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What’s Ahead
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| Meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier will appear before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee this week to discuss his nomination to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Droegemeier last appeared before the panel in 2016 as it was preparing legislation to update the America COMPETES Act. (Image credit – C-SPAN) |
Trump Nominee for OSTP Director Heading to the Hill
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will meet Thursday to discuss President Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In his responses to a pre-hearing questionnaire, Droegemeier details his research career and long history of engagement with policy. He also offers his perspective on OSTP’s role in serving the president and stewarding the nation’s research enterprise. Committee member Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has praised Trump’s choice and there have been no signs that Droegemeier’s nomination will encounter resistance.
NASA Deputy Administrator Nominee Will Also Testify
At the same hearing, the committee will also review President Trump’s nomination of James Morhard to be deputy administrator of NASA. Morhard is currently the Senate’s deputy sergeant-at-arms, and was a long-time Republican staff member before spending a decade as a private consultant. He may face tough questions from Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL), who opposed Trump’s selection of Jim Bridenstine as NASA administrator in part because he believes the agency should be led by a space professional rather than someone with a political background. Supporters of Morhard’s nomination point to his experience working for the Senate appropriations committee as evidence he is a good fit for the deputy role. In responses to the committee’s advance questions, Morhard also cites his experience reviewing R&D budgets for the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as qualifications for the position.
NIH Director to Testify on ‘Prioritizing Cures’
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins will testify at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Thursday titled “Prioritizing Cures: Science and Stewardship at the NIH.” Committee members may ask about NIH’s progress in implementing the 21st Century Cures Act, a major law enacted at the end of 2016. Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) played leading roles in developing the legislation. Murray could also press Collins on what the agency is doing to address sexual harassment at NIH-funded institutions. In an Aug. 8 letter to Collins, Murray asked if NIH plans to implement recommendations of a recent National Academies study on sexual harassment. She also asked if the agency will consider steps similar to the National Science Foundation’s recently implemented requirement that the institutions it funds report all findings of sexual harassment and other misconduct from investigations against grant recipients.
Acting DHS S&T Director Faces Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet Wednesday to consider President Trump’s nomination of William Bryan to be under secretary for science and technology at the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, Bryan will lead DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate, which conducts applied R&D in areas such as cybersecurity, explosives detection, border security, and disaster response. Bryan has been serving in the role in an acting capacity since May 2017. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the directorate’s current budget of $841 million by 31 percent for fiscal year 2019, but the House and Senate have advanced spending bills that would set its budget at just over $800 million.
National Academies Holding Nuclear Incident Preparedness Workshop
On Wednesday and Thursday, the National Academies is hosting a workshop on medical and public health preparedness for nuclear incidents. Federal and state officials will discuss assumptions about the threat environment that underlie current incident response plans, the capacity of public health systems to respond to incidents, and the readiness of the medical and emergency response workforce, among other subjects. A session on federal planning efforts will include panelists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services.
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In Case You Missed It
Physical Sciences Benefiting from NSF Budget Boost
Last week, Anne Kinney, the head of the National Science Foundation’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate, delivered a presentation showing the directorate received a substantial portion of the agency’s recent 5 percent overall budget increase. Presiding over the first full meeting of the MPS advisory committee since she took the helm of the directorate in January, Kinney explained that much of the increase went toward research facilities, mid-scale infrastructure proposals, and NSF’s Quantum Leap initiative — one of the agency’s ten “big ideas” for future investment. Her presentation includes a list of strategic questions about the big ideas that NSF is seeking feedback on and identifies a set of potential future big ideas focused on post-quantum cryptography, exosolar planetary atmospheres, sustainable chemistry, opioids, precision measurement, the math of deep learning, and synthetic materials biology. Kinney stressed these ideas are “very preliminary.”
Survey Finds Federal Scientists Have Mixed Views of Trump Administration
Scientists across the federal government hold a wide range of views on impacts the Trump administration is having on scientific decision-making, according to a survey conducted by researchers at Iowa State University and the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit advocacy group. Of the 4,211 total responses received, half agree that “the level of consideration of political interests hindered the ability of their agencies to make science-based decisions” and a fifth identified the “influence of the White House” or “influence of political appointees in your agency or department” as a key challenge to science-based decision-making. However, a majority of scientists say agencies are adhering to their scientific integrity policies and that they have received training on these policies and whistleblower protections. UCS sent the survey to over 60,000 employees across 16 agencies that “have a history of scientific integrity issues,” such as the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Geological Survey. The survey did not poll scientists at NASA, the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, or National Institutes of Health.
ARPA–E Nominee Expresses Appreciation for the Agency
At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Aug. 16, Lane Genatowski discussed how his long experience in energy sector finance has prepared him to lead the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. He said he has managed engineers as well as bankers and lawyers and that his job has been to help “translate” scientists’ work into marketable products. He explained ARPA–E’s role is to support projects that are scientifically viable and have long-term market potential but that also entails large uncertainties, remarking, “If 100 percent of ARPA–E’s experiments end up in the marketplace, they’re not doing their job, they’re really just doing a job for industry.” Asked several times about the Trump administration’s proposals to terminate ARPA–E, Genatowski said he supports the president’s budget but assured committee members he sincerely wants to lead the agency and be an advocate for it. Pointing to the recent National Academies assessment of the agency’s progress, he said, “It seemed to me they’re doing their job and they should be continued for that reason.” Asked if the administration had told him his role would be to oversee the agency’s dissolution, he replied, “Not one minute was I talked to about closing it up.”
New Director Chosen for Intelligence R&D Agency
On Aug. 14, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats announced the selection of Stacey Dixon as director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). Dixon holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and has previously held positions with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology, the House Intelligence Committee, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She has been serving as IARPA’s deputy director since January 2016 and succeeds Jason Matheny, who is completing his three-year term in the position. Modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), IARPA invests in high-risk R&D projects that address challenges faced by the Intelligence Community.
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Events This Week
Wednesday, August 22
Friday, August 24 No events start today.
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Opportunities FYI Hiring Science Policy Analyst
AIP is accepting applications for a science policy analyst to join the FYI team based in College Park, Maryland. The analyst will closely follow developments in federal science policy and contribute to multiple FYI products as part of an editorial team. The position is for a one-year term with the possibility of extension pending the outcome of an in-progress, organization-wide strategic review. Strong writers with a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of science policy experience are encouraged to apply.
NASA Seeking Policy Analysts
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is accepting applications for program planning specialists in its Strategic Integration and Management Division in Washington, D.C. Responsibilities include providing policy guidance on NASA’s science programs and managing relationships with external stakeholders, among other duties. Applications are due Aug. 24.
AGU Seeking Policy Research Fellow
The American Geophysical Union is accepting applications for a research fellow in the Shifting Landscapes program, which aims to “strategically respond to societal forces affecting the Earth and space scientific enterprise.” The fellow will conduct research and develop communication materials for two policy reports related to Earth and space science, among other responsibilities. Interested individuals with a Ph.D. in a scientific field and at least one year of related science policy experience are encouraged to apply.
Know of an upcoming science policy opportunity? Email us at fyi@aip.org.Know of an upcoming science policy event? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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