| |
What’s Ahead
Newly Restructured National Science Board to Meet
The National Science Board will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday at the National Science Foundation headquarters in Arlington, Va. The meeting will be the first for the board’s newest member, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa, a research engineer and former astronaut. Agenda items include a preliminary overview of NSF’s plan to implement an agency-wide risk management strategy and a discussion of a forthcoming policy brief on the career pathways of Ph.D.-holders in STEM fields. The board will also discuss the Large Hadron Collider in open session, and, in closed session, the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, the Stampede 2 petascale computing system, the National Ecological Observatory Network, Antarctic infrastructure modernization, and the Regional Class Research Vessel project. This will also be the inaugural meeting with the board’s newly reorganized committee structure, which includes an entirely new committee dedicated to external engagement with NSF stakeholders.
DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee to Meet
The Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) will meet on Thursday and Friday in Rockville, Md. DOE Office of Science Acting Director Steve Binkley and Office of Basic Energy Sciences Director Harriet Kung will offer news updates. Other highlights include a retrospective and prospective overview of BESAC’s “grand challenge science” reports, an international perspective on x-ray light sources, an update on operations of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, and a review of recent workshops and reports on basic research needs.
Bills Encouraging Women in STEM Head to Trump
Two short bipartisan bills to encourage women in STEM fields are set to become the first S&T policy legislation to arrive at President Trump’s desk. The Senate passed the “Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act” by unanimous consent on Feb. 14, and the “INSPIRE Women Act” with a voice vote the same day. The former bill, sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), directs NSF to actively recruit women into its entrepreneurial programs. The latter bill, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), directs NASA to support and augment existing outreach programs to female students. The House passed both bills with a voice vote on Jan. 10.
New ‘Future Postponed’ Report to be Unveiled
On Wednesday evening, the American Association for the Advancement of Science will host the launch event for “The Future Postponed 2.0,” an independent report extolling the importance of basic research to national leadership in innovation. The report is an extension of its first incarnation, published in April 2015. Speaking at the event will be National Science Board Chair Maria Zuber, astrophysicist Andrea Ghez, biologist Michele Pagano, and Science Philanthropy Alliance President Marc Kastner, a physicist who chairs the Future Postponed project.
Trump to Issue Revised Travel Ban Order
President Trump said last week that he will issue a new executive order this week barring nationals of seven foreign countries from entering the U.S. He suggested the new order would be “tailored” to address points made in a lawsuit brought by the states of Washington and Minnesota that resulted in the suspension of his original order. That lawsuit claims that, among other harms, the order interferes with scientific and academic activities in the plaintiffs’ states. Numerous scientific organizations, including AIP, have signed statements asking for the ban to be withdrawn. The Department of Justice has announced it will not further defend the original order in court as it awaits the replacement order.
Congress in Recess This Week
Congress is in recess this week, putting legislative business on hold until Monday, Feb. 27, when the Senate will vote to confirm Wilbur Ross as secretary of commerce. If confirmed, Ross will have responsibility over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Two other Cabinet nominees still awaiting confirmation — Rick Perry as secretary of energy and Ryan Zinke as secretary of the interior — are also set to oversee major science portfolios.
|
|
In Case You Missed It Mulvaney Confirmed as Budget Director, Pruitt as EPA Head
On Feb. 16, the Senate confirmed Mick Mulvaney as director of the influential White House Office of Management and Budget with a 51–49 vote. As a congressman, Mulvaney consistently backed cuts to all parts of the federal budget, and he will now coordinate the Trump administration’s budget requests and oversee high-level regulatory and management policy for the entire government. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was the sole Republican to vote against confirmation, objecting to Mulvaney’s support for reducing defense spending. On Feb. 17, the Senate also confirmed Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator with a 52–46 vote.
Congress Aims to Provide Stability for NASA
On Feb. 17, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the “NASA Transition Authorization Act,” and the chamber passed it by unanimous consent later the same day. Congress nearly passed a similar bill last year in an effort to provide the agency with new legislative guidance and to prevent political disruption to its mission planning. The Senate crafted the bill in close consultation with the House, and, at a Feb. 16 hearing dedicated to NASA, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) expressed strong support for it.
Science Policymakers Gather at AAAS Meeting
The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Boston last week, gathered together a large number of major figures from the world of science and technology policy. Speakers included AAAS CEO Rush Holt, AAAS President Barbara Schaal, Royal Society President Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, former presidential science advisors Neal Lane and John Holdren, former House Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, former NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, and former National Bureau of Standards Director and IBM Chief Scientist Lewis Branscomb — among many others. Videos of selected sessions are available here and here.
House Science Committee Renews Investigations
On Feb. 14, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith sent another letter to NOAA requesting records relating to a 2015 scientific paper on global warming trends. The letter cites recent allegations by retired NOAA scientist John Bates that the agency circumvented proper data-handling procedures in preparing the paper. A previous subpoena that Smith issued to NOAA in October 2015 concerning the same paper expired at the conclusion of the 114th Congress, as did all others issued by the committee. Also on Feb. 14, Smith renewed the committee’s investigation of text messaging at the EPA, now requesting a review of employees’ use of an encrypted messaging application. On Feb. 16, Smith reissued expired subpoenas to the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts concerning their ongoing climate-related investigations of ExxonMobil.
Bipartisan Volcano Monitoring Bill Introduced in Senate
On Feb. 8, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced a bill that would improve existing volcano monitoring systems, and integrate them into a National Volcano Early Warning System. Murkowski chairs and Cantwell is the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Volcano Hazards Program within the U.S. Geological Survey.
California S&T Council Seeding State-Level Policy Fellowships
The California Council on Science and Technology has awarded planning grants to individuals in nine states to help establish state-level science policy fellowships modeled on the council’s own fellowship program. The grants are funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Simons Foundation.
|
|
Events This Week
Monday, Feb. 20 Federal Holiday: Presidents’ Day
Tuesday, Feb. 21 National Science Board: Meeting (continues Wednesday)
Open sessions Tue., 8:00 am – 5:20 pm; Wed., 8:15 – 8:45 am and 1:00 – 2:20 pm, NSF Headquarters (4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA)
Advance registration required, webcast available
Wednesday, Feb. 22 NASA: Outer Planets Assessment Group (continues Thursday)
Wed., 8:30 am – 5:00 pm; Th., 8:30 – 5:30 pm (Atlanta, GA)
Teleconference available
Monday, Feb. 27 ARPA-E: Energy Innovation Summit (continues through Wed., Mar. 1)
Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center (National Harbor, MD)
|
|
Opportunities AAS Organizing Congressional Visit Day
The American Astronomical Society is inviting society members who are eligible to vote in the U.S. to participate in a Congressional Visit Day to take place as part of a broader STEM visit day on April 25 and 26. The goal is “to gather scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology executives in the nation’s capital to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology.” Sign up ends on Feb. 28.
National Academies Seeks Director of Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is currently seeking an experienced scientist to serve as the new director of its Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board. The board “carries out a broad range of scientific and technical studies on radiation health effects, radioactive waste management and remediation, and nuclear security and terrorism to inform policy decision making and increase public understanding of critical nuclear and radiation issues.”
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.
|
|
Around the Web
News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.
White House
Congress
Civil Service
Immigration
Political Engagement
Research Management
Space
Energy
National Labs
Education
Defense
Obama Administration
International
|
|
|
| |
| |
|