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What’s Ahead
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| Last September, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced winners of a $1 billion competition to develop regional industry clusters across the U.S. that employed pandemic relief funds. The Commerce Department is now preparing to launch a similar program created by the CHIPS and Science Act that will support regional technology hubs. (Image credit – Adam Schultz / The White House) |
Commerce Department Ramping Up CHIPS and Science Initiatives
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is appearing at Georgetown University on Thursday to discuss the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and to outline its role in realizing a “long-term vision for America’s technological leadership.” The Commerce Department is currently preparing to launch initiatives created by the act, and last week it opened a call for comments to inform the design of a new Regional Technology and Innovation Hub program that aims to promote technology-focused economic development across the U.S. Congress provided the program an initial appropriation of $500 million for this fiscal year and the act recommends it allocate $10 billion by 2027. The department is seeking examples of successful regional innovation programs and policies, both domestic and international, that could serve as models for the hubs. It is also asking for input on criteria for selecting and evaluating hubs, strategies for promoting inclusivity, and existing federal programs that could benefit the hubs. The department also expects to release a funding opportunity notice this month for semiconductor fabrication facility subsidies, marking its first move in distributing the $39 billion in manufacturing incentives the act funded.
Study Launching on Climatic Effects of Nuclear War
The National Academies is kicking off a study this week on the environmental consequences of both limited and large-scale uses of nuclear weapons, with a focus on impacts to the Earth’s climate and excluding consideration of radioactive fallout. The National Nuclear Security Administration is sponsoring the study in response to a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 and the study charge notes that recent advances in Earth system modeling present an opportunity to revisit earlier research that identified the potential for nuclear conflicts to trigger a global “nuclear winter,” wherein smoke from the resulting fires would reflect sunlight and dramatically cool the planet. The public portion of the kickoff meeting on Friday will include presentations from NNSA and its labs, and from atmospheric scientists Alan Robock and Owen Toon, who have long studied nuclear winter. The study committee is co-chaired by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research President Antonio Busalacchi and Oak Ridge National Lab aerosol scientist Mengdawn Cheng.
Space Advisory Panel Holding First Meeting of Biden Administration
The National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) is convening on Thursday for its first meeting since the Biden administration reconstituted it in December. The UAG is a body of external experts and stakeholders that provides input to the council, which is chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris and comprises leaders of federal agencies with activities intersecting space policy. At this week’s meeting, UAG subcommittees will present high-level work plans for their portfolios, which respectively cover: exploration and discovery; national security; economic development and industrial-base matters; climate and the societal benefits of space activities; data and emerging technology; and STEM education, diversity, inclusion, and outreach. The meeting will also feature presentations on these areas from “space enterprise” experts, including NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Thomas Zurbuchen, who recently stepped aside as head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is returning as chair of the Senate appropriations subcommittee for the Department of Energy. Feinstein has served as the subcommittee’s lead Democrat since 2011 and announced last week she will retire from Congress two years from now at the end of her current term. (Image credit – Senate Democrats) |
Senate Announces Appropriations Subcommittee Leaders
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced the rosters of its 12 subcommittees, which draft the legislation that funds federal agencies.
- The Energy-Water Subcommittee, which covers the Department of Energy, will continue with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) as chair and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) as ranking member.
- The Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee will continue to be led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jerry Moran (R-KS). The panel’s jurisdiction includes NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- The Interior-Environment Subcommittee, which covers the U.S. Geological Survey and Environmental Protection Agency, will again be led by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
- The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee, which covers the National Institutes of Health, will be chaired by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) after Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) left the role to chair the full Appropriations Committee. The top Republican on the subcommittee is Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who replaces now-retired Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO).
- The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee will still be chaired by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), but Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is taking over as the top Republican of both the subcommittee and the full committee following the retirement of Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL).
New Commission to Assess NSF Grant Review Criteria
The National Science Board voted unanimously last week to form a commission that will assess the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria the National Science Foundation uses when reviewing grant applications and will report back by May 2024 with any recommended changes. The commission is charged with evaluating the effectiveness of the current review process in “supporting NSF’s mission to create new knowledge, fully empower diverse talent to participate in STEM, and benefit society by translating knowledge into solutions.” Board member Stephen Willard explained last year the commission is motivated by the facts that it has been about 12 years since the NSF last formally assessed the criteria, there are “continuing discrepancies” in how the criteria are applied by applicants and reviewers, there are “internal and external reports of racial disparities in merit review,” and NSF can now “call on professional expertise regarding broader impacts that did not exist before.” NSB Chair Dan Reed also stressed that the CHIPS and Science Act has set higher expectations for NSF to shepherd research into practical application, namely through the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. The commission will consist of Willard and fellow board members Roger Beachy, Steven Leath, Julia Phillips, Scott Stanley, Keivan Stassun, Wanda Ward, and NSF staff members to be announced later.
STEM Diversity Study Stresses Organizational Accountability
A report released last week by the National Academies emphasizes the importance of sustained efforts to shift organizational culture to promote diversity and inclusion in STEM fields and medicine. It recommends a multi-tiered strategy that focuses on reducing bias and promoting accountability among individual “gatekeepers” who control resources and hiring decisions within institutions as well as creating inclusive teams where all members feel safe and respected. It suggests organizations look to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions as models of effective “intentional and culturally responsive student and faculty support” and recommends that predominantly white institutions seek out “sustainable partnerships” with MSIs. In addition, the report lays out a plan for future research and urges the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics to expand data collection on educational outcomes for STEM students across demographic groups.
LBNF/DUNE Passes ‘Reaffirmation’ Milestone
On Feb. 16, the Department of Energy formally renewed its commitment to building the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), an internationally supported flagship particle physics project. Known as “reaffirmation” or “CD-1RR,” the management milestone followed an independent review conducted last year and was required because revised estimates of the project’s total cost to DOE had breached a limit of 150% of the original $1.8 billion upper-bound cost estimate. DOE’s new point estimate for the project is about $3.28 billion and the new range estimate is $3.16 billion to $3.67 billion. DOE and Fermilab, which is managing the U.S. part of the project, have consistently signaled that LBNF/DUNE’s basic design would not be revised as part of the reaffirmation process and work on the project has continued during it. Currently, activity is concentrated in South Dakota, where crews are about halfway done excavating caverns 1.5 kilometers deep to house detectors that will analyze a neutrino beam generated 1,300 kilometers away at Fermilab.
Senators Seek Boost for Domestic Nuclear Fuel Production
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY), and Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced a bill last week called the Nuclear Fuel Security Act that aims to reduce the current U.S. reliance on uranium supplies from Russia. The legislation would direct the Department of Energy to accelerate its efforts to help develop domestic supplies of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which many new reactor designs call for, and to build up stocks of domestically produced uranium fuel for traditional reactors. It also recommends Congress immediately appropriate $3.5 billion to support these efforts, with up to $1 billion allocated to HALEU activities. Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom is a major global supplier of uranium, including to the U.S. Although the company was not sanctioned after Russia invaded Ukraine, Barrasso has led calls to halt uranium imports from Russia and the prospect of sanctions may be increasing with new reports Rosatom is aiding the country’s war effort. The U.S. company TerraPower has already announced it will delay the start of a demonstration nuclear plant it is building in Wyoming, stating its plans to obtain HALEU from Russia are no longer viable and domestic production will need more time to ramp up.
DOE Launches Effort to Speed Translational Research
Last week, the Department of Energy Office of Science launched a program called Accelerate Innovations in Emerging Technologies, or simply “Accelerate,” which aims to speed the translation of fundamental science results into commercial products. The program will focus on addressing bottlenecks in the ability to scale up laboratory processes in industrial settings, such as by anticipating issues with supply chains, energy efficiency, and software efficiency. The program is limited to techniques and technologies in four areas: computing and data, physics and engineering, biology, and materials and chemistry. The office plans to spend $80 million over two years on the program, with awards ranging from $2 million to $4 million each. The funding opportunity is only open to national labs, but partnerships with other institutions are strongly encouraged. The office is holding an introductory webinar on Feb. 27. The program is the latest in a recent series of federal efforts to spur translational research, coming on the heels of the National Science Foundation’s launch last week of a $60 million Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program that has similar goals.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, February 20
Presidents Day holiday
Tuesday, February 21
Wednesday, February 22
Thursday, February 23
Friday, February 24
Monday, February 27
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Opportunities NSF Hiring Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs
The National Science Foundation is hiring a deputy head for its Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. Applicants should have experience in public relations or lobbying, the ability to interpret federal budget and policy documents, and experience engaging scientists on policy affecting the STEM enterprise. Applications are due March 20.
GAO Technology Assessment Team Hiring Physical Scientist
The Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics group is hiring a physical scientist who will conduct research related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and other fields. Candidates must have a degree in a physical science field and experience conducting laboratory or literature research on nuclear energy and weapons. Applications are due Feb. 24.
Issues in S&T Magazine Hiring Senior Editor for Science Policy
Issues in Science and Technology, a journal published by Arizona State University and the National Academies, is hiring a senior editor for science policy. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in journalism and at least five years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Applications are due March 3.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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