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What’s Ahead
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| Science policy will be front and center at the AAAS Annual Meeting taking place in Boston this week. (Image credit – Wikimedia Commons) |
AAAS Annual Meeting Will Focus on Science Policy
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is holding its annual meeting in Boston, from Feb. 16-20. The meeting’s theme is “Serving Society through Science Policy,” and many of the panels and plenary sessions will have a policy focus. A session on “Science Policy for the White House in the New U.S. Administration” on Friday will feature former White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Directors Neal Lane and John Holdren, former OSTP Associate Director Kerri-Ann Jones, and former House Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon. For additional highlights and details, please see “Events This Week.”
‘Arc of Science’ to Spotlight NSF Research Impacts
On Wednesday, the National Science Foundation and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), an advocacy group, will co-host an evening event on Capitol Hill called “The Arc of Science: Research to Results.” The event will feature hands-on technology demonstrations and presentations by NSF-funded researchers whose work has had practical impacts. Speakers will include NSF Director France Córdova, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), and House Science Committee Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
House Science Committee Hearing to Address NASA Policy
On Thursday, the House Science Committee will hold a hearing entitled “NASA: Past, Present, and Future.” Witnesses will be: Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and former senator; Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford, former astronaut and chairman of the NASA International Space Station Advisory Committee; Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief scientist; and Tom Young, former director of the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center and former president and chief operating officer of Martin Marietta.
Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), who chairs the committee’s Space Subcommittee, is a co-sponsor of a bill introduced last week that, if passed, would direct NASA to develop a plan to return astronauts to the moon and to establish a sustained presence there. A separate Senate bill, introduced on Jan. 24, would require NASA to develop a new strategy for human spaceflight.
Four Other House Subcommittee Hearings Will Focus on Tech
The House Science Committee will also hold a subcommittee hearing on Tuesday on U.S. cybersecurity capabilities, and another on Wednesday on the Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on Tuesday on self-driving cars, and another on Wednesday on the modernization of energy and electricity delivery systems.
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In Case You Missed It NOAA Misconduct Allegations Clarified
On Feb. 4, retired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist John Bates published a blog post claiming that the agency circumvented established data-handling procedures. It did so, he alleged, to expedite the June 2015 publication in Science of a study, led by NOAA scientist Tom Karl, that questioned the apparent “hiatus” in global warming between 1998 and 2013. Bates’ allegations quickly sparked controversy. While Bates has stood by his original allegations, he has since made clear to reporters that he does not believe that NOAA falsified or tampered with data, nor that there is any cause to doubt the scientific consensus on climate change.
NOAA Allegations Divide House Science Committee
The House Science Committee quickly publicized Bates’ allegation, issuing several tweets, a press release, and the full text of a Daily Mail article. At a hearing on Feb. 7, Committee Chairman Lamar Smith also questioned Rush Holt, the CEO of AAAS, which publishes Science, about whether the study might be retracted. Holt referred to Bates’ clarification and said that the dispute seems to revolve around NOAA’s internal practices and would not warrant retraction. Committee Democrats issued their own release on Feb. 8, saying Smith had rushed to judgment on the issue, adding, “ Such haste does a great disservice to the dedicated scientists at NOAA and does not reflect well on this Committee.”
Court Sustains Halt on Trump Travel Ban Order
On Feb. 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected an emergency appeal by the federal government to reinstate a ban on entry to the U.S. by nationals from seven countries. President Trump first put the ban into place on Jan. 27 through an executive order. Within days, the states of Washington and Minnesota filed a suit seeking to overturn the order. Part of the harms alleged in the suit is that the ban restricts the conduct of scientific and academic activities within the states. A district court agreed to temporarily halt the ban on Feb. 3. The case will now move forward with the ban suspended.
Sen. Nelson Introduces Scientific Integrity Bill
On Feb. 7, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and 26 Democratic cosponsors introduced a bill that would buttress protections to scientific integrity at federal agencies originally mandated in the America COMPETES Act of 2007. The legislation calls for a new review and approval of agency-level scientific integrity policies, as well as a renewed commitment to the open exchange of data and findings by scientists employed or contracted by federal science agencies. Since President Trump took office, Democratic lawmakers, a number of scientific organizations, and many scientists have expressed concern that scientific integrity in federal agencies could come under threat.
NSF Inspector General Testifies at Hearing
On Feb. 8, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing to discuss the role of inspectors general in federal agencies and their recommendations for improving programs under the committee’s jurisdiction. NSF Inspector General Allison Lerner was one of the witnesses. Lerner spotlighted the management of large facilities, management of the U.S. Antarctic Program, the use of rotating personnel, and the administration of grants as issues posing significant challenges at the agency.
DeVos and Price Confirmed
On Feb. 7, the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as secretary of education on a 51–50 vote, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie. The STEM Education Coalition has posted DeVos’ written responses to questions posed to her about STEM education during the confirmation process. In the early morning hours of Feb. 10, the Senate confirmed Tom Price as secretary of health and human services on a party-line 52–47 vote. Price will have responsibility over the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, among a number of other research and public health agencies.
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Events This Week
Monday, Feb. 13 National Academies: Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment meeting
(continues through Wednesday)
Open sessions Mon., 8:50 am – 3:00 pm; Tue., 10:00 am –1:15 pm; Wed., 10:30 am – 12:35 pm, Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC)
Tuesday, Feb. 14 No events
House/NSF/CNSF: “The Arc of Science: Research to Results”
Featuring Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and NSF Director France Córdova
4:30 – 7:00 pm, Rayburn House Office Building, Rooms 2043–2044, DC
RSVP requested
Friday, Feb. 17 AAAS: Annual Meeting, Boston, MA
—8:00 am, “Science Policy in Transition: What to Expect in 2017 and Beyond”
—3:00 pm, Neil Lane, John Holdren, Kerri-Ann Jones, and Bart Gordon, “Science Policy for the White House in the New U.S. Administration”
—5:00 pm, Naomi Oreskes, “The Scientist as Sentinel”
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Opportunities AAS Accepting Applications for Bahcall Fellowship
The American Astronomical Society is now accepting applications for its John Bahcall Public Policy Fellowship. The fellow will work at AAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. in partnership with the society’s director of public policy on advocacy and communications activities. The fellowship is for one year and is renewable for a second. Applications will be accepted until Mar. 31.
Registration Open for AAAS Forum on Science & Technology Policy
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is holding its annual Forum on Science & Technology Policy March 27–28 in Washington, D.C. The forum is a major opportunity for anyone with an interest in science and technology policy to engage with top policymakers and colleagues. Registration is currently open.
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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