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What’s Ahead
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| Image credit – Tim Herman / Intel Corporation |
Congress Poised to Pass Landmark Innovation Bill
The Senate will vote this week on a 1,054-page innovation bill that has been in the works for more than two years. Referred to as “CHIPS Plus,” the bill appropriates $52 billion for semiconductor R&D and manufacturing incentive programs, creates a temporary tax credit specific to the semiconductor sector, and sets ambitious budget growth targets for programs across the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institute of Standards and Technology. The legislation represents a significant compromise between the House and Senate visions for the agencies, and lead negotiators from both parties have issued statements in support of the deal, including House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS). However, some lawmakers are still seeking changes, including Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a lead proponent of the legislation who has protested that it does not include his Safeguarding American Innovation Act. It is unclear what amendments, if any, the Senate will put up for votes, and they may instead be deferred for potential inclusion in Congress’ annual defense policy legislation. The Senate released its version of that bill last week and will likely bring it to the floor soon after Congress returns from its traditional August recess. The House intends to vote on the CHIPS Plus bill as soon as this week, sending it to President Biden for his signature.
Senate Hears Case for Russian Uranium Ban, Nuclear Fuel Reforms
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is meeting Thursday to discuss pending bills, including a trio related to nuclear fuel supplies. Two bills introduced by Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) would ban imports of uranium from Russia and direct the Department of Energy to support domestic commercial production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) has also released a draft bill that would establish a new federal agency to manage nuclear waste and provide guidelines for a consent-based process for siting nuclear waste facilities. Other legislation on the agenda includes a bill by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) to set targets for the amount of carbon dioxide DOE should remove from the atmosphere or oceans each year, and another by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) directing DOE to carry out a microelectronics R&D program and establish up to four Microelectronics Science Research Centers. The microelectronics proposal has already been incorporated into the CHIPS Plus package.
House to Vote on Assortment of Science Bills
DOE Briefs PCAST, Argonne Hosts Energy Secretary Advisory Board
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is holding a one-hour meeting on Thursday to discuss the Department of Energy’s research programs with DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond. The council may also hold a closed meeting with President Biden on Thursday or Friday. Separately, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board is holding a meeting at Argonne National Lab on Tuesday, which will largely focus on DOE’s efforts to promote grid resilience. The agenda includes a panel discussion of a 2021 National Academies report on the future of electric power.
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In Case You Missed It
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| OSTP acting director Alondra Nelson at a June 13 meeting of science ministers from the G7 countries. (Image credit – Sebastian Gollnow / AP Images) |
White House Updates R&D Priorities for Next Budget Request
The White House issued its annual R&D priorities memorandum on July 22, providing guidance to federal agencies as they formulate their budget requests for fiscal year 2024, which are due for release in February. The memo mainly elaborates on themes from last year’s version, stressing issues such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, emerging technologies, STEM education, and equity in innovation. Potentially significant changes include new references to nuclear fusion and geothermal energy as priority clean-energy technologies, while a reference to biofuels has been dropped. The memo also adds a subsection on international cooperation, and it identifies the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative and the National Nature Assessment the White House announced in April as frameworks that should be integrated with relevant programs. In addition, there is an entirely new section on the Cancer Moonshot initiative that President Biden relaunched in February, with the goal of at least halving the death rate from cancer in the next 25 years. The memo is signed by Alondra Nelson, the interim director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Prabhakar Addresses OSTP Controversies at Nomination Hearing
Arati Prabhakar received a mostly positive reception from the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee at its hearing last week on her nomination to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In her opening statement, she addressed the workplace climate issues that led to the resignation of the office’s previous director, geneticist Eric Lander, saying she believes its staff and interim leadership has “set the foundation for a respectful workplace,” and vowed, “If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, people will be my first priority.” Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) applauded her experience in the public and private sector and said he expects she will be confirmed. However, he also asked for assurances that she would “avoid conflicts of interest and undue outside influence over the nation’s scientific agenda or the appearance thereof,” referring to reporting by Politico about former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s close ties with the Biden administration and support his philanthropic initiative Schmidt Futures has given to OSTP. Wicker added that Prabhakar has “business ties” with Schmidt, likely alluding to funding Schmidt Futures has provided to the non-profit research organization Prabhakar founded after stepping down as head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2017. In reply, Prabhakar committed to prevent even appearances of conflicts of interest, though she also pointed out that OSTP’s founding statute enables it to draw on outside resources. While Prabhakar’s confirmation appears likely, she faced hostile questions from Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on issues such as gender-affirming medical care and the transition to clean energy sources, which suggests her nomination will not secure the consent needed to circumvent the Senate’s full floor-vote process.
Jeff Marootian Nominated to Lead DOE Renewables Office
Last week, President Biden nominated Jeff Marootian to lead the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which had lacked a nominee for 18 months despite the Biden administration’s prioritization of clean energy R&D and deployment. Marootian is currently the official in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel responsible for overseeing appointments across federal agencies related to climate and science. Previously, he was director of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation from 2017 to 2021, where he oversaw pilot programs for sustainable transportation technologies and the electrification of part of the city’s bus fleet. Before that, he was the U.S. Department of Transportation’s assistant secretary for administration and its chief sustainability officer. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University. Since the beginning of the Biden administration, EERE has been overseen on an interim basis by Kelly Speakes-Backman, who was previously CEO of the Energy Storage Association, a national trade organization for the energy storage industry.
Webb Telescope Program Director Greg Robinson Retiring
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Program Director Greg Robinson is retiring at the end of the week, concluding his three-decade career at NASA. Just prior to his current role he was a deputy head of the Science Mission Directorate, one of a variety of leadership positions he has held at the agency. Directorate head Thomas Zurbuchen asked him to lead the JWST program in 2018, at a point when problems encountered during integration and testing triggered new cost increases for the flagship mission, which was already well over its original budget, and potentially threatened its ultimate success. Most NASA science missions do not operate as independent programs and, with the telescope now conducting science operations, the mission has been moved within the Astrophysics Division. Astrophysics Division Director Paul Hertz is himself stepping aside from his current role on Aug. 15, when he will be succeeded by Mark Clampin, the head of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Clampin said last week that his top priority will be ensuring the success of the division’s next flagship mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is targeting a launch in 2026. (Last week, FYI incorrectly reported that Clampin was taking up his new position immediately.)
Misconduct Sleuths Suggest Tools to Combat ‘Paper Mills’
The House Science Committee heard testimony last week on challenges posed by fraudulent scientific publications, including those generated by “paper mills,” which witnesses characterized as a growing problem. Molecular oncologist Jennifer Byrne reported the extent of fake papers is largely unknown, but estimated there may be more than 100,000 in the human gene literature alone. Chris Graf, research integrity director for the publisher Springer Nature, noted that a recent study found the rate of suspected fake manuscripts submitted to journals ranged from 2% to 46%, with most journals closer to 2%. Committee members highlighted the role of AI in both creating and detecting fraudulent papers, with Oversight Subcommittee Chair Bill Foster (D-IL) noting he had spoofed a famous paper to demonstrate how easy it can be to fool plagiarism detectors. Witnesses noted that paper mills are likely to adopt strategies to evade automated detection, stressing that policy and cultural changes to reduce incentives for misconduct are needed to avoid an AI “arms race.” Brandon Stell, cofounder of the paper discussion forum PubPeer, called for de-emphasizing publication metrics when evaluating research performance and moving toward qualitative methods, including by drawing on evaluation information from sites such as PubPeer and rewarding scientists for participating in them. Other strategies suggested at the hearing included increasing data sharing between journals, requiring manuscripts to be pre-registered at least one year before publication, and improving article screening and retraction processes.
Pandemic Disruptions to NSF Facilities Detailed in GAO Report
Last week, the Government Accountability Office released an assessment of cost increases and schedule delays faced by the National Science Foundation’s major facility construction projects. It found that the five largest projects are being re-baselined due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. Among them, the Rubin Observatory is facing a schedule delay of 22 months beyond its original completion date and a cost increase of $98 million, bringing its total projected cost to $571 million. Meanwhile, GAO found that none of NSF’s mid-scale research infrastructure projects experienced significant interruptions, nor did its projects that are still in the design stage: a Leadership Class Computing Facility and an Antarctic Research Vessel. GAO notes that NSF had instructed award recipients to avoid compensating for pandemic delays using contingency funds, which are reserved for “foreseen risks identified during the design of a project,” and instead the agency used management reserves and other methods to address cost increases. GAO has reviewed NSF’s major facility projects annually since 2018, and the latest report states the agency has adequately addressed all but one of its prior recommendations and is taking steps toward fulfilling the final one, which concerns improving staff project management skills.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, July 25
Tuesday, July 26
Wednesday, July 27
Thursday, July 28
Friday, July 29
American Crystallographic Association: Annual Meeting
(continues through Wednesday)
Monday, August 1
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Opportunities DOD Hiring Director for Defense Innovation Unit
The Defense Innovation Unit is hiring a director to replace Mike Brown, who is stepping down in September after leading the unit for four years. Reporting directly to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, DIU works to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology into the Department of Defense. Applicants should have extensive leadership experience in the private sector, with an emphasis on product development, technology commercialization, and dual-use technologies. Applications are due Aug. 12.
National Academies Seeking Reviewers for Climate Assessment
The National Academies is soliciting nominations of technical reviewers for the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), which is expected to be available this fall. The committee is seeking experts across a wide range of fields, including physical and biological systems, agriculture, infrastructure and transportation, human health and social systems, equity and environmental justice, climate adaptation and resilience, and science communication. Individuals that have contributed to NCA5 are not eligible. Nominations are due Aug. 1.
Academies Hiring Manager for Policy Fellowship Program
The National Academies is hiring a senior program officer to manage two early-career programs within its Policy and Global Affairs Division, the New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Program and the Christine Mirzayan S&T Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. Applicants should have an advanced degree in a related field as well as six years of professional experience, including two in a supervisory capacity.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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