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
AAA&S Report Makes Recommendations for Improved U.S. Language Education
On February 28, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), a COSSA member, released, Americaâs Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century, the final report of the Commission on Language Learning. A bipartisan group of U.S. Members of Congress requested that AAA&S establish the Commission in order âto examine the current state of U.S. language education, to project what the nationâs education needs will be in the future, and to offer recommendations for ways to meet those needs.â The Commission found that only 10 percent of the U.S. population speaks a second language proficiently, a number insufficient…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
DOD: Minerva Research Initiative (WHS-AD-FOA-17-01) NIFA: Behavioral and Experimental Economic Applications for Agri-Environmental Policy Design NIFA: Children, Youth, and Families At Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Projects (USDA-NIFA-SLBCD-006244) NIH Opportunities: NCI: Research Answers to NCI’s Provocative Questions (R01) (RFA-CA-17-017), (R21) (RFA-CA-17-018) NIA: The Health and Retirement Study (U01) (RFA-AG-18-005) NIAAA: Alcohol Research Resource Awards (R24) (PAR-17-170) NICHD: NICHD Research Education Programs (R25) (PAR-17-183) NIDA: Advancing Exceptional Research on HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse (R01) (RFA-DA-18-002) NIDDK: Evaluating Natural Experiments in Healthcare to Improve Diabetes Prevention and Treatment (R18) (PAR-17-178) NIDDK: Planning Grants for Pragmatic Research in Healthcare Settings to Improve Diabetes and…
Events Calendar
American Psychosomatic Society Annual Scientific Meeting, March 15-18, 2017, Seville, Spain Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference, March 16-19, 2017, Toronto, Canada Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, March 21-25, 2017, Kansas City, MO AERA Centennial Lecture: Charles Payne –Â The Limits of Schooling, the Power of Poverty, March 23, 2017, Detroit, MI COSSA 2017 Science Policy Conference & Social Science Advocacy Day, March 29-30, 2017, Washington, DC Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, March 29-April 1, 2017, San Diego, CA Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting, March 29-April 1, 2017, Greenville, SC Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, March 30-April 2,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 4
Featured News COSSA Conference Agenda Released; Hotel Block Rate Expires Feb. 28 COSSA in Action The American Anthropological Association Answers âWhy Social Science?â COSSA 2016 Annual Report Now Available COSSA Joins Scientific Community in Urging Approval of NIH FY 2017 Budget Congressional News Congressional Committees Organize, Begin Hearings Federal Agency & Administration News Tom Price Confirmed as Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services NSF Directorâs Monthly Message Outlines Big Ideas, Highlights Antarctic Program Date Change: 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors Publications & Community Events National Academiesâ Global Change Research Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations Funding…
COSSA Conference Agenda Released; Hotel Block Rate Expires Feb. 28
The preliminary agenda for the 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference & Social Science Advocacy Day on March 29-30 is now available. Featured speakers include University of California, Berkeley sociologist Arlie R. Hochschild and John Sides of the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog. Other sessions will highlight topics including Mobilizing Students as Ambassadors for Social Science, Promoting Your Expertise with National Media Outlets, Social Science in Government Service, and Advocating from Home. Register today! Donât forget: participants from COSSA member organizations and universities are eligible to receive a discount on registration. Email jmilton@cossa.org for details. For those planning to travel to…
COSSA 2016 Annual Report Now Available
COSSA has released its 2016 Annual Report, which highlights some of COSSAâs activities and successes over the past year. Click here to read the report and learn how your organization can become a member of COSSA. Annual reports from previous years are available on the COSSA website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Joins Scientific Community in Urging Approval of NIH FY 2017 Budget
On February 7, COSSA joined 260 patient, medical, scientific, academic, and research organizations of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research in sending a joint letter and fact sheet to the President and the House and Senate leadership. The letter urges the enactment of a final FY 2017 spending package that includes $34.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Federal agencies and programs are currently operating under a continuing resolution that expires on April 28. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Congressional Committees Organize, Begin Hearings
Several committee and subcommittee rosters have been announced in the recent weeks, including for committees overseeing federal funding and policy issues important to social and behavioral science research. Notable committee rosters include House and Senate Appropriations; House Science, Space, and Technology Democrats and Republicans; and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is responsible for health policy, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee have also announced their committee membership. New committee leadership of note for social and behavioral science research funding include new House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jose…
Tom Price Confirmed as Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), an orthopedic surgeon and a six-term member of the House of Representatives, was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a party-line vote of 52 to 47 in the late hours of February 10. Price, who most recently served as chair of the House Budget Committee, is fiscally conservative and is considered a stern foe of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and abortion rights. However, he has been mostly supportive of increasing funding for federal research agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, which is one of the agencies under HHSâ jurisdiction. Rep….
NSF Directorâs Monthly Message Outlines Big Ideas, Highlights Antarctic Program
In her January Monthly Message, Dr. France Cordova, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), shared a video outlining the Six Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment and an update on the status of research in these areas. The six âBig Ideasâ serve as bold and broad questions to help direct NSFâs long-term research agenda and ensure that future generations will reap the benefits of fundamental scientific research. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Date Change: 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors
The date for the National Institutes of Healthâs (NIH) 10th Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors has been changed to April 25 on the NIH campus. The Honors program pays tribute to the âresearch trajectory and continuing influence of Dr. Matilda White Riley in the behavioral and social sciences across and beyondâ the NIH. For more information about the program see the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Researchâs website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
National Academiesâ Global Change Research Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicineâs Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is soliciting nominations for new members. The Committee, whose expertise spans the physical, ecological, and social science of global change, advises the USGCRP and supports climate communication activities across the Academies. Members serve three-year terms, with an option to reappoint after the first term. The Academies are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in extreme event risk and human dimensions of global change, among other fields. Nominations are due on March 15, 2017 and can be submitted by filling out this form….
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NICHD/NINR: Research to Address Sleep Disorders in the Context of Medical Rehabilitation (R01) (PAR-17-163) NIMH: Formative and Pilot Intervention Research for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS (R34) (PA-17-166) NIMH: Research to Support the Reduction and Elimination of Mental Health Disparities (Admin Supp) (PA-17-165) NIH Concept Clearances: NIDCR: Interdisciplinary Collaborations to Promote Research in Oral Health and Aging: This initiative is designed accelerate âresearch that will improve the oral health of older adults by addressing knowledge gaps in the etiology and management of dental, oral, and craniofacial disease associated with aging.â NIGMS: NIGMS-Specific Predoctoral T32 Training Program: The new FOA is…
Events Calendar
AERA Centennial Lecture: Deborah Lowe Vandell – The Opportunities and Challenges of Early Child Care and Education, February 22, 2017, Oklahoma City, OK American Psychosomatic Society Annual Scientific Meeting, March 15-18, 2017, Seville, Spain Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference, March 16-19, 2017, Toronto, Canada Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, March 21-25, 2017, Kansas City, MO AERA Centennial Lecture: Charles Payne –Â The Limits of Schooling, the Power of Poverty, March 23, 2017, Detroit, MI COSSA 2017 Science Policy Conference & Social Science Advocacy Day, March 29-30, 2017, Washington, DC Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, March 29-April 1,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 3
Featured News 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference Keynote Announced COSSA in Action NIHâs Bill Riley Answers âWhy Social Science?â COSSA Joins Scientific Community in Call for End to Travel Ban Federal Agency & Administration News NSF to Host The Arc of Science: Research to Results on February 15 NIHâs All of Us Research Program Issues Funding Opportunity NSF Releases 2017 Report on Underrepresented Groups in Science and Engineering National Institute on Aging Seeks Input on Timely Data Sharing Publications & Community Events National Academiesâ Gulf Research Program Sponsoring Summer Training Course on Scientific Synthesis Alliance for Integrative Approaches to Extreme…
2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference Keynote Announced
University of California, Berkeley sociologist Arlie R. Hochschild will deliver the keynote address at the 2017 COSSA Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day. Hochschildâs most recent book Strangers in their own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. According to the publisherâs website, the book âgoes beyond the commonplace liberal idea that many on the political right have been duped into voting against their interests. In the right-wing world she explores, Hochschild discovers powerful forcesâfear of cultural eclipse, economic decline, perceived government betrayalâwhich override self-interest, as progressives see…
COSSA Joins Scientific Community in Call for End to Travel Ban
On January 31, COSSA joined over 170 other leading scientific organizations on a letter to the Trump Administration calling for it to rescind its January 27 executive order that placed a hold on legal travel to the for citizens of seven countries. The letter states that the undersigned organizations âare deeply concerned that this Executive Order will have a negative impact on the ability of scientists and engineers in industry and academia to enter, or leave from and return to, the. This will reduce U.S. science and engineering output to the detriment of America and Americans.â The letter is available…
NSF to Host The Arc of Science: Research to Results on February 15
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which COSSA is a member, are hosting The Arc of Science: Research to Results on Wednesday, February 15. The Capitol Hill event will highlight NSF-funded researchers and include remarks from Dr. France Cordova, the Director of NSF and leadership from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. See the invitation for details and to register. Back to this issueâs table of contents.