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What’s Ahead
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| Countries with confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 as of March 14. (Image credit – World Health Organization) |
Science Responds to Pandemic Conditions
As the coronavirus pandemic escalates around the world, scientists are scrambling to adjust to vastly altered circumstances. Within two weeks, the conversation has shifted from whether to cancel upcoming conferences to how to cope with the widespread closure of universities and research facilities. Federal agencies are limiting travel to “mission critical” activities, and many facilities have already curtailed operations as employees transition to remote work. While many research laboratories are shutting down across the country, some remain open. The Department of Energy’s national labs are prioritizing investigations of the novel coronavirus at their light sources and supercomputers, and the department has put out a call for suggestions for how its facilities could be of further use in the crisis. Agencies that perform essential functions such as the National Weather Service are also continuing their work. NASA is prioritizing time-critical activities, including preparations for the Perseverance rover’s launch to Mars this summer, while shutting down other research activities such as airborne Earth science campaigns. Scientific societies are beginning to grapple with the prospect of long-term disruptions. The American Physical Society has now cancelled its April Meeting and is working to deliver some sessions virtually, and the American Astronomical Society is also looking into virtual options for its upcoming meeting scheduled to begin at the end of May.
DOE Fusion Strategic Planning Effort Reaches Next Phase
The Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) is holding a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss its next steps in developing a consensus strategy for fusion and plasma science programs at the Department of Energy. The first phase concluded last week with the publication of the “Community Plan for Fusion Energy and Discovery Plasma Sciences,” which articulates priorities of the U.S. fusion research community. The report will be a key input for a new FESAC subcommittee charged with producing a 10 year strategic plan that suggests investment priorities under three budget scenarios. The community plan states the horizon goal of DOE’s fusion program should be to build a pilot plant in the U.S. that generates net electricity and affirms that full participation in the international ITER fusion project is still warranted as a step on that path. It also recommends the U.S. support a new tokamak facility geared toward research relevant to the pilot plant as well as a new neutron source for materials testing. For discovery plasma science, the community plan calls for building an intermediate-scale facility tailored to study of astrophysically relevant magnetized plasma, expanding the LaserNetUS program, and forming analogous networks for pulsed power and magnetized plasma facilities.
DOE Basic Energy Sciences Panel Not Meeting Until July
Among the many events disrupted this week was the biannual meeting of the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. The meetings draw large crowds of officials from across the DOE research complex and are ordinarily not webcast. The committee’s next meeting will now take place in late July, which it states will include presentations of interim findings from a strategic review of its Basic Energy Sciences portfolio as well as the final report on the scientific justification for a new reactor-based neutron facility.
Academies Hosting Symposium on Women in STEM
The National Academies is hosting a virtual symposium on Thursday to share key findings and recommendations from its recently released report on the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. Building on four related reports released since 2018 that address factors relevant to the persistent underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM, the study states it “distinguishes itself by placing emphasis on the experiences of women of color and women from other marginalized groups who experience intensified biases and barriers.” The event will feature comments from academic experts and members of the study committee, including former National Science Foundation Director Rita Colwell.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) urges her colleagues to advance the American Energy Innovation Act, a bill she has worked on over the past year. (Image credit – U.S. Senate) |
Senate Energy Innovation Bill Hits Roadblock on Floor
The American Energy Innovation Act was dealt a severe blow on March 9 when it failed to secure the votes needed to advance on the Senate floor. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has spent the last year developing the legislation, which consolidates dozens of other bills the committee advanced individually, covering areas such as R&D in renewable and nuclear energy, carbon capture technology, and energy storage. It also includes policy initiatives in areas such as energy efficiency and the security and modernization of the electric grid. Although the committee cultivated bipartisan support for the package bill, it was ultimately derailed during floor debate by a dispute over a proposed amendment to phase down the production and use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are potent greenhouse gases. Expressing her dismay just after the vote, Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) remarked in a statement, “We will regroup and look for a path forward, but finding one will require [senators] to be more reasonable and accommodating than they have been in the last week, and certainly more so than they were today.”
House Science Committee Advances Energy R&D Bills
Members of the House Science Committee advanced four energy research bills to the full committee on March 12. Two of the bills secured bipartisan assent: one that would update policy for the Department of Energy’s water power program and another that would guide the reestablishment of the department’s low dose radiation research program. However, Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) withheld support for a bill to update policy for DOE’s nuclear energy office, expressing an alternative vision through a substitute version of the bill he did not put up for a vote. Though both versions recommend rapidly ramping up funding for the Versatile Test Reactor, a multibillion dollar user facility that Weber has championed, his bill does not endorse the advanced reactor demonstration program that appropriators launched this year. The bill the committee advanced recommends the program should have a $520 million budget next year, more than double its current level. Weber also objected to the spending recommendations in a fourth bill that would authorize DOE to establish an R&D program focused on improving the availability of elements critical for energy technology applications.
DOD Picks Finalists for Mobile Reactor Contract
The Department of Defense announced on March 9 that it has awarded two-year contracts to BWX Technologies, Westinghouse Government Services, and X-energy to design transportable nuclear reactors that could be used to supply power at remote bases, among other applications. At the end of the contract period, the department may award one follow-on contract for demonstration of a prototype. The new contracts are part of an ongoing initiative called Project Pele that is operated out of the department’s Strategic Capabilities Office. Beyond relieving DOD’s need to continually transport fuel to difficult-to-access locations, the effort aims to boost U.S. competitiveness in nuclear technology. In a similar effort, Idaho National Lab recently granted the company Oklo a permit to demonstrate an advanced reactor design on the lab’s grounds using government-owned nuclear fuel.
DOE Promotes Crosscutting R&D Initiatives
Appearing before House appropriators last week to discuss the administration’s latest budget request, Department of Energy Office of Science Director Chris Fall focused his testimony on the set of crosscutting initiatives DOE proposes to support in fiscal year 2021. Despite seeking steep cuts to program budgets overall, the request would significantly increase funding for existing initiatives in quantum information science, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. It would also launch new initiatives focused on next-generation accelerator technologies, polymer upcycling, rare earth elements, and collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee for DOE, criticized the cuts as “draconian” and highlighted opportunities for DOE to support biomedical research, especially in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), the subcommittee’s top Republican, likewise criticized the cuts while expressing support for the crosscutting initiatives, saying they “can help avoid duplication of effort while also bringing all relevant expertise to a problem.” Asked by Simpson how the office would effectively manage them, Fall noted they are coordinated through a committee created by Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and that the office is drawing from its experience formulating its quantum research center program.
Lawmakers Look to Launch National AI Initiative
On March 12, leaders of the House Science Committee introduced legislation that would establish a national artificial intelligence research initiative. The bill would authorize agencies to fund AI research institutes that the National Science Foundation would coordinate as a network. NSF is already planning to establish up to six AI institutes this year in partnership with other agencies, and expects to issue about $120 million for the centers this year. The legislation would also recommend Congress increase funding for AI research over four years at NSF (from $868 million to $1.1 billion), the Department of Energy (from $200 million to $262 million), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (from $64 million to $94 million).
‘Industries of the Future’ Act Gains Steam
Last week the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee advanced the Industries of the Future Act by voice vote. The bill would direct the White House to develop a plan for doubling non-defense R&D spending on quantum information science and artificial intelligence by fiscal year 2022 and raising spending to $10 billion across a range of emerging technologies by fiscal year 2025. Members of the House Science Committee also announced last week that they have introduced a companion bill.
Lawmakers Stake Out Priorities for NIST Policy Legislation
At a hearing last week held to inform forthcoming policy legislation for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) cautioned against focusing only on NIST’s work relevant to “industries of the future,” a phrase used by the Trump administration to encompass artificial intelligence, quantum information science, 5G telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology. “We must ensure that the understandable excitement around industries of the future does not overshadow all of the other important work going on at NIST and the critical facilities that enable that work,” she said, emphasizing the agency’s work in forensic sciences, building codes, and greenhouse gas emissions measurements. Research and Technology Subcommittee Chair Haley Stevens (D-MI) stressed her support for the agency’s manufacturing programs, and called President Trump’s proposed cuts to NIST “demoralizing” and “harmful.” Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim Baird (R-IN) said he hopes that when developing reauthorization legislation the committee considers proposals from the Industries of the Future Act and the Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act, which recommends roughly doubling NIST’s budget from $1 billion to $1.8 billion and incorporates technology transfer policy changes sought by the agency, among other items.
NOAA Nominee Commits to Bolster Scientific Integrity Policy
Acting National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration head Neil Jacobs said he is committed to making the agency’s scientific integrity policy “more robust” at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing last week on his nomination to officially lead the agency. Last year, NOAA drew fire from the meteorology community for rebuking one of its forecasting offices for contradicting an inaccurate tweet from President Trump about the path of Hurricane Dorian. Responding to questions from Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jacobs said there were “a lot of lessons learned” from the incident, noting for instance that the policy “doesn’t address social media.” In general, committee members expressed support for Jacobs at the hearing, with Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) calling him a “distinguished” choice who is well respected by the committee.
NASA Finalizes Harassment Reporting Requirements
NASA issued a new policy last week that requires grantee institutions to notify the agency whenever it determines a principal investigator or co-investigator has violated any policies related to sexual harassment, assault, or other forms of harassment. It also requires institutions to report if such personnel are placed on administrative leave or subjected to “any administrative action” as a result of harassment investigations or findings. Explaining the policy, NASA notes the new requirements are nearly identical to those the National Science Foundation implemented in 2018. NASA also states it declined to incorporate a proposal to narrow the scope of administrative actions that trigger the reporting requirement. The Council on Governmental Relations, a university association, had suggested the agency adopt language used in the pending Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act, which stipulates that such requirements only apply to actions that affect “the ability of grant personnel or their trainees to carry out the activities of the grant.” NASA concluded such language would place “unnecessary limitations” on the reporting requirement and noted the legislation has not been enacted.
ExoMars Rover Mission Delayed Two Years
The European Space Agency and Roscosmos announced on March 12 they are pushing back the launch of their ExoMars mission two years to 2022. The mission recently experienced difficulties with its parachute system, which is essential for the safe delivery of its centerpiece, the Rosalind Franklin rover. ESA director Jan Wörner said at a press conference that the mission team has also been addressing troubles with the landing craft’s wiring and the rover’s solar panels. The announcement also states the coronavirus pandemic is currently inhibiting additional tests of the spacecraft’s hardware and software that will be performed to verify the spacecraft’s readiness for launch. ExoMars had been running out of time before the upcoming biennial launch opportunity this summer, when Mars and Earth are favorably aligned. NASA’s Perseverance rover and a Chinese rover and orbiter remain on schedule to meet the launch window.
UK Government Outlines Major Expansion in R&D Funding
In a bid to spur economy-wide R&D spending to 2.4% of gross domestic product by 2027, the United Kingdom plans to more than double public spending on R&D to £22 billion by its 2024-2025 fiscal year. In its 2020 budget released on March 11, the government states that more than £900 million will go to aiding business innovation and at least £800 million will go to a new “blue-skies funding agency,” which will be modeled on the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The budget also states the UK will at least double funding for its Energy Innovation Program, which is currently funded at about £100 million per year, as part of an effort to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time and all congressional hearings are webcast, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
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Opportunities DOE Seeking Input on Coronavirus Research
The Department of Energy is seeking input from the research community on how to leverage its user facilities, computational resources, and other infrastructure to support research, response, and recovery efforts for the coronavirus disease COVID-19. DOE notes that while it does not perform clinical work, it can support activities such as protein characterization and modeling of viral evolution. Responses will be reviewed beginning March 18.
NSF Seeking Members for Advisory Committees
The National Science Foundation is accepting recommendations for members to serve on its 15 scientific and technical advisory committees, encompassing fields of science spanning all of its directorates. Members’ terms vary across committees.
NOAA Science Advisory Board Seeking Members
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Science Advisory Board is accepting nominations for members. The board is particularly seeking individuals with expertise in extreme weather prediction, social sciences, cloud computing, artificial intelligence autonomous systems, and ‘omics science, among other areas. Nominations are due April 23.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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