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What’s Ahead
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| At this week’s meeting of the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, the Department of Energy will ask the panel to produce a report on U.S. capacity for neutron scattering research. This photo shows one of the nation’s major neutron research user facilities, the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory during a 2015 refueling operation. Oak Ridge Associate Director Jim Roberto will deliver a presentation at the meeting on the history of the reactor. (Image credit – ORNL / Genevieve Martin) |
DOE Launching Study on US Neutron Scattering Facilities
The Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) will discuss two new charges from the Department of Energy at its biannual meeting on Thursday and Friday. One pertains to a recent American Physical Society report that asserts there is a shortfall of capacity in the U.S. for neutron scattering research. A co-chair of the APS report, physicist Julia Phillips, will discuss its recommendations with the committee. The second charge builds on the report BESAC completed last year on the 40 year history of DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences program, asking the committee to examine the program in an international context. Other presentations at the meeting will address ongoing user facility upgrade projects, the new materials research decadal survey, and a Basic Research Needs workshop held last fall on microelectronics. Science Philanthropy Alliance president, physicist Marc Kastner, will preside over the meeting as the new chair of the committee.
US S&T Leadership the Focus of House Science Hearing
The House Science Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday titled, “Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Science and Technology.” The committee’s Democrats have invited National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher to testify. During the Obama administration, Gallagher led the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is currently undertaking a major initiative to reexamine federal innovation and technology transfer policies. The Republicans have invited PepsiCo Chief Scientific Officer Mehmood Khan, who chairs the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and is a member of NIST’s advisory board.
Science Committee Promoting R&D at Energy–Water Nexus
On Thursday, the House Science Committee is holding a hearing titled, “The Energy–Water Nexus: Drier Watts and Cheaper Drops.” Early this year, Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced a bill that would require the Department of Energy to develop a strategic plan for supporting research projects that address problems at the intersection of energy and water supplies. DOE has focused on this nexus for some time already and in 2017 released a report on basic research needs related to it. Witnesses will include Vincent Tidwell, a hydrologist at Sandia National Laboratories; Kate Zerrenner, senior manager for energy-water initiatives at the Environmental Defense Fund; Michael Webber, chief S&T officer at ENGIE, a utility company; and Richard Bonner, the vice president for R&D at Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. The committee’s Republicans have invited Raman Singh, an engineering professor at Oklahoma State University.
Physicists Converge on Boston for APS Meeting
Thousands of physicists are heading to Boston this week for the American Physical Society’s annual March meeting. Among the main policy-focused events at this year’s meeting is a Friday session on “The Politics of Science Advising” that will feature a talk by John Holdren, who was President Obama’s science advisor. APS is also hosting a Tuesday town hall on the society’s new strategic plan and a special session Monday evening on the National Quantum Initiative Act. Jake Taylor, head of quantum information science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will speak at the session. OSTP has announced that Taylor will serve as interim director of the National Quantum Coordination Office established by the act.
Nuclear Forensics, Grid Modernization Studies Gearing Up
The National Academies is holding kickoff meetings this week for an assessment of U.S. nuclear weapons forensics programs and a separate, congressionally mandated study on options for modernizing the U.S. electric grid. The forensics study will evaluate the “scientific rigor” of methodologies used by federal programs that would be activated in the event a nuclear device is intercepted or detonated. The grid study will include a focus on identifying “opportunities to improve existing technologies or develop and apply emerging technologies in generation, storage, power electronics, sensing and measurement devices, control systems, cyber security, and loads.”
DOE Advisory Board to Hold First Meeting
The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board will meet Tuesday for the first time since Rick Perry took the helm of the Department of Energy. Perry announced the panel’s new members late last month. The board has a broad remit to examine the department’s activities, including the operations of the national labs.
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In Case You Missed It
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| At center, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Tim Gallaudet and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction Neil Jacobs tour the National Hurricane Center in April 2018. (Image credit – National Hurricane Center) |
NOAA Shuffles Up Its Interim Leadership
Neil Jacobs, the assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction, has replaced Tim Gallaudet as acting head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In a message to NOAA employees on Feb. 25, Jacobs announced Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had asked him to step into the role and that Gallaudet will continue to serve as NOAA’s deputy administrator with a focus on “Blue Economy” priorities related to fisheries, ocean exploration, and maritime commerce. “In no way will this impact our mission or shift our priorities,” Jacobs wrote. NOAA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since the outset of the Trump administration, as the nomination of former AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers has been stalled in the Senate for nearly a year and a half. Galladuet, who was formerly oceanographer of the Navy, has been generally regarded as a capable steward of the agency. Under the new arrangement, Jacobs will retain the responsibilities of his assistant secretary role, overseeing NOAA’s weather forecasting activities and its sea, air, land, and space-based observing platforms. Before joining the agency, he was chief atmospheric scientist at Panasonic Avionics Corporation.
House Appropriators Discuss Climate Research Priorities
Climate research and environmental monitoring programs at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration received bipartisan praise at a House appropriations subcommittee hearing dedicated to the topic last week. Subcommittee Chair José Serrano (D-NY) said the panel should provide federal researchers with the resources they need to study climate change and asked witnesses to affirm various conclusions of the latest National Climate Assessment. Ranking Member Robert Aderholt (R-AL) said earth science research plays a “critical role” in informing policymaking and called for prioritizing improvements in “data accuracy, sustainability, and validity” in order to “speculate less, gain a better understanding of the complex relationship between Earth’s changing climate and weather patterns, and formulate more concrete long-term climate models.” Asked about data and modeling needs, Acting NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs noted the value of calibrating satellite measurements with expanded in situ data collection and said key uncertainties remain in the understanding of cloud aerosols, carbon dioxide sinks, and isolating anthropogenic influences from natural variability. The outgoing head of NASA’s Earth Science Division, Michael Freilich, highlighted frontiers in space-based data collection, noting how global measurements of vertical winds could improve climate models “immensely” and that global soil moisture data would help assess impacts of climate change on agriculture.
Committee Chairs Criticize White House Climate Panel Plans
The chairs of four House committees sent a letter to President Trump last week criticizing the White House’s plans to form an ad hoc panel of scientists to scrutinize conclusions of recent climate change impact assessments. They take particular issue with the reported role of physicist William Happer in spearheading the exercise, writing that he “does not have the qualifications to serve on a working group that should be composed of climate scientists.” Happer has often criticized consensus assessments’ conclusion that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide will be a major detriment to humanity. The letter asks the administration to provide the names of all members and staff of the review panel and subject it to the transparency requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Washington Examiner reported last week that Happer has asked physicist Steven Koonin to help organize the group. Koonin told the Examiner that the panel is meant to “ensure there is real dialogue” about climate science. “If this is a bunch of administration hacks who write an adversarial review, the academy will call them out. If, on the other hand, these folks generate some valid criticisms, we will all have better a sense of what climate science is really about,” he said.
Science Committee Praises ARPA–E, Debates Its Future
At a hearing devoted to the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy on Feb. 26, House Science Committee members generally praised the agency’s work and debated its future direction. Some members and witnesses suggested that ARPA–E’s budget should grow from its current level of $366 million to $1 billion or even $3 billion, on par with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. While Republican members signaled they are open to higher funding, they said they want to avoid duplication with other Department of Energy programs and offset the increases with cuts to other parts of the department’s budget. ARPA–E’s strategy was also up for debate, with the Republican-invited witness, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Mark Mills, suggesting the agency should concentrate more on basic research projects that could lead to a fundamentally transformative “energy revolution.” Other witnesses, including former ARPA–E directors Arun Majumdar and Ellen Williams, defended the agency’s current strategy, saying it advances risky innovations that could precipitate major shifts in the energy sector.
Natural Resources Package Lands on Trump’s Desk
Following suit with the Senate, the House passed the Natural Resources Management Act on Feb. 26 by a vote of 363 to 62, sending it to the president for signature. Referred to as a “lands package”, the legislation consists of more than 100 previously negotiated public lands, natural resources, and water bills. It also includes a handful of provisions related to natural hazard preparedness, including ones directing the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System network and reauthorizing the agency’s geologic mapping program.
Senate Narrowly Confirms Wheeler as EPA Administrator
The Senate confirmed Andrew Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency by a vote of 52 to 47 on Feb. 28. Only Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) broke from her party’s ranks to oppose the nomination, citing her concerns about EPA’s proposed rollbacks of regulations on mercury and greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate previously confirmed Wheeler to be the agency’s deputy administrator by a similarly narrow margin. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), the sole sitting Democrat to support Wheeler’s earlier nomination, reversed his stance, criticizing EPA’s handling of clean air and drinking water standards.
NIH Pledges Further Action on Sexual Harassment
Top officials at the National Institutes of Health issued a statement last week updating the research community on their efforts to combat sexual harassment. In a bid to increase transparency, the statement includes previously unreleased statistics indicating that, in 2018, NIH removed 14 principal investigators from grant awards and took formal disciplinary action to address improper conduct by 10 agency staff. The statement also clarifies the obligation of NIH-funded institutions to notify the agency when an individual under investigation is “no longer able to fulfill their obligations to conduct research.” Recognizing the need for more action, the statement highlights current efforts underway through the Director’s Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment, while apologizing that the agency had not acted more quickly to address the problem. “The reports of scientists and students shared through the #MeTooSTEM movement portray a heartbreaking story of opportunities lost, pain suffered, and a systemic failure to protect and defend. To all those who have endured these experiences, we are sorry that it has taken so long to acknowledge and address the climate and culture that has caused them,” they write.
DOE Gives Initial Go Ahead to Versatile Test Reactor
Last week, the Department of Energy granted initial approval to the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor project. To be based at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the reactor would establish a U.S.-based capability for irradiation research using high-energy neutrons, enabling tests on fuels and materials to be employed in certain kinds of advanced commercial nuclear reactors. Currently, Russia operates the only facility that companies can use for such tests. The current milestone, known as critical decision 0, establishes the “mission need” for the facility. INL has already subcontracted with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to complete the next step toward final approval, the production of a conceptual design that includes an initial schedule and cost estimate. The head of the project at INL, Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, told reporters he anticipates the facility will cost between $3 billion and $3.5 billion to build. Congress has taken a strong interest in the project, providing it with $65 million in the current fiscal year and directing DOE to prepare for its construction and complete the facility by the end of 2025.
OSTP Official Suggests Export Controls Will Not Be Broad
The lead staffer for artificial intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Lynne Parker, sought to allay concerns that the Commerce Department might impose export controls on broad categories of emerging technologies. Asked to comment on the department’s initial list of technologies of interest at the Center for a New American Security on Feb. 28, she said, “Don’t take from that notice of proposed rulemaking — the very broad nature of that list — don’t take it to mean that that’s what’s going to be export-controlled.” Referencing the inclusion of artificial intelligence on the list, she said, “We are certainly in the loop with the folks at [the department], and they are certainly aware that AI is very dual use, there are lots of civilian applications, lots of applications that could somewhat easily be turned into military applications, but we’re not going to export control the entirety of all those broad fields.” She encouraged stakeholders to consider submitting examples of “much more narrow areas” for which export controls would be appropriate.
UC Cancels Elsevier Subscriptions Over Open Access Terms
The University of California announced on Feb. 28 that it has cancelled its subscription to research journals published by Elsevier following months of failed contract negotiations. The university, which comprises 10 campuses and generates about 10 percent of all U.S. research publications, stated it is taking a “firm stand” as part of its efforts to be a “leader in the global movement toward open access to publicly funded research.” The system’s academic senate has endorsed the decision, which has also been hailed by members of the community pushing for the expansion of open access research. Last year, Elsevier discontinued access to its journals for government-operated universities and research institutions in Germany and Sweden after they similarly balked at the publishing giant’s terms.
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Events This Week Monday, March 4
Tuesday, March 5
DOE: Secretary of Energy Advisory Board meeting 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, DOE headquarters (1000 Independence Avenue SW, DC) Senate: “Electricity Sector in a Changing Climate” 10:00 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee (366 Dirksen Office Building) ITIF: “Taking the Fight to Clean Energy: What the Military’s Investment in Energy Innovation for the Warfighter Means for the Rest of Us” 10:00 - 11:30 am, ITIF headquarters (1101 K St. NW, DC) Webcast available Senate: “Vaccines Save Lives: What Is Driving Preventable Disease Outbreaks?” 10:00 am, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (430 Dirksen Office Building) National Academies: “A Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science,” virtual meeting (continues Wednesday) Open sessions: 12:00 - 5:15 pm, Tue; 2:00 - 5:30 pm, Wed
Wednesday, March 6
NASEO/Energy Futures Initiative: 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report Launch 8:30 - 10:15 am, National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, DC) House: “Outside Perspectives on Nuclear Deterrence Policy and Posture” 10:00 am, Armed Services Committee (2118 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Inclusion in Tech: How Diversity Benefits All Americans” 10:30 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2322 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Science and Technology” 2:00 pm, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Examining the Policies and Priorities of BOEM, BSEE, and USGS” 2:00 pm, Natural Resources Committee (1324 Longworth Office Building) Commerce Department: American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Eisenhower Executive Office Building (1650 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC)
Thursday, March 7
DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee meeting (continues Friday) 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Thu; 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Fri Bethesda North Marriott Hotel (Rockville, MD) House: “The Energy Water Nexus: Drier Watts and Cheaper Drops” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Wasted Energy: DOE’s Inaction on Efficiency Standards and Its Impact on Consumers and the Climate” 10:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2123 Rayburn Office Building) Senate: Business meeting to consider DOE and DOI nominations
10:00 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee (366 Dirksen Office Building) Senate: “China: Challenges for U.S. Commerce” 10:00 am, Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (562 Dirksen Office Building) DOE: “Jobs in Nuclear Energy: From Trades to Engineers and Physicists,” congressional briefing 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, 202 Senate Visitors Center ITIF: “Preserving Bayh-Dole — the ‘Inspired’ Law That Underpins U.S. Leadership in Life-Sciences Innovation” 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Capitol Visitor Center (Room HVC-200) House: “Energy Workforce Opportunities and Challenges” 1:00 pm, Appropriations Committee (2362-B Rayburn Office Building) ACS/GAO: “Providing S&T Support to Congress: Plans and Opportunities” 2:00 - 3:00 pm, Webinar
Friday, March 8
No events start today.
Monday, March 11
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Opportunities California S&T Council Seeking Director
The California Council on Science and Technology is hiring an executive director. The council advises the California State government on S&T policy issues and sponsors a fellowship program that places scientists and engineers in legislative offices at the state capitol in Sacramento. Preference will be given to applications received by March 25.
AGU Hiring for Public Affairs Positions
The American Geophysical Union is accepting applications for a senior public affairs specialist to engage with Congress, the administration, and AGU members on science policy subjects. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in science, public policy, or a related discipline and four years of experience. The public affairs team is also hiring a spring intern with an expected start date of April 1.
NASA HQ Seeking Summer Interns
As part of NASA’s internship program, the Science Mission Directorate is seeking to hire up to 10 students for a ten-week summer internship at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Applications are due April 1.
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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