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What’s Ahead
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| (Image credit – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) |
Final FY18 Spending Package Set for Release
Congressional appropriators worked over the weekend to finalize a fiscal year 2018 federal spending package, which will include funding and guidance for the science agencies. Much of Congress’ energy this week is expected to be devoted to passing the final agreement before current appropriations expire on Friday. Failing that, Congress will need to clear another stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown. Given the recent agreement to raise budget caps by $80 billion for defense programs and $63 billion for nondefense programs for fiscal year 2018, the spending bill could be a boon for science. Congressional leaders may unveil it as soon as today.
Another Wave of FY19 Budget Hearings Hits
Meanwhile, Congress is pushing forward with hearings on the fiscal year 2019 budget request. Hearings for the science agencies this week include:
- DOE: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hear from Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Tuesday about the Department of Energy budget request. Then, on Thursday, DOE Under Secretary for Energy Mark Menezes and the heads of the department’s applied energy offices, which all would see steep cuts under the proposal, will appear before the House Energy and Water Development (E&W) Appropriations Subcommittee.
- NNSA: The House E&W Appropriations Subcommittee will hear from National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty and several other top nuclear security officials on Tuesday regarding the administration’s request for a $2 billion increase for NNSA. Gordon-Hagerty will also appear before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, while Perry will be testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, with both hearings focusing on nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities.
- NIST/NOAA: The House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee will hear from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Tuesday and from National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Deputy Administrator Tim Gallaudet on Wednesday. NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, both of which fall within the Commerce Department, are facing the prospect of 20 percent and 34 percent budget cuts, respectively.
See Upcoming Events for additional science-related budget hearings occurring this week.
DOE Basic Energy Sciences Panel to Convene
The Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, which serves the Department of Energy, will meet on Thursday and Friday, its first gathering since last summer. If Congress’ final fiscal year 2018 appropriations package arrives early this week, the meeting could offer a first glimpse into how DOE plans to spend any additional funds provided under raised budget caps. The president’s budget request for fiscal year 2019 will also be up for discussion. Scheduled sessions will focus on DOE’s growing efforts in quantum information science and on a 40-year history of DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences program that BESAC was charged with assembling last year. On Friday, just before the meeting adjourns, DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar will provide attendees with an update from department headquarters.
Top DOD R&D Officials to Speak at Austin and DC Conferences
Many leaders of Department of Defense R&D programs will be speaking this week at the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual Science and Engineering Technology Conference in Austin, Texas, and the annual Directed Energy Summit in Washington, D.C. Headlining the latter event is Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin, who entered the newly created position last month. Griffin has deep expertise in the summit’s subject matter, having served as deputy for technology of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. Griffin has said he believes that directed energy deserves to be given higher priority by DOD.
As Missile Defense Review Nears, Think Tanks Reflect on Reagan’s Legacy
Two D.C. think tank events this week will reflect on the legacy of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. Labeled “Star Wars” by its critics, the initiative sought to develop advanced missile defense systems, such as space-based lasers, capable of protecting the U.S. from Soviet nuclear missiles. On Thursday, the Heritage Foundation is holding an event to examine how Reagan’s vision is relevant to current missile defense challenges. On Friday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies is holding an event to discuss how lessons from the initiative are applicable to the challenge of developing cyber defenses. The Trump administration is expected to soon release its Ballistic Missile Defense Review, which reportedly will call for expanding missile defense capabilities. Some in Congress have been pushing for DOD to once again pursue space-based missile defenses, and the latest National Defense Authorization Act directs DOD to plan for developing such capabilities, contingent on the recommendations of the forthcoming review.
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In Case You Missed It
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| British physicist Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s best-known scientists, died on March 14. In addition to playing a central role in developing theoretical understanding of black holes and cosmology, he was a tireless popularizer of science and a frequent advocate on science-related issues. In August 2009, President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S.’ highest civilian honor. (Image credit – White House) |
Reports That Trump May Restrict Chinese Academic Visas Prompt Alarm From Higher Ed Groups
Last week, Politico and the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is considering placing restrictions on visas for Chinese students and academics as part of a broader package of tariffs and investment restrictions aimed at retaliating against alleged exploitation of U.S. intellectual property. The administration signaled it is open to implementing such restrictions in its National Security Strategy, released last year. FBI Director Christopher Wray also recently told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the “use of nontraditional [intelligence] collectors, especially in the academic setting, whether it’s professors, scientists, students” is widespread when asked by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) about the “counterintelligence risk posed to U.S. national security from Chinese students, particularly those in advanced programs in the sciences and mathematics.” Representatives of several higher education organizations have expressed alarm at the visa restriction concept, saying it could be highly damaging to the U.S. research system. And some have criticized Wray’s remarks as depicting the situation with an overly broad brush.
Perry Defends Cuts to ‘Mature’ DOE R&D Programs
At a hearing of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee on March 15, Energy Secretary Rick Perry defended the president’s fiscal year 2019 budget request for the Department of Energy. In an exchange with Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Perry said many of DOE’s applied energy R&D programs targeted for cuts had met or exceeded their goals and that such “mature” programs “don’t need to be funded going forward.” Perry also reiterated his prior position that, although the request proposes to close the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the agency could be restructured. Kaptur also asked Perry to keep her apprised of potential policy changes for ARPA–E, citing remarks recently made by ARPA–E Acting Director Chris Fall that, if Congress funds it, the agency will look to pursue “different program models.”
Energy Storage an Emerging Interest for Science Committee
The House Science Committee’s March 14 hearing on the Department of Energy’s national laboratories covered a wide range of subjects. Nuclear energy technology remained a perennial focus for committee members, while several members showed a strong emerging interest in energy storage. Pressed by Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) to offer a timeframe for when markedly more efficient batteries might appear, Argonne National Laboratory Director Paul Kearns was noncommittal but suggested, “Certainly within the next five years we’ll see a very dramatic change in the field of energy storage, both in terms of grid and transportation technology.” Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) revealed that he and Rep. Steve Knight (R-CA) are preparing legislation to “set up demonstration programs for grid-scale energy storage,” and are currently contemplating appropriate three-to-five-year technology goals.
Dabbar Says DOE R&D ‘Way Undershooting’ Its Potential
In a keynote address last week at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s annual energy innovation conference, Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar said he thinks DOE is “a bigger innovator even than NASA” but also that it is “way undershooting the potential” embodied in the $9 billion of R&D it currently funds each year. As a step to address this, he said DOE will hold “technology and market-centric events” to better expose external organizations to its R&D and establish partnerships for commercializing technologies. Picking the “most obvious” subject first, he said DOE plans to hold an event this fall focused on batteries and energy storage at a university located close to a national lab.
Smith Grills NSF on Social Science Spending
At a March 15 hearing on the National Science Foundation’s fiscal year 2019 budget request, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) asserted that NSF’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate continues to fund “frivolous or low-priority” projects. He listed several he believes fall in that category, as he as done in the past, and was unsatisfied with NSF Director France Córdova’s assurance that the projects went through rigorous review and are in the national interest. While acknowledging the contributions of some SBE research to addressing national problems, he said that NSF should be allocating more funding to disciplines such as physics and computer science especially in light of growing Chinese investments in these fields. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) criticized the administration’s proposal to cut SBE’s budget by about 10 percent while maintaining funding for the other five research directorates about flat, saying she believes the cut was directed by the White House. She also applauded NSF for seeking to break stovepipes between research directorates and encourage convergent research by requesting dedicated funding for its 10 Big Ideas, but said that in a flat budget scenario, the tradeoff of decreased funding for core disciplinary research would have to be carefully considered.
Key Lawmaker Questions Adequacy of Defense S&T Budget
The House Armed Services Committee held a subcommittee hearing on March 14 on the proposed fiscal year 2019 budget for the Department of Defense’s Science and Technology programs, comprising the three early-stage R&D accounts of DOD’s Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation budget. Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) reiterated the interest she expressed in DOD’s innovation policy at a hearing in January on Chinese technological competition. She also praised DOD’s proposed level of investment in S&T, while wondering if it should be higher, saying, “I remain concerned that our S&T investments represent a small percentage of our overall defense budget. To truly increase lethality and provide a superior technological edge for our warfighters, we should ask ourselves if 2.3 percent of the total defense budget is the correct balance.” Stefanik also repeated her wish that Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin “drive a national-level dialogue for S&T policy” encompassing both defense and the national economy.
NASA Leadership in Limbo as Acting Head to Leave in April
Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot announced last week that he will retire from the agency on April 30 after over a year in the role – the longest period the agency has gone without a Senate-confirmed leader in its history. President Trump’s nomination of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) to head NASA remains stalled in the Senate, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) still opposed to the pick. Despite the lack of a Senate-confirmed leader, Lightfoot said last week that the agency has been on a stable course in part because of directives from the NASA Transition Authorization Act and the National Space Council. NASA has not yet announced who will fill Lightfoot’s shoes should Bridenstine not be confirmed by the end of April.
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Events This Week
CSBA/Booz Allen Hamilton: 2018 Directed Energy Summit (continues Thursday)
Reagan International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC)
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Opportunities Nominations Requested for National Medals Recognizing S&T Achievement
The National Science Foundation is seeking nominations for the National Medal of Science while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking nominations for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The science medal is awarded to individuals who have made “outstanding cumulative contributions” in science or engineering, while the technology and innovation medal is awarded to individuals, teams, or companies who have “lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness, standard of living, and quality of life through technological innovation.” Nominations must be submitted by April 16 and April 6, respectively.
OSA Seeking Senior Government Relations Director
The Optical Society is accepting applications for the senior director of government relations. The position is responsible for overseeing the society’s public policy and government relations programs, and include serving as the staff liaison on the National Photonics Initiative and the International Photonics Advocacy Coalition, among other duties. Individuals with a master’s degree and 10 to 15 years of relevant experience are encouraged to apply.
DOD Seeking Input on STEM Education and Outreach
The Department of Defense is seeking public comment on examples of STEM education and outreach programs that have evidence-based effectiveness and proven results. DOD is specifically asking for information on programs that focus on pre-Kindergarten/early education learning, middle school students, and dependents of the armed forces. Comments will be accepted through April 15.
For additional opportunities, please visit www.aip.org/fyi/opportunities. 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.
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Around the Web
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- Reporter’s notebook: House budget hearing shows science chairman’s impact on NSF peer review (ScienceInsider)
- Is science really facing a reproducibility crisis, and do we need it to? (PNAS, paper by Daniele Fanelli)
- The preregistration revolution (PNAS, paper by Brian Nosek, et al.)
- Everyone needs a data-management plan (Nature, editorial)
- Data management made simple (Nature, perspective by Quirin Schiermeier)
- It’s all right to be wrong in science (NIST, perspective by Paulina Kuo)
- Are research papers less accurate and truthful than in the past? (The Economist)
- The undercover academic keeping tabs on ‘predatory’ publishing (Nature)
- Crowdfunding scientific research (NBER, paper by Henry Sauermann, et al.)
- Institutional research misconduct reports need more credibility (JAMA, perspective by C. K. Gunsalus, et al.)
- Heeding the lessons of BICEP2 (Physics Today)
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