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What’s Ahead
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| President-elect Joe Biden delivers his victory speech on Nov. 7. (Image credit – Biden-Harris Campaign) |
Biden Names Pandemic Team, Vowing Science-Grounded Approach
Having secured victory in last week’s election, President-elect Joe Biden is shifting his attention this week to his transition, aiming to get his administration off to a fast start on Jan. 20. In his victory speech, Biden said his first priority will be addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by formulating an “action blueprint” he will implement when he takes office. “That plan will be built on a bedrock of science. It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern,” he remarked. To develop the plan, Biden has named a 13 member COVID-19 advisory panel co-chaired by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler, and Yale University public health professor Marcella Nunez-Smith. Among the other members is Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, who filed a whistleblower report earlier this year alleging the Trump administration had removed him for resisting attempts to advance ineffective COVID-19 treatments. Biden is also expected to quickly name core members of his White House staff. Often mentioned as a front-runner for chief of staff is Ron Klain, who was Biden’s chief of staff when he was vice president and was leader of President Obama’s response to the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak.
Congress Revisiting COVID Relief and Spending Bills
With the election now passed, Congress is returning to business this week to begin its so-called “lame duck” session, which runs until the 117th Congress is seated early next year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has indicated he would like to use the session to pass another COVID-19 relief bill and finalize spending legislation for fiscal year 2021. Proposals for the next relief bill have been stalled since this summer primarily due to disputes over the legislation’s scale. Meanwhile, federal agencies have been operating on stopgap funding since Oct. 1 that is due to expire on Dec. 11. The House and Senate will either have to finish negotiations over a final bill by then or pass a new extension, possibly into the new year, to avoid a government shutdown. The House advanced most of its spending proposals this summer, and the Senate plans to release its own proposals this week after a long delay. Another priority for the lame duck session will be this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which updates national defense policy and includes numerous provisions relating to research and technology. Other major policy bills are also waiting in the wings, including energy innovation packages in the House and Senate and an update of NASA policy.
Third Chicago Quantum Summit Showcasing New Centers
The University of Chicago is virtually hosting the third annual Chicago Quantum Summit from Wednesday through Friday. This year’s summit follows the creation this summer of five National Quantum Information Science Centers through the Department of Energy and three Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes through the National Science Foundation, bringing a major component of the National Quantum Initiative to fruition. The directors of all eight centers will speak at the summit, as will NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, DOE Deputy Director for Science Programs Harriet Kung, and Grace Metcalfe, program officer for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s quantum information science portfolio. A number of speakers from academia, industry, and the venture capital community will also contribute.
DOE Holding Workshop on Geography of Innovation
On Tuesday, the Department of Energy is holding a virtual workshop to discuss “place-based innovation models,” such as research parks and innovation districts. The workshop is the second in a series DOE is organizing to advance its “Labs of the Future” initiative to solicit blue-sky ideas for its national labs. Among the speakers are Brian Darmody, CEO of the Association of University Research Parks; Wendy Leonard, program manager for the Army Research Laboratory’s Open Campus Model; and MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, author of a recent book that identifies potential hubs for technology development across the U.S.
Student Science Policy Conference Kicks Off
The student-run National Science Policy Network is holding its third annual conference virtually this Friday and Saturday with the theme of “Science Policy for Racial Justice.” The organizers state the event aims to “address many of the ways in which both science and policy have historically failed to include minority voices and the ways in which science policy can be strategically leveraged for a more inclusive and equitable future for all.” The conference will begin with a conversation between American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO Sudip Parikh and Gilda Barabino, president of Olin College of Engineering and incoming chair of the National Academies Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Study of DOD Advanced Manufacturing Institutes Launching
The National Academies is holding a kickoff meeting on Friday for a new fast-track study to assess the Department of Defense’s engagement with its Manufacturing USA institutes. The committee will examine strategies for scaling up workforce development efforts and improving collaboration between the institutes, DOD, and the broader federally funded research enterprise, among other topics. The committee is co-chaired by William Bonvillian, former director of MIT’s Washington, D.C. office, and Thomas Donnellan, associate director for materials and manufacturing at Pennsylvania State University’s Applied Research Laboratory. The committee is also holding an open session meeting next Monday where it will hear from Tracy Frost, director of DOD’s Manufacturing USA institutes program, and Rob Gold, director for manufacturing industrial base matters in DOD’s Office of Strategic Technology Protection and Exploitation.
Icebreaker Chief Discussing Antarctic Research Base Resupply
On Friday, the Wilson Center is hosting a workshop focused on U.S. research efforts and diplomatic interests in Antarctica, co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Coast Guard. NSF maintains several year-round research bases on the continent that rely on the Coast Guard’s sole heavy icebreaker, the nearly 50-years-old Polar Star, to perform an annual resupply operation. However, plans are in motion to build a new fleet. Polar Star Captain William Woitrya, NSF Office of Polar Programs Director Kelly Falkner, and former State Department official David Balton will discuss the status of cooperative efforts to support Antarctic research at the event.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), an active senator on science policy issues, lost reelection to former Colorado governor and petroleum geologist John Hickenlooper. (Image credit – U.S. Department of Agriculture) |
Two Science Subcommittee Chairs Ousted
Last week’s elections did not immediately alter the balance of power in Congress, with Democrats’ hopes to capture control of the Senate now hanging on two runoff elections in Georgia, which will be held in early January. The most notable defeat was Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), who chairs the subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee that oversees policy for several science agencies. Gardner was a sponsor of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, a cross-agency science policy update that Congress passed in 2016. His Senate seat will be filled by former Colorado governor and petroleum geologist John Hickenlooper, while the Senate Republican Caucus will determine who fills his committee slot at a later date. The swing-district Democrats who arrived in Congress two years ago and hold leadership positions on the House Science Committee all won reelection except for Space Subcommittee Chair Kendra Horn (D-OK), who has been a leading skeptic of NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024.
Other important committee seats for science policy that need to be filled are those of retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the lead Republican appropriator for the Department of Energy in the Senate, and retiring Rep. José Serrano (D-NY), the lead Democratic appropriator for NASA and the National Science Foundation in the House. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), the House’s lead Democratic appropriator for DOE, is planning to make a bid to lead the full Appropriations Committee following the retirement of Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY). In addition, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is reaching the end of her term as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees for the Department of Energy and U.S. Geological Survey.
NNSA Administrator Resigns Abruptly
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty unexpectedly resigned last week as head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and in a brief statement NNSA indicated her deputy, physicist William Bookless, is now acting administrator. Her decision is reportedly connected to ongoing conflicts with Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette over NNSA’s budget and status within the Department of Energy and not related to the upcoming presidential transition. NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency overseen by DOE that is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Gordon-Hagerty is reported to have successfully intervened with President Trump for a higher budget request than Brouillette advocated, with the dispute ultimately spilling into public view and triggering a battle in Congress over NNSA’s autonomy. Shortly before her resignation, Gordon-Hagerty had also retweeted then deleted a conspiracy theory using her personal Twitter account about the legitimacy of the presidential election. Reacting to the resignation, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe (R-OK) asserted that Brouillette “effectively demanded her resignation” and has “a complete lack of respect for the semi-autonomous nature of NNSA.” The ranking member of the counterpart House committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), likewise issued a statement in support of Gordon-Hagerty, suggesting “petty personal grievances” precipitated her exit.
Climate Intelligence Expert Tapped to Lead Quadrennial Assessment
The Washington Post reported last week that the Trump administration has selected atmospheric scientist Betsy Weatherhead to lead the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Weatherhead is currently a senior scientist at Jupiter Intelligence, a company that advises businesses and governments on the risks of climate change, and previously spent about 25 years as a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. She has contributed to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and currently serves on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Science Advisory Board. Weatherhead’s selection follows the recent appointment at NOAA of David Legates and Ryan Maue, who have expressed skepticism about the severity of climate change, raising worries about the assessment’s integrity. According to the Post, Weatherhead was picked for the role by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier. Congress has mandated that the National Climate Assessment be conducted every four years through the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which coordinates the efforts of thirteen federal agencies. USGCRP is currently soliciting author nominations and technical inputs to the assessment, which is expected to be completed by 2023.
Idaho National Lab Selects Next Director
Idaho National Laboratory announced last week that nuclear engineer John Wagner will take over leadership of the lab on Dec. 11. Wagner is currently a top official there and will succeed Mark Peters, who is departing to become an executive at Battelle, the managing contractor for INL and several other Department of Energy national laboratories. Prior to joining INL, Wagner worked at Oak Ridge National Lab for more than 16 years, managing reactor and fuel cycle R&D programs. INL is the lead DOE lab for nuclear energy R&D and testing and is currently spearheading a number of initiatives to promote development of advanced nuclear reactors, including plans to build a multi-billion dollar neutron irradiation reactor as well as to host a demonstration microreactor and a small modular reactor power plant on its campus.
Arecibo Observatory Damaged by Second Cable Failure
On the heels of a cable failure this August that significantly damaged the Arecibo radio astronomy observatory in Puerto Rico, a second cable broke last week and caused further damage to its reflector dish. The University of Central Florida, which operates Arecibo, said in a statement it suspects the cable broke due to the increased load on the structure resulting from the earlier failure, for which it has yet to determine a root cause. Repairs were set to begin for the first failure this week and now the observatory plans to install temporary steel reinforcements to relieve the extra load. The university has requested $10.5 million from the National Science Foundation, which owns the observatory, to fund repairs for the first cable failure, and has not yet estimated how much the latest damage may cost to fix.
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Events This Week Monday, November 9
Tuesday, November 10
Wednesday, November 11
Thursday, November 12
Friday, November 13
Monday, November 16
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Opportunities NSF Seeking Input on COVID Impacts to STEM Education
The National Science Foundation is extending its deadline for public comments on how the federal government should adjust implementation of its strategic plan for STEM education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. NSF seeks particular input on opportunities and challenges arising from the shift to remote instruction, among other topics. Submissions are now due Nov. 20.
NSF Hiring Engineering Directorate Head
The National Science Foundation has started a search for the next director of its Engineering Directorate, which oversees a $1 billion research portfolio that spans chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering. NSF is accepting recommendations on candidates through Feb. 12, 2021.
Hellman S&T Policy Fellowship Application Open
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is accepting applications for the Hellman Fellowship in Science and Technology Policy, which hires early-career scientists and engineers to support the academy’s policy projects. Applicants must have a doctoral degree in a science or engineering field that has been conferred prior to beginning the fellowship. Applications are due Jan. 11, 2021.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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