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What’s Ahead
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| A Delta IV Heavy rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Air Force’s National Security Space Launch program is among the activities that are on deck to be transferred into a new Space Force service branch. (Image credit – U.S. Air Force) |
Science and Technology Measures Moving Ahead with Key Defense Bill
The Senate is expected to approve the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 this week, sending it to President Trump for his signature. Congressional negotiators resolved lingering disputes over the annual defense policy update last week, including the decision to create a sixth branch of the U.S. armed services called the Space Force. The new branch will sit within the Department of the Air Force and subsume the U.S. Air Force’s existing space activities as well as the new Space Development Agency, but it will not incorporate most other defense and intelligence-related space R&D programs. The finalized bill also provides direction to two panels that are working to protect research from foreign exploitation, instructs the Department of Defense to continue supporting the JASON science advisory group, and requires the department to implement a “process” to keep its policies for emerging technologies up to date. The bill rejects a proposal to bar the Trump administration from deploying a new low-yield nuclear warhead and repeals previously enacted directions to develop a “testbed” for space-based missile interceptors. It also directs DOD to increase the resilience of facilities against climate change and instructs the director of national intelligence to create a Climate Security Advisory Council.
Congress Appears Poised to Pass Final Spending Agreement
Congress is aiming to pass final spending legislation for fiscal year 2020 this week, the details of which could be released as soon as today. The current stopgap measure funding the government is set to expire on Friday. According to reporting by Politico, the House plans to split the 12 annual spending bills into two packages and vote to send them to the Senate on Tuesday. Details of the final amounts for science agencies will be recorded in FYI’s budget tracker.
New State Department S&T Adviser Begins Work
Mung Chiang, dean of engineering at Purdue University, begins a one-year leave of absence this week to serve as director of the State Department’s Office of the Science and Technology Adviser. Purdue announced his appointment to the post last week. Chiang is an expert in network systems and received the National Science Foundation’s top early career research award in 2013 for his “fundamental contributions to the analysis, design, and performance optimization of wireless networks.” The State Department created the adviser’s office in 2000 after a National Academies study called for it to increase attention to the place of science, technology, and health in foreign policy. The office has gone without an official director since Vaughan Turekian left the job in 2017.
Energy R&D Bills Up for Science Committee Vote
The House Science Committee is meeting Thursday to consider amendments to three bipartisan bills focused on energy storage, geothermal energy, and grid modernization. Among their provisions, the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act would direct the Department of Energy to carry out up to five grid-scale energy storage demonstration projects by the end of fiscal year 2023. The Advanced Geothermal R&D Act, introduced last week, would provide direction to DOE’s geothermal programs, including a requirement that the department establish up to three field research sites. The Grid Modernization R&D Act, also introduced last week, would direct DOE to establish a smart grid regional demonstration initiative and prioritize research that enhances “cyber and physical situational awareness of the electric grid during adverse man-made and naturally occurring events,” among other provisions. The bills add to the large bundle of energy R&D policy bills the committee has advanced this year, some of which have gained traction in the Senate. The counterpart committee in the Senate has approved versions of the BEST Act as well as bills focused on wind and solar energy R&D. (Note: Updated to reflect rescheduling of the meeting from Wednesday to Thursday.)
NOAA Considering Data Access and Long-Term Prediction Reports
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In Case You Missed It
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| NSF’s headquarters (Image credit – Maria Barnes / NSF) |
JASON Argues Against Restricting Fundamental Research
The National Science Foundation released a study by the JASON science advisory group last week that concludes the risks of foreign governments exploiting U.S.-funded fundamental research are best addressed through existing research integrity safeguards. JASON taxonomizes modes of foreign “influence” into four categories — reward, deception, coercion, and theft — and reviews evidence for how widespread each may be and how cultural differences may influence views on what constitutes appropriate information sharing. It finds the threat of exploitation is real and “appears to be growing in scale,” but argues against modifying a longstanding national policy on the classification of research. It instead recommends expanding the concept of research integrity to encompass full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest and commitment as well as developing “project assessment tools” to help researchers evaluate risks, such as a “catechism” of questions to consider before entering foreign collaborations. Although the current concerns about the Chinese government’s alleged attempts to misappropriate U.S.-funded research are a clear backdrop to the study, JASON observes it took a “nation-agnostic approach” in its work.
AMO Physics Strategy Spotlights International Collaboration
Last week, the National Academies released a “decadal assessment” of accomplishments and emerging opportunities in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics. The study panel states that federal support for AMO physics has “not kept up with the growth of the field, showing large annual variations for certain programs, and essentially flat budgets for others.” It suggests this situation has contributed to an erosion of U.S. leadership in the field in the face of increasing investment by other countries. At the same time, it stresses the “vital” role that international collaborations play in AMO science and identifies factors currently inhibiting such exchange. It calls on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and State Department to work to remove “excessive visa application delays” affecting international students and scholars and to standardize mechanisms for joint funding of cooperative projects. Among its other recommendations, the panel stresses the importance of enabling cross-disciplinary hiring of theorists and experimentalists as well as addressing the persistent underrepresentation of women and minorities in the field.
APS Surveys Reveal International Student Challenges
A recent survey conducted by the American Physical Society documents challenges its international student members have faced in coming to the U.S. Of the students reporting difficulties, 85% experienced delays in visa processing. Additionally, of students who chose not to come to the U.S., 32% reported feeling the country is “unwelcoming to foreigners.” A separate survey by APS found international applications to physics PhD programs have dropped 22% on average over the past two years at U.S. universities that are “outside the top-tier.” APS reports some of these institutions are facing “destabilizing declines” and are adapting by lowering admission standards. To address these issues, APS is advocating for the Keep STEM Talent Act, which would make it easier for international STEM students to remain in the U.S. after graduation. (APS is an AIP Member Society.)
AGU Sounds Alarm About Climate in New Position Statement
The American Geophysical Union issued a revised position statement last week that declares the threat posed by climate change constitutes a “crisis.” Released on the first day of its annual fall meeting, the statement calls for “immediate and coordinated actions to limit and adapt to human-caused climate change,” including expanded engagement by scientists in the policy process. The meeting featured several sessions focused on jumpstarting climate action, including a panel with former California Governor Jerry Brown and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is currently running for the Democratic nomination for president. Calling on the crowd to embrace advocacy, Brown said, “Scientists have to get the word to the politicians that the lifeblood of the future is new knowledge.”
NIH Commits to Implement Harassment Task Force Recommendations
On Dec. 12, the National Institutes of Health released the final report of a working group it created early this year to recommend ways to combat sexual harassment in science. In a statement, NIH Director Francis Collins remarked, “NIH will make every effort to adhere to the vision of the working group by seeking to implement the recommendations provided.” These recommendations include that NIH establish means by which grantees can report harassment claims directly to the agency and create funding opportunities targeted at reintegrating harassment victims into the workforce. Collins noted that some of the task force’s recommendations will require NIH to “explore policymaking options” given that they require partnerships with other organizations to implement. These recommendations include “requiring grantee institutions to inform NIH of a harassment investigation” and creating a “parallel process for managing professional misconduct, including sexual harassment, as seriously as research misconduct.”
Science Committee Flexes Oversight Powers on Six Issues
Leaders of the House Science Committee sent a series of letters last week seeking information and initiating investigations concerning a variety of science-related issues at federal agencies:
- Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) asked National Science Foundation Director France Córdova to meet with them to discuss incidents in which agency employees were harassed due to their sexual orientation. The letter expresses concern that the matter “appears to have gone unreported and unaddressed for up to a year” and that details about the employees’ experiences were made public without their consent.
- Johnson and Lucas asked the Government Accountability Office to assess issues surrounding the recent conflict pitting NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration against the Federal Communications Commission over whether planned out-of-band emissions limits for 5G telecommunications equipment will fail to prevent severe interference with weather observations.
- Johnson pressed the Commerce Department to respond to her previous demands for information concerning reports it pressured NOAA to release a statement criticizing weather forecasters’ communications about Hurricane Dorian that contradicted statements made by President Trump.
- Johnson asked the new acting head of the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office at the Department of Homeland Security for information relating to the troubled BioDetection 21 program, which deploys sensors to detect ambient infectious agents and toxins.
- Johnson and two other House committee chairs wrote to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler insisting he reverse his reported refusal to cooperate with EPA’s inspector general on matters that include allegations the agency interfered with congressional testimony by the chair of one of its science advisory panels.
- Committee member Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), Oversight Subcommittee Chair Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and three other Democratic committee members asked GAO to investigate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to relocate two research offices from the nation’s capital to Kansas City, which resulted in the resignation of many of the offices’ employees.
Ways to Mitigate Helium Shortages Discussed at Hearing
U.S. researchers’ access to helium was a major subject of discussion at a House Science Committee hearing last week on the U.S. supply of critical materials. In his opening statement, Energy Subcommittee Chair Conor Lamb (D-PA) addressed the need for a reliable helium supply, saying that “R&D can play a significant role in improving our helium-use efficiency, finding new sources, and developing substitutes where possible.” Sophia Hayes, a chemistry professor at Washington University in St. Louis who relies on helium for her research, suggested expanding the National Science Foundation’s program that supports the purchase of helium recyclers, calling it a “model” for other agencies. Hayes also recommended Congress postpone the planned 2021 shutdown of the federal government’s Strategic Helium Reserve “until the helium supply chain has been made more resilient to supply shocks and price spikes.” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) also testified at the hearing in favor of a bill he introduced in September, the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act, which would support R&D on the recycling and substitution of critical materials but does not address helium specifically.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time and all congressional hearings are webcast, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, December 16
Tuesday, December 17
Wednesday, December 18
Thursday, December 19
Friday, December 20
No events.
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Opportunities NIST Hiring Director for Industry Programs
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking a director for its innovation and industry services portfolio, which includes the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Office of Advanced Manufacturing, Technology Partnerships Office, and Small Business Innovation Research Program, among others. Applications are due Jan. 13, 2020.
Input Sought on Federal Invention Reporting System
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking comments as it prepares to “rebuild” the Interagency Edison (iEdison) system, a grant management platform used by many agencies to track reporting of inventions created using extramural funds. NIST specifically seeks input on what features should be retained or changed in an updated version of iEdison. Comments are due Jan. 27, 2020.
Seismology and Geodynamics Committee Seeking Members
The National Academies Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics is seeking three new members. Expertise is particularly sought in the areas of seismology, mineral physics and rock mechanics, magnetotelluric and electromagnetic methods, sea level and cryosphere-solid Earth interactions, and/or industry. Nominations are due Jan. 31, 2020.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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