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
23rd Annual CNSF Exhibition Scheduled for May 16
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which COSSA is an active member, is hosting its 23rd Annual Exhibition and Reception on Capitol Hill on May 16. This yearâs theme is âInvestment in Scientific Research: Fueling American Innovationâ and will feature a wide range of research projects made possible by the National Science Foundation. Register here by May 15. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes Florida State University
COSSA is pleased welcome Florida State University as its newest member. Located in Tallahassee, Florida State ranks eighth in the nation in federal funding of R&D in the social and behavioral sciences.  COSSAâs full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
AHRQ: Developing New Clinical Decision Support to Disseminate and Implement Evidence-Based Research Findings (R18) (PA-17-261) AHRQ: Scaling Established Clinical Decision Support to Facilitate the Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Research Findings (R18) (PA-17-260) NIFA: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative (USDA-NIFA-AFRI-006354) NIH opportunities: NIA: Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging (K76) (RFA-AG-18-006) NIA: Coordinating Center for Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (U24) (RFA-AG-18-008) NICHD: Promoting NICHD Areas of Research for HIV/AIDS in Maternal and Child Health (R01) (PA-17-262) NIMH: Initiation of a Mental…
Events Calendar
Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 27-29, 2017, Chicago, IL SPSSI Webinar:Â An Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, May 4, 2017 Investments in Scientific and Educational Research: Fueling American Innovation â CNSF Exhibition and Reception, May 16, 2017, Washington, DC American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, May 18-21, 2017, New Orleans, LA 2017 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lecture on Social Science and Public Policy, May 18, 2017, Washington, DC American Evaluation Association Summer Institute: Finding Your Pathway in Evaluation, June 4-7, 2017, Atlanta, GA Graduate Training in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: A Public Workshop, June 8-9, 2017,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 8
Featured News Why Social Science Is Marching for Science COSSA in Action 286 Societies Sign Letter in Support of R&D Enterprise Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Seeks Nominations for Advisory Committee NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Convergence Research NIH Office of AIDS Research Issues RFI on FY 2019 Trans-NIH Research Plan Publications & Community Events Criminologists Call for Keeping Science at DOJ Academies Calls for Science Communication Partnership Proposals Academies Report Examines Impact of Social Competencies on College Success National Academies Releases New Research Integrity Report Funding Opportunity Announcements COSSA Member Spotlight Society for Prevention Research Joins COSSA…
286 Societies Sign Letter in Support of R&D Enterprise
On April 6, COSSA joined 285 other U.S. societies and associations in business, science, engineering, health, and higher education on a letter urging Congressional leaders to complete the fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations bills with ârobust investments in scientific research.â The letter states the benefits of continued investment in the U.S. research and development enterprise, describes possible impacts of decreased funding, and urges policy makers to reject the cuts to science agencies proposed by the Trump Administration. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
NSF Seeks Nominations for Advisory Committee
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued its annual call for recommendations for membership to its various advisory committees and technical boards. These committees advise NSFâs offices and directorates on program management, research direction, and policies impacting the agency. Committees of particular interest to the COSSA community include the Advisory Committee for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Advisory Committee for Education and Human Resources. Recommendations for membership are maintained for 12 months. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
NSF Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Convergence Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) published a Dear Colleague letter on April 4 outlining new opportunities at NSF for âconvergence researchâ projects. NSF defines convergence research as projects that have âdeep integration across disciplines,â are âdriven by a specific and compelling problem,â and bring together diverse teams of scientists. The Dear Colleague letter identifies the 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment as prospects for convergence research topics, including Work at the Human-Technology Frontier, which is the âBig Ideaâ lead by the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
NIH Office of AIDS Research Issues RFI on FY 2019 Trans-NIH Research Plan
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR) has issued a request for information (RFI) (NOT-OD-17-053) seeking input from the scientific community on the development of the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research. OAR is statutorily required to develop an annual Trans-NIH Plan that serves as the framework for its trans-NIH HIV/AIDS research budget. As previously reported, in August 2015 NIH released a Notice, NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for Determining AIDS Funding (NOT-OD-15-137), outlining its overarching HIV/AIDS research priorities along with the guidelines the agency will use to determine AIDS funding. High priority research…
Criminologists Call for Keeping Science at DOJ
In a statement published in the Washington Post entitled âKeep Science in the Department of Justice,â 25 former presidents of the American Society of Criminology, a COSSA governing member, argue that politics should not intrude in the science-based approach of the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The statement outlines recommendations to the President and Attorney General as they appoint leaders of these agencies. Priorities include maintaining standards of scientific integrity, improving existing data tools, and promoting evidence-based policies. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Academies Calls for Science Communication Partnership Proposals
As part of efforts to build on its December 2016 report, Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has announced that it will make two awards to support the âformation and development of partnerships of science communication researchers and practitioners and facilitate their efforts to plan collaborative projects that pursue shared research interests.â Support for the awards is provided by the Rita Allen Foundation. More information is available on the project website. Submissions are due by June 2, 2017. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Academies Report Examines Impact of Social Competencies on College Success
On April 13, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education released a report, Supporting Studentsâ College Success: The Role of Assessment of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Competencies. Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the report âexamines how to assess interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies (e.g., teamwork, communication skills, academic mindset, and grit) of undergraduate students for different purposes.â It also establishes âpriorities for the development and use of assessments related to the identified intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies that influence higher education success, especially in STEM.â Central themes of the report include diversity and…
National Academies Releases New Research Integrity Report
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released the Committee on Responsible Scienceâs report, Fostering Integrity in Research, on April 11. The report assesses the state of research integrity, including trends, challenges, and educational efforts, updating the 1992 Academies report, Responsible Science. The 1992 report proposed the current definition of research misconduct, defined as the âfabrication, falsification, or plagiarismâ of research. The new report supports retaining that definition, but also calls for the recognition of detrimental research practices (DRPs). DRPs are âquestionable research practices, such as the misleading use of statistics that falls short of falsification and failure to…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NIFA: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – Foundational Program (USDA-NIFA-AFRI-006351) NIFA: Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields Program (USDA-NIFA-WAMS-006350) NASEM: Building Capacity for Science Communication: Partnership Awards Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Society for Prevention Research Joins COSSA
COSSA is happy to welcome the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) as a Membership Organization. SPR is an âorganization dedicated to advancing scientific investigation on the etiology and prevention of social, physical and mental health, and academic problems and on the translation of that information to promote health and well-being.â COSSAâs full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Events Calendar
Understanding Student Debt: Moving Toward Evidence-Based Policy Solutions, April 20, 2017, Washington, DC Criminal Justice Reform in the Midwest: Justice Reinvestment in Nebraska, April 20, 2017, Washington, DC March for Science, April 22, 2017, Washington, DC 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors, April 25, 2017, Bethesda, MD American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, April 27-May 1, 2017, San Antonio, TX Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 27-29, 2017, Chicago, IL American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, May 18-21, 2017, New Orleans, LA 2017 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lecture on Social Science and Public Policy,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 7
Featured News Recap of the 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference COSSA in Action Representative Dan Lipinski Answers âWhy Social Science?â COSSA Presents 2017 Distinguished Service Award to Senators Gardner and Peters 70 Social Science Advocates Take to Capitol Hill COSSA to Host Why Social Science? Briefing Featuring Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth Congressional News House Science Committee Holds Second Hearing on Future of NSF; Legislation Likely this Year HHS Secretary Appears Before House Appropriations Subcommittee, Suggests NIH Budget Cuts to Come From âEfficienciesâ in Indirect Costs Federal Agency & Administration News NIFA Releases Evaluation of Capacity Funding Mechanism Publications & Community…
Recap of the 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference
COSSA held its 2017 Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day on March 29-30 in Washington, DC. Sessions featured important discussions on social science within the context of the Trump Administration and the new Congress. The keynote address was delivered by University of California, Berkeley sociologist Arlie R. Hochschild, whose book Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. The program also included an expert panel addressing the political and policy challenges of the day and strategies for addressing them, and discussions on the benefits of public engagement…