Defense; Financial Services; Legislative Branch; Homeland Security; and State and Foreign Operations. Of…
Rep. Granger Stepping Down Early from Appropriations Chair
Earlier this year, Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) announced that she would not be seeking reelection in November for the House of Representatives. Representative Granger was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and was elected to her leadership role on the Appropriations Committee in 2018 (see previous COSSA coverage). On March 22, Representative Granger announced her intent to step down as Chair of the House Appropriations committee early and requested the GOP, the current majority in the House, elect a new Chair to finish out the 118th Congress. With the budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024 completed (see COSSA’s analysis…
President Biden Issues Executive Order to Advance Women’s Health Research
On March 18, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order, titled “Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation.” This order directs specific advancements and improvements for research on women’s health, largely through the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, established by the Presidential Memorandum of November 13, 2023. The Initiative draws on interdisciplinary backgrounds to advance research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. This order now names the following topics of interest: women’s midlife health, addressing current gaps in research, and integrating women’s health research into federal research programs. These directions align with…
New JASON Report Advocates for Project-by-Project Approach to Sensitive Research Security
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has commissioned a new report from JASON, an independent scientific advisory group, on the implications of imposing broad controls on sensitive research security. The report reaffirms a longstanding policy that fundamental research should remain largely unrestricted unless specific sensitivities require classification. JASON suggests the need for updated research security measures in ways that do not stifle innovation and openness. The report evaluates international collaborations, especially highlighting concerns with the Chinese government’s approach to fundamental research for military needs and restrictions on information flow. The report recommends a nuanced method where the NSF collaborates with Principal Investigators and…
NCSES Requests Responses to Data Tools Survey
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), housed within the National Science Foundation (NSF), is requesting responses to a new survey intended to improve NCSES data tools. As previously reported by COSSA, NCSES has been working to expand accessibility to their collected data through developing new resources, including the Knowledge Base, in an effort to modernize their data tools. Responses to this survey are confidential and would be used to improve these efforts. Submit comments and feedback here.
OMB Publishes Revisions to Race and Ethnicity Standards for Federal Data Collection
On March 28, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the updated standards for Statistical Policy Direction No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. The revisions come after months of seeking comments from the public, including through requests for public comments, public listening sessions, and town hall meetings on the topic. Effective immediately, based on the recommendations of the Federal Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Standards, a Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) minimum category will be separated from the White category, a decision that has been widely requested by the community (see previous…
Remembering Dr. Daniel Kahneman: A Pioneer of Behavioral Economics
The social and behavioral science community lost a giant with the passing of Dr. Daniel Kahneman on March 27 at the age of 90. Kahneman, known as the “grandfather of behavioral economics,” leaves behind a legacy that has fundamentally shaped our understanding of human decision-making, risk, and cognitive biases. Throughout his career, Kahneman’s research was heavily supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), receiving three significant grants that propelled his work on cumulative decision-making. His projects, such as “Understanding Loss Aversion,” “Analysis of Retrospective Utility,” and “Decision Under Uncertainty,” have paved the way for new insights in the fields of economics, psychology,…
Advocacy Day Spotlight: Registration to Close Soon!
Time is running out to register for COSSA’s tenth annual Social Science Advocacy Day. Sign up here before registration closes! Social Science Advocacy Day will be taking place April 8-9, 2024 in Washington, DC and is open to anyone affiliated with a COSSA member organization or university. Not a member? Learn how here. If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor of Social Science Advocacy Day, learn more here. Visit the COSSA website for the latest information on Social Science Advocacy Day and to view the recording of the recent informational webinar.
COSSA Releases 2024 College & University Rankings for Social & Behavioral Science R&D Funding
On March 13, COSSA released its annual College and University Rankings for Federal Social and Behavioral Science R&D, which highlight the top university recipients of research dollars in the social and behavioral sciences. COSSA’s website also features a rankings dashboard with an interactive map of recipients of social and behavioral science R&D funding so you can see how your university stacks up among U.S. institutions. More edits will come to the dashboard over the coming weeks, so be sure to check back for new features. Based on federally collected data, the COSSA rankings use an inclusive selection of fields representing the breadth…
Congress Works to Finalize FY 2024 Budget, Looking Forward to FY 2025
The first six of the twelve annual appropriations bills for fiscal year (FY) 2024 were passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden last week. As previously reported, this included funding for the National Science Foundation, Census Bureau, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and other federal agencies and departments. The bills resulted in funding cuts across all agencies, including the National Science Foundation which received an 8.2 percent cut from FY 2023. COSSA’s in-depth analysis for these bills can be found here. The remaining six bills have a deadline of Friday, March 22, leaving only a…
The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024 Released
The National Science Board recently released their The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024. The Science and Engineering Indicators report summarizes the status of the science and engineering enterprise within the United States, examining the country’s overall position in the global landscape. This is sourced from nine thematic reports, organized into three main sections—talent, discovery, and translation. These three components collectively support U.S. global competitiveness in science, technology, and innovation (STI), in that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent contributes to scientific discovery, which in turn is translated to society and the economy through innovation. The report sheds light…
New Executive Order Targets Protection of Americans’ Data from Foreign Threats
On February 28, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO) titled “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern.” This EO seeks to safeguard the privacy of American citizens and the integrity of government data against foreign exploitation. Under this guidance, the Attorney General is mandated to formulate regulations that will restrict transactions involving sensitive American data and government-related information, particularly when transactions involve foreign countries or nationals identified as posing security threats. This regulatory framework is aimed at curbing the potential for adversaries to exploit personal and governmental data…
COSSA Remembers Dr. Norman B. Anderson
COSSA mourns the passing of Norman B. Anderson, PhD, who died unexpectedly on March 1. Dr. Anderson, a clinical psychologist renowned for his research on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities, has left an indelible mark on the social and behavioral science community through this leadership, scholarship, and wisdom. Among his many leadership posts, Dr. Anderson served as the inaugural Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) from 1995 to 2000. In this role, he championed the inclusion and integration of the social and behavioral sciences across the NIH, laying the…
AEA to Host Summer Evaluation Institute
The American Evaluation Association (AEA) has opened registration for the Summer Evaluation Institute which will take place June 26-28 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC. The Summer Evaluation Institute offers development workshops for all experience levels of evaluators as well as applied researchers, grantmakers, foundation program officers, nonprofit administrators, and social science students. More information about the event can be found here. Any questions can be directed to [email protected]. AEA is a COSSA member organization. All COSSA members can receive a 10% discount on general registration costs with the code SUM_COSSA24.