What’s Ahead

Midterm Review of Heliophysics Decadal Survey Launching

A new National Academies committee is convening this week to begin reviewing the progress federal agencies have made in implementing the 2013 decadal survey for solar and space physics. The committee will not revisit the prioritization of activities made in the report, but rather will describe progress in the field since its publication, offer implementation guidance based on recent funding levels, and recommend actions the community should take in preparation for the next decadal survey. At the meeting, which runs from Monday to Wednesday, officials from NASA, the National Science Foundation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will provide updates on agency activities. The committee will also hear presentations on the National Space Weather Action Plan, NSF’s geospace portfolio review, and reflections from the decadal survey chair.

Another Wave of Climate Change Hearings Arrives

Congress is continuing its renewed focus on climate change this week, with six committees holding hearings:

Tuesday: The House appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over NASA, the National Science Foundation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is discussing the “changing climate system and the role of climate research.” The witnesses are the outgoing director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, Mike Freilich, and the head of NOAA’s environmental observation and prediction programs, Neil Jacobs. At the same time, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is examining how federal infrastructure policy could help mitigate climate change impacts. Later in the day, the House Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing on “how industries manipulate science and policy,” with a focus on climate change and public health.
Wednesday: The House Science Committee is holding a subcommittee hearing to discuss the impact of climate change on oceans and coasts. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will examine the “state of current technologies that reduce, capture, and use carbon dioxide” as well as the recently reintroduced Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act.
Thursday: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will discuss how state governments, cities, and businesses are addressing the “leadership void” caused by President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Science Committee Looking to ARPA–E’s Future

The House Science Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday on the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. Witnesses include the agency’s first two directors, Arun Majumdar and Ellen Williams. Also testifying are inventor and entrepreneur Saul Griffiths, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Mark Mills, and John Wall, a member of the National Academies committee that recently evaluated ARPA–E’s effectiveness. Although the Trump administration has twice proposed to eliminate the agency, Congress has instead provided it record funding. In addition, last year the Science Committee advanced bipartisan legislation that would have expanded the scope of the activities the agency funds. Late last year, the American Energy Innovation Council, an organization led by a group of prominent business leaders, released a report lauding ARPA–E as a model for funding energy technology projects and recommending the agency’s budget increase from its current level of $366 million to $1 billion per year.

University Officials to Discuss Harassment and ‘Foreign Influence’ Initiatives

Ongoing federal efforts to guard against undue “foreign influences” on U.S. research and to address sexual harassment in the sciences will be a focus of this week’s meeting of the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), an association of universities and research institutes. Officials from the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health will provide updates on their approaches to addressing foreign governments’ attempts to “improperly access or replicate U.S. federally funded research data and information, including proposed research, to gain competitive advantage.” In a separate session, COGR members will discuss the “Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act” and the recently launched Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM. Kelvin Droegemeier, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will deliver a keynote address. The meeting is only open to members of the association.

Advisory Panel to Discuss Astro2020 and Infrastructure Planning

The advisory committee for federal astronomy and astrophysics programs is convening at the National Science Foundation’s headquarters Monday through Wednesday. Following program updates from NASA, NSF, and the Department of Energy, the committee will hear about preparations for the Astro2020 decadal survey from its co-chairs, Robert Kennicutt and Fiona Harrison. Physical infrastructure will be a major focus of the meeting, with NSF officials delivering presentations on “large ground-based astrophysics projects” and radio spectrum management for observatories. They will also discuss how division-level programs that support “mid-scale” research infrastructure will be complemented by two new agency-wide programs that will fund the design and construction of projects in the $6 million to $70 million range.

House to Vote on STEM Education, Natural Resources Bills

On Monday, the House is scheduled to vote on the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, which aims to improve federal support for veterans transitioning to STEM jobs, and the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act, which would direct the National Science Foundation to expand its I-Corps program, which teaches scientists how to commercialize products of their research. Companion bills for each have already been introduced in the Senate. The House will also vote on Tuesday to send the Senate’s Natural Resources Management Act to the president. The legislation comprises more than 100 component bills, including one directing the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a national volcano monitoring network and another reauthorizing the agency’s geologic mapping program.

In Case You Missed It

At an industry forum at NASA Headquarters on Feb. 14, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine spoke about the agency’s planned lunar exploration architecture, which is to eventually lead to the development of a crewed lander. (Image credit – NASA / Joel Kowsky)

NASA Announces Instruments to Fly on Lunar Landers

On Feb. 21, NASA announced 12 payloads that will fly on small commercial lunar landers, possibly beginning as soon as later this year. The payloads include a variety of instruments, some of which are intended for scientific purposes, some to set the stage for resource prospecting, and some to inform the design of future lunar landing craft. Two other payloads will be technology demonstrations, one for advanced solar arrays designed to enable longer mission durations, and another for a lunar navigational beacon. Which payloads will fly first depends on which of NASA’s designated commercial partners receives the agency’s first task order, to be awarded this spring. The launch date of the first mission will ultimately be determined by when the landing service provider is ready to proceed. NASA has made clear it will tolerate increased risk to move as quickly as possible with the program, which it regards as a proving ground for its broader plans to integrate commercial services into its science and exploration activities beyond low Earth orbit.

White House Group to Challenge National Climate Assessment

The Washington Post reports the White House plans to set up a working group of federal scientists that, according to senior Trump administration officials, will “reassess the government’s analysis of climate science and counter conclusions that the continued burning of fossil fuels is harming the planet.” According to the Post, Deputy National Security Advisor Charles Kupperman said at a Feb. 22 meeting that President Trump was displeased his administration released the National Climate Assessment last fall. The move displaces plans that were first reported on last week to create a more formal committee focused on the implications of climate change for U.S. national security. That proposal was reportedly spearheaded by National Security Council senior staff member William Happer, a physicist who has long maintained that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are apt on balance to be beneficial to humanity.

NSF to Create ‘Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes’

The National Science Foundation issued a request for proposals last week for new quantum R&D centers. Known as “Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes,” the centers will support multidisciplinary research and workforce development in the fields of quantum sensing, simulation, communication, and computing. The solicitation states the program is “aligned with” the National Quantum Initiative Act, which directs NSF to create Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education. NSF estimates it will issue between 15 and 25 conceptualization grants of up to $150,000 each to help applicants develop full proposals for challenge institutes. Each institute will receive up to $5 million per year over five years, and NSF expects to issue between one and three institute awards in each of two rounds of competition. NSF is holding an informational webinar on the program on March 13.

Perry Reboots DOE Advisory Board

Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced last week he has re-empaneled the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, naming eight members with additional members to follow later. Vicki Hollub, president of Occidental Petroleum, will be the board’s new chair. The sole member returning from the panel’s previous incarnation is retired Admiral Richard Mies, who will serve as vice chair. Among the new members is former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, who is a longtime advocate for federal R&D funding. He and Mies also led a congressionally mandated assessment of the U.S. nuclear security enterprise that issued a highly critical report in 2014. The board, dormant since the beginning of the Trump administration, will hold its first meeting on March 5.

Events This Week

Monday, February 25

NSF: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting (continues Tuesday) 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon; 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Tue NSF headquarters (Alexandria, VA) Webcast available National Academies: “Review of Progress Toward Implementing the Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey,” kickoff meeting (continues through Wednesday) Open sessions: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon; 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Tue Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available National Academies: “Near Earth Object Observations in the Infrared and Visible Wavelengths,” meeting two (continues through Wednesday) Open sessions: 11:00 am - 2:45 pm PST, Mon; 8:30 am - 1:00 pm PST, Tue Beckman Center (Irvine, CA) NASA: Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group webinar 2:00 - 4:00 pm EESI: “How Climate Change Affects the U.S.: Exploring the NCA and IPCC Reports,” congressional briefing 2:00 - 3:30 pm, 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building Webcast available Hoover Institution: “Governance In An Emerging New World: Emerging Technology and America’s National Security” 4:00 - 5:15 pm PST, Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA) Webcast available

Tuesday, February 26

House: “The Future of ARPA-E” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Understanding the Changing Climate System and the Role of Climate Research” 10:00 am, Appropriations Committee (H-309 Capitol Building) House: “Examining How Federal Infrastructure Policy Could Help Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change” 10:00 am, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (210 Capitol Visitor Center) House: “The State of Water Supply Reliability in the 21st Century” 10:00 am, Natural Resources Committee (1324 Longworth Office Building) Senate: “Examining the 2019 Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress” 10:00 am, Judiciary Committee (226 Dirksen Office Building)
Event will not be webcast AAAS: “Fighting Fake Science: Barriers and Solutions” 12:00 pm, webinar USRA: “University Small Satellite Programs,” congressional briefing 12:00 - 2:00 pm, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building House: “The Denial Playbook: How Industries Manipulate Science and Policy from Climate Change to Public Health” 2:00 pm, Natural Resources Committee (1324 Longworth Office Building) House: “INF Withdrawal and the Future of Arms Control: Implications for the Security of the U.S. and its Allies” 2:00 pm, Armed Services Committee (2118 Rayburn Office Building) American Action Forum: “The Future of Clean Energy,” congressional briefing 3:00 pm, G11 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Wednesday, February 27

House: “Sea Change: Impacts of Climate Change on Our Oceans and Coasts” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) Senate: “State of Current Technologies that Reduce, Capture, and Use Carbon Dioxide” 10:00 am, Energy and Public Works Committee (406 Dirksen Office Building) House: “U.S.-China Trade” 10:00 am, Ways and Means Committee (1100 Longworth Office Building) House: “Clean Energy Infrastructure and the Workforce to Build It” 10:30 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2322 Rayburn Office Building) National Academies: “Forecasting Costs for Preserving, Archiving, and Promoting Access to Biomedical Data,” kickoff meeting (continues Thursday) 10:00 am - 2:45 pm, National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available Stanford/GWU: “Reset of Nuclear Waste Management: Strategy and Policy,” congressional briefing 12:00 - 1:30 pm, 485 Russell Senate Office Building R Street Institute: “Should Congress revive the Office of Technology Assessment?,” congressional briefing 2:00 pm, 421 Cannon House Office Building NOAA: Science Advisory Board teleconference 1:00 - 4:00 pm Senate: “Perspectives on Protecting the Electric Grid from an Electromagnetic Pulse or Geomagnetic Disturbance” 2:30 pm, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (106 Dirksen Office Building) Senate: “Made in China 2025 and the Future of American Industry” 2:30 pm, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee (428A Russell Office Building)

Thursday, February 28

DOE: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee meeting 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Department of Commerce (1401 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Senate: “Nuclear Policy and Posture” 9:30 am, Armed Services Committee (G50 Dirksen Office Building) COGR: Council on Governmental Relations meeting (continues Friday) 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, Thu; 8:00 am - 12:00 pm, Fri Washington Marriott (1221 22nd St. NW, DC) Senate: “China’s Impact on the U.S. Education System” 10:00 am, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (342 Dirksen Office Building) House: “We’ll Always Have Paris: Filling the Leadership Void Caused by Federal Inaction on Climate Change” 10:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2123 Rayburn Office Building) National Academies: “Learning Through Citizen Science Report Launch” 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) CSIS: “China’s Pursuit of Semiconductor Independence” 12:15 - 2:00 pm, CSIS headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available C2ES: “Near-Term Climate Action: An Opportunity for Bipartisan Progress,” congressional briefing 2:00 - 4:00 pm, G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building DHS: Homeland Security Advisory Council teleconference 2:00 - 4:00 pm National Academies: “Frontiers of Materials Research Decadal Survey: Report Release Webinar” 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Friday, March 1

No events start today.

Monday, March 4

CERN: “Physics at the Future Circular Collider: Overview of the Conceptual Design Report” (continues Tuesday) CERN headquarters (Meyrin, Switzerland) APS: March Meeting (continues through Friday) Boston Convention Center (Boston, MA) National Academies: “Modernizing the U.S. Electric Power System,” kickoff meeting (continues Tuesday) Open session: 1:00 - 5:00 pm, National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available NASA: Earth Science Decadal Survey Community Forum
1:00 - 3:00 pm, Webinar National Academies: “Enhancing U.S. Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Support Capabilities,” kickoff meeting (continues Tuesday) Open session: 1:15 - 2:30 pm, Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC)

Opportunities

APS Launches ‘Innovation Fund’

The American Physical Society has created an Innovation Fund to support projects that will “develop new approaches to advancing the interests of the physics community.” The proposals must align with the society’s new strategic plan and be submitted by APS members or staff. Three to five projects will receive up to $100,000 per year for two years. Preliminary proposals are due March 18.

AAAS Seeking Director for ‘Campaign for Science’

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is hiring a director for its “Campaign for Science,” a national effort that will “advocate for the use of science in decision making and work to enhance the value that policymakers place on science.” The director will will work with leaders of twelve science, engineering, higher education, and business organizations to create a “grassroots and grasstops model for science advocacy.”

NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program Now Open

The National Nuclear Security Administration is accepting applications for its 2020 Graduate Fellowship Program. Fellows spend a year in a NNSA program or site office where they contribute technical and policy expertise to activities ranging from strategy development to project implementation. Recent graduates or current students focused on policy or technical fields are encouraged to apply. Applications are due Oct. 2.

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.