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What’s Ahead
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| Eric Lander participates in an oral history interview conducted by the National Human Genome Research Institute. (Image credit – NHGRI) |
White House Science Chief Nominee Eric Lander Faces Senate
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is holding a hearing on Thursday to review President Biden’s nomination of geneticist Eric Lander to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Although Lander’s dual-hatted position as Biden’s science advisor does not require Senate approval, he has been keeping a low profile since Biden announced his appointment to both roles on Jan. 15 along with plans to make him a member of the Cabinet. Almost all of Biden’s Cabinet members have already been confirmed. According to reporting by Politico, Lander’s confirmation has been delayed partly because Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) was seeking clarification concerning meetings he attended in 2012 that were also attended by Jeffrey Epstein, who served jail time in 2008 for sex crimes and died by apparent suicide in 2019 after he was indicted for sex trafficking. Epstein was known for ingratiating himself with prominent scientists and funded a number of research projects, including at MIT and Harvard University, which co-host the Broad Institute, a human genetics research center Lander founded in 2003. A White House spokesperson told Politico that Lander was unaware Epstein would be at the meetings and that the Broad Institute neither solicited nor received funding from Epstein or the private foundations he operated.
New Version of Endless Frontier Act Up for Committee Vote
On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is meeting to consider amendments to the Endless Frontier Act, which was reintroduced last week in the Senate by seven members of each party and in the House by four Democrats and three Republicans. The bill retains the main elements of the original: adding a technology directorate to the National Science Foundation with a recommended budget of $100 billion over five years and creating a Commerce Department initiative to establish “technology hubs” in regions that are not already leading R&D centers. New proposals include establishing a supply chain resiliency program in the Commerce Department, expanding the Manufacturing USA institute network, and channeling the budget for many of the new initiatives through a special fund overseen by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The committee is expected to entertain a large number of amendments to the bill, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pressing to bring to the Senate floor in the coming weeks. At this week’s meeting, the committee will also consider 15 other bills, including the FLOODS Act, National Ocean Exploration Act, and Advanced Technological Manufacturing Act.
Update: The committee has removed the Endless Frontier Act from the meeting agenda and plans to consider the bill at a later date.
Science Committee to Discuss Their Vision for the Future of NSF
Also on Wednesday, the House Science Committee is holding a hearing with National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and National Science Board Chair Ellen Ochoa. The committee’s leaders recently introduced the bipartisan NSF for the Future Act, which proposes doubling NSF’s budget over five years and creating a new directorate focused on “societal challenges.” The bill would also update policies across NSF’s existing programs, including by requiring grant applicants to assess the potential ethical implications of their research. The committee is planning to advance corresponding policy bills for other agencies under its jurisdiction this year, and earlier this month it took a broader look at strategies for bolstering the U.S. research enterprise.
NASA Nominee Bill Nelson Heading for Easy Confirmation
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will vote to advance the nomination of former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) to be NASA administrator during the same meeting at which it is considering the Endless Frontier Act. At Nelson’s nomination hearing last week, he received praise from Democratic and Republican members alike. Committee Chair Maria Cantwell remarked, “His commitment to public service and passion for space policy has been long known and makes him an incredible choice for this important role.” Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) highlighted Nelson’s bipartisan work as a committee leader in drafting NASA policy bills, saying, “I know he will be an important voice as we work toward passage of the next one.”
Hearing to Spotlight Perseverance Rover
The House Science Committee is holding a hearing on Thursday focused on the scientific program of NASA’s flagship Perseverance rover mission. The mission has received widespread attention, including from President Biden, following the release of video from its landing and the operation of the Ingenuity helicopter, which has now undertaken three flights. The rover’s MOXIE instrument has also manufactured oxygen from carbon dioxide in Mars’ atmosphere, demonstrating an important capability for in-situ resource utilization. However, the bulk of the rover’s scientific work lies ahead as it explores the geology of the Jezero crater, looking for signs of past life, and collects samples for retrieval by a follow-on mission that is currently in its early development phase. Speaking at the hearing are Michael Meyer, the lead scientist of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, as well as Bethany Ehlmann, Luther Beegle, and Tanja Bosak, who hold leadership positions on the Perseverance mission.
American Meteorological Society Convenes Policy Forum
Leading officials from the weather, water, and climate research enterprise are assembling virtually over four days this week for the American Meteorological Society’s annual Washington Forum. Among the scheduled speakers is President Biden’s newly announced nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Richard Spinrad, who is delivering a keynote address on Thursday on the “new blue economy.” The talk will be followed by a panel discussion of the ocean information needed to support the development and regulation of offshore wind energy resources. Other sessions include a budget-focused roundtable featuring congressional staffers, a discussion of how the meteorological community can support planning for future electric energy systems, and a free event on how the weather enterprise can address social equity concerns, among other topics.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Asmeret Berhe delivering a talk at a TED conference in 2019. (Image credit – Bret Hartman / TED) |
Soil Biochemist Asmeret Berhe Picked to Lead DOE Science Office
As part of a set of nominees announced last week, President Biden named Asmeret Berhe as his pick to lead the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The office oversees a fleet of scientific user facilities and 10 of DOE’s 17 national labs, and with a $7 billion budget, it is the federal government’s largest funder of fundamental research in the physical sciences. Berhe currently is a biogeochemist at the University of California, Merced, specializing in how organic matter in the soil responds to climate change and other environmental perturbations. Originally from Eritrea in East Africa, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Asmara in 1996 and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006, and she has been on the faculty at UC Merced since 2009. Berhe’s expertise accords with the Biden administration’s focus on climate change, and she has been a frequent user of Pacific Northwest National Lab’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab, which is supported by the Office of Science’s Biological and Environmental Research program. She is also a proponent of increasing diversity and equity in STEM and is a key player in the ADVANCEGeo Partnership, a National Science Foundation-funded effort to combat sexual harassment and other issues affecting workplace climate in the geosciences. Biden has not yet named a nominee to be under secretary for science and energy, a position that oversees the Office of Science and DOE’s applied energy R&D programs. For up-to-date information on nominations to key science positions, consult FYI’s Federal Science Leadership Tracker.
Former NOAA Official Richard Spinrad Tapped to Lead Agency
President Biden also announced he is nominating oceanographer Richard Spinrad to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Spinrad is currently a professor at Oregon State University and has held several roles at NOAA over the last two decades, serving as its chief scientist and as head of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and National Ocean Service. While at NOAA, Spinrad co-chaired the White House committee that developed the nation’s first decadal ocean research strategy and worked to advance NOAA’s proposal to establish a National Climate Service. Prior to joining NOAA, Spinrad served in leadership positions in research and oceanography offices within the U.S. Navy.
Defense, State, and Transportation Picks Also Announced
Several other nominations for research-related roles were also announced last week:
- Frank Rose is the nominee for deputy head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and supports nuclear nonproliferation efforts around the world. Rose is an expert in nuclear deterrence strategy, missile defense, and space policy, and previously served as assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification, and compliance from 2014 to 2017.
- Deborah Rosenblum is the nominee to lead the Department of Defense’s nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs. Rosenblum previously worked in various DOD roles between 1989 and 2002, and since 2009 she has been a senior official at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonproliferation advocacy organization.
- Monica Medina is the nominee to lead the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Science Affairs. Medina is an environmental lawyer and served in senior positions in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the Clinton and Obama administrations.
- Robert Hampshire is the nominee to be assistant secretary for research and technology at the Department of Transportation, a role he currently holds in an acting capacity. Hampshire previously was a public policy professor at the University of Michigan and in his current role he oversees R&D related to intelligent transportation technologies and position, navigation, and timing systems, among other subjects.
Co-chairs Named for NASA Space Research Decadal Survey
The National Academies announced last week that University of Florida biologist Robert Ferl and MIT materials scientist Krystyn Van Vliet will co-chair the next decadal survey on biological and physical sciences research in space. The survey will suggest priorities for NASA’s program that supports research projects in spaceflight environments, such as aboard the International Space Station. Responsibility for the program was transferred from the agency’s human exploration directorate to its science directorate in 2020. In addition to identifying emerging research frontiers, the survey will consider topics such as potential “research campaigns,” the role of commercially operated space platforms, opportunities for collaboration with international partners, and the limited lifetime of the ISS. The study is expected to be completed in 2023.
Biden Commits to Halving Emissions by 2030
At the White House’s climate leadership summit last week, President Biden announced that by 2030 the U.S. will halve its greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels, in an effort to set higher expectations ahead of the United Nations climate conference later this year. Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry called the goal “ambitious but appropriate and achievable,” saying that meeting it will require new technologies in areas such as battery storage and carbon capture systems. To that end, the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report last week outlining actions the U.S. could take to accelerate energy innovation and encourage greater private-sector R&D investment. Senior administration officials also announced new multinational initiatives, including a forum with several other oil and gas-producing nations to “develop pragmatic net-zero emission strategies,” and an agreement with India to speed up clean energy deployment.
House Panel Weighs Merits of a Federal Climate Service
At a House Science Committee hearing last week, lawmakers discussed the prospects of creating a “climate service” to facilitate access to climate information from across the federal government. Environment Subcommittee Chair Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) highlighted the potential for growing inequities in access to climate and weather data if the private sector takes too large a role, saying that “not all communities can hire consultants or a climate services firm to help them incorporate climate risk into their resilience planning.” Pointing to two bills she has sponsored aimed at improving understanding of flood risks, she said they are “just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving authoritative and actionable federal tools and technical assistance for climate adaptation.” While Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) has stressed the need for climate information in areas such as agriculture, he and Subcommittee Ranking Member Stephanie Bice (R-OK) questioned whether a dedicated service is necessary. Lucas argued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration already serves that function and that establishing “a new duplicative service only serves to create more red tape and hurdles to our budding weather industry.”
Universities Protest Senate Move to Scrutinize Foreign Funding
At a meeting last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved bipartisan legislation aimed at better positioning the U.S. to compete with China. It includes a provision empowering the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to block universities from accepting certain foreign gifts and contracts, including ones worth more than $1 million that relate to “critical technologies.” Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) has said the provision is his “top priority,” citing a desire to help prevent the Chinese government from exerting influence on universities and to address “risks of intellectual property theft.” A group of university associations wrote to the committee before the meeting to oppose the provision, stating it would “require expensive and time-consuming reviews of a wide range of university gifts and contracts against unknown and ill-defined criteria by an agency not designed or equipped to carry out this task.” They also argued that uncertainty created by what might be blocked by CFIUS reviews “will be a significant disincentive for philanthropic giving,” undercutting U.S. competitiveness. American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell told Bloomberg that granting such a denial authority over research projects not funded by the federal government would be “unprecedented.” His organization has estimated that about 700 gifts and contracts that were reported to the Department of Education in 2019 could be subject to review under the proposal. To address some of these concerns, the committee adjusted the provision to require CFIUS to consider input from science agencies. The bill now heads to the Senate floor, where it could be bundled with the Endless Frontier Act.
NIH Updates Senate on Research Security Enforcement
At a Senate hearing last week, the National Institutes of Health provided updated statistics on its investigation of scientists for policy violations such as failing to disclose substantial employment ties with foreign entities, mainly in China. NIH extramural research head Mike Lauer told the committee the agency has identified more than 500 “scientists of concern” to date and that more than 100 have been “removed from the NIH ecosystem through a variety of ways — resignations, terminations, premature retirements, internal debarments.” He emphasized that the violators represent only a small fraction of NIH grantees and remarked, “We remain conscious of how these [enforcement] actions could affect the morale of honest and dedicated foreign researchers, particularly in the context of a pandemic that has exacerbated acts of discrimination and harassment against Asian Americans. The vast majority of Chinese scientists working in America are committed to the cause of expanding knowledge for the betterment of humankind, and to do so in a fair and honest way. We must say this at every opportunity.” Senators generally did not question NIH’s investigative approach to date, though Health Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) expressed concern that no one entity is responsible for identifying cases in which scientists have falsified information or violated rules.
Study Recommends Bolstering Nuclear Nonproliferation Efforts
Last week, the National Academies released a report from a study evaluating the U.S. research enterprise’s ability to monitor and help prevent the international proliferation of nuclear weapons and fissile material. Congress mandated the study and set a short deadline for it after deeming updates the National Nuclear Security Administration submitted on the subject to be unsatisfactory. However, because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academies divided the study into two phases. The new report conveys findings from the first phase, which covers work the committee was able to undertake immediately. It offers 16 recommendations, including formalizing interagency coordination of nonproliferation efforts, expanding NNSA’s testbed infrastructure and nuclear nonproliferation stewardship program, and bolstering the agency’s technology transition activities. The report notes such efforts would require additional funding, but defers discussion of specific amounts to the study’s second phase. The study’s chair to date, former Sandia National Labs Director Jill Hruby, was recently nominated by President Biden to lead NNSA.
Military R&D Leaders Brief Senators on Recent Tech Initiatives
Leaders from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the R&D arms of the three military departments updated the Senate Armed Services Committee last week on recent efforts to increase innovation capabilities. Among the programs they spotlighted were Army Futures Command’s Team Ignite, the Navy’s NavalX, and the Air Force Research Lab’s Transformational Capabilities Office and Vanguard programs, all of which aim to facilitate R&D collaborations and spur technology projects that respond to pressing military needs. The witnesses also pointed to exercises such as the Army’s “soldier touch points” and Project Convergence and the Navy’s Integrated Battle Problem 21, which concludes this week, as key examples of efforts to integrate the development of technology and military tactics.
Array of Research Policy Bills Introduced
Lawmakers introduced a variety of science-focused bills in recent weeks, including ones focused on the STEM workforce, research security, quantum information science, energy research, manufacturing, and weather and climate forecasting:
- The Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act, reintroduced by leaders of the House Science Committee, would expand research on sexual harassment and direct federal science agencies to develop uniform anti-harassment policies.
- The STEM RESTART Act, reintroduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate, would create an Education Department program to help mid-career individuals re-enter the STEM workforce by funding paid internships at small- to mid-sized businesses.
- The Safeguarding American Innovation Act, reintroduced by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE), would broadly update the federal government’s approach to research security policy, including by tightening visa vetting procedures.
- The SECURE CAMPUS Act, sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN), would bar Chinese citizens from receiving visas for graduate study in STEM fields and prohibit participants in talent recruitment programs sponsored by the Chinese government from receiving federal R&D funding.
- Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced two bills to bolster quantum information science research, the QUANTUM for National Security Act and the Quantum Network Infrastructure and Workforce Development Act.
- The Partnerships for Energy Security and Innovation Act, sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), would establish a nonprofit foundation for the Department of Energy that would channel private-sector investments to accelerate technology commercialization. The bill is an updated version of the IMPACT for Energy Act introduced last Congress.
- The American Critical Mineral Independence Act, introduced by Republicans on the House Science and Natural Resources Committees, seeks to strengthen the domestic critical mineral supply chain by streamlining the federal permitting process and establishing a grant program and new technology incentives to promote critical mineral R&D. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a separate bill that would modify the federal permitting process for critical mineral-related activities on federal land.
- The National Institute of Manufacturing Act, sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), would establish a new agency within the Department of Commerce to serve as a hub for federal manufacturing programs.
- The Built to Last Act, sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support efforts to update building codes and other standards to reflect the best available information on weather and climate-related risks. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) also introduced companion legislation in the House.
- The Learning Excellence and Good Examples from New Developers (LEGEND) Act, sponsored by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), would require NOAA to make certain operational models available to the public.
- The National Strategy to Ensure American Leadership (SEAL) Act, sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), would direct the National Academies to identify the “top 10 emerging science and technology challenges” faced by the U.S.
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Events This Week Monday, April 26
Tuesday, April 27
Wednesday, April 28
Thursday, April 29
Friday, April 30
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Opportunities DOD Seeking Climate Science Detailee
The Department of Defense is accepting applications for a physical scientist to oversee the department’s environmental research portfolio for a 12 month period as a detailee. Among other responsibilities, the detailee will lead DOD’s participation in interagency and international climate activities and coordinate climate S&T policies and budgets across the department. Applicants must be current U.S. federal employees. Applications are due April 30.
AMS Seeking Associate Director of Government Relations
The American Mathematical Society is hiring an associate director of government relations, responsible for supporting the society’s advocacy efforts and maintaining relationships with congressional and agency staff. Applicants must have a doctoral degree, preferably in the mathematical sciences.
Optical Society Seeking Director of Global Affairs
The Optical Society is seeking a global affairs director to lead its efforts to “advance public policy, laws, and budgets in support of optics and photonics science and technology” worldwide. The director will also liaise with the next phase of the Global Environmental Measurement and Monitoring initiative, which aims to increase understanding of the regional impacts of climate change. Applicants should have a degree in international relations, public policy, non-profit management, or a related field, with seven to ten years of relevant senior-level work experience.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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Around the Web
News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.
White House
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Science, Society, and the Economy
- US faces security ‘crisis’ on chips, commerce secretary says (Bloomberg)
- China’s new semiconductor policies: Issues for Congress (CRS, report)
- Tsinghua opens ‘chip college,’ targets bottleneck technologies urgently needed by China (Global Times)
- Semiconductors don’t need subsidies (City Journal, perspective by Judge Glock)
- National technology strategy development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (CNAS, report)
- The moonshot delusion: Why the left is too starry-eyed on economics (New Statesman, book review)
- A post-pandemic push for federal R&D infrastructure could boost Pittsburgh-area labs (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- ‘I’m still a zero’: Vaccine-resistant Republicans warn that their skepticism is worsening (Washington Post)
- Science policy can’t be simply about science (Scientific American, perspective by Kavitha Chintam, et al.)
- Science journalism grows up (Science, perspective by Deborah Blum)
- Eagleton Institute of Politics launches first public database of scientists in state politics (Rutgers University)
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