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What’s Ahead
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| DOE Office of Science Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe. Berhe has been a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sciences.(Image credit – Jack Dempsey / DOE) |
DOE Implementing Equity Plan Requirement for Research Grants
The Department of Energy Office of Science announced last week that research grant applications to the office must now include a “Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan” describing strategies and activities project teams will use to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The office will evaluate the plans as part of the merit review process for all its solicitations as well as invited proposals from DOE national labs. It notes that the “complexity and detail of a PIER Plan is expected to increase with the size of the research team and the number of personnel to be supported.” In addition, the office now requires that conferences it funds have an established code of conduct that includes processes for reporting and addressing complaints. Conference organizers must also submit a plan that addresses accessibility for both speakers and attendees as well as the “recruitment of individuals from groups historically minoritized in the research community.” The office is hosting a webinar on Oct. 17 to discuss the new requirements.
Senate Tees Up Major Science Amendments to Defense Bill
As the Senate begins floor debate this week on its version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), more than 900 amendments have already been submitted for consideration. Many propose significant R&D policy changes and have bipartisan support, though none are guaranteed a vote:
- Students who earn graduate degrees in certain STEM fields from U.S. institutions would be exempted from numerical visa caps under an amendment from Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Rounds (R-SD). The amendment would also grant international students the ability to declare their interest in remaining in the U.S. after graduation rather than demonstrate they intend to return home. The Senate ultimately excluded similar proposals from the recently enacted CHIPS and Science Act.
- Significant research security policies advocated by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) are included in an amendment co-sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Portman’s proposal would expand the State Department’s visa denial authority, make it an explicit crime to not disclose required information on grant applications, and create an interagency research security committee led by the White House budget office. Portman also attempted to attach these provisions to the CHIPS and Science Act.
- An amendment from Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) to update policy for intelligence agencies includes a provision directing the president to establish an Office of Global Competition Analysis that would benchmark U.S. science and technology capabilities against those of other countries.
- An amendment from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) to launch a “nuclear fuels security initiative” would expand efforts to create domestic supplies of high-assay low enriched uranium and would ban imports of uranium from Russia and China.
- An amendment from Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) would update U.S. policies for pandemic preparedness and response.
- An amendment from Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) would provide direction to wildfire preparedness, ocean exploration, and weather modeling programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Senate will not complete work on its version of the legislation until after the midterm elections, and then it must negotiate a compromise version with the House. Given that the NDAA is considered must-pass legislation, it often becomes a vehicle for enacting policies that extend well beyond the Department of Defense.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Arati Prabhakhar, left, is sworn in as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by interim director Alondra Nelson. (Image credit – OSTP) |
Prabhakar Starts Work at White House
Arati Prabhakar was sworn in on Oct. 3 as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Chief Presidential Advisor on Science and Technology. She made her first public appearance the following day at an event announcing the release of a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” which recommends principles to guide the design and deployment of artificial intelligence systems. On Oct. 6, she was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris and participated in the first meeting of the CHIPS Implementation Steering Council, which she co-chairs with National Economic Advisor Brian Deese and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The council coordinates policy for implementing the semiconductor provisions of the new CHIPS and Science Act. According to an official readout, Prabhakar “highlighted the need to articulate strategic capability and capacity objectives to guide implementation, while also sustaining [the U.S.] commitment to research and development to ensure that America remains at the forefront of building the technologies of the future.”
US Sharply Curbs Sale of Advanced Chips to China
On Oct. 7, the Commerce Department announced sweeping limits on exports of advanced computing chips to China. The rules also apply to equipment used to manufacture such chips and they restrict U.S. persons from supporting the development or production of advanced chips at facilities in China. In addition, they bar non-U.S. companies from selling such chips and equipment to China if they use U.S. technology. The department justifies the move on the grounds the Chinese government has used supercomputers and other advanced computing technologies to “produce advanced military systems including weapons of mass destruction; improve the speed and accuracy of its military decision making, planning, and logistics, as well as of its autonomous military systems; and commit human rights abuses.” The department will answer questions about the scope of the rules at a public briefing on Oct. 13. The restrictions reflect a major policy shift, previewed in remarks last month by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “On export controls, we have to revisit the longstanding premise of maintaining ‘relative’ advantages over competitors in certain key technologies,” Sullivan said. “We previously maintained a ‘sliding scale’ approach that said we need to stay only a couple of generations ahead. That is not the strategic environment we are in today. Given the foundational nature of certain technologies, such as advanced logic and memory chips, we must maintain as large of a lead as possible.”
Republicans Spotlight Migration of Los Alamos Scientists to China
Led by Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), 11 House Science Committee Republicans wrote to the White House and Department of Energy on Oct. 5 to raise concerns that a considerable number of Chinese scientists who formerly worked at Los Alamos National Lab have returned to China, where many have conducted military R&D. They point to a new report from the research security consulting firm Strider documenting that at least 162 scientists returned to China between 1987 and 2021, often recruited through talent programs. Strider indicates it was inspired to study the matter by a 2017 article in the South China Morning Post that reported such scientists have been referred to as the “Los Alamos Club.” Strider states its findings do not imply the scientists did anything illegal or that Los Alamos bears any responsibility for their departure. Nevertheless, the Republican letter suggests the report “confirms” China has been “successful at stealing and capitalizing on our research and development,” and it seeks information on whether Los Alamos knew of any employees participating in talent programs. The letter also inquires about how “comprehensive” the Biden administration will be in prohibiting recipients of federal research funding from participating in “malign” recruitment programs, as required by the CHIPS and Science Act.
DOD Task Force to Review Security of University-Based Research
The Department of Defense announced last week it has asked the Defense Science Board to conduct a year-long review of the department’s efforts to prevent adversarial countries from exploiting research it funds at universities. The review will be carried out by a “Task Force on Balancing Openness and Security Across the DOD Academic Research Enterprise,” which is charged with recommending a “decision framework” for determining the “right balance of openness and security” for each of the department’s 14 critical technology areas. Specific questions to be addressed include how to fairly review researchers’ “financial and non-financial ties,” how to keep the academic community informed about foreign activities of concern, and how to continually assess the effectiveness of research security policies.
NSF Outlines Response to Widespread Harassment in Antarctica
Last week, the National Science Board and National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan each issued statements decrying patterns of sexual assault and harassment at the Antarctic research facilities NSF supports, which were outlined in a recent report commissioned by the NSF-led U.S. Antarctic Program. The board, which oversees NSF, stated it is “committed to addressing this immediately, forcefully, and transparently, and to ensuring that the USAP is open to all without fear of any forms of harassment or assault,” pledging to work with NSF to ensure a “system of accountability.” Among the immediate planned actions, NSF will establish a “confidential point of contact and rapid response for any and all concerns related to assault and harassment,” expand “on-ice victim-centered support services,” host town halls and listening sessions at all Antarctic facilities, and improve personnel vetting and physical security measures at facilities. Another recent report from the Australian government has documented similar patterns of harassment at the country’s research stations and offered 42 recommendations on how to improve their culture. Responding to that report, Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was “gobsmacked” by the findings and would apply a “zero-tolerance response.”
Nanotechnology Coordination Office Gets New Leaders
The White House announced on Oct. 7, National Nanotechnology Day, that it has selected Branden Brough as the new director and Quinn Spadola as the new deputy director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, which oversees the interagency National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Brough previously was deputy director of the Molecular Foundry, a nanotechnology research center at Berkeley Lab. Spadola was associate director of education for the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, a network of nanotechnology user facilities supported by the National Science Foundation. The White House also announced NNI is launching its first National Nanotech Challenge, Nano4EARTH, which will support the development of technologies to address climate change, including the application of nanotechnology to climate monitoring, climate resilience, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The initiative plans to hold a kickoff workshop for the challenge early next year.
Nobel Prize Awarded for Quantum Entanglement
On Oct. 4, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics to Alain Aspect, John Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger for their pathbreaking experimental work to measure the phenomenon of quantum entanglement. Anders Irbäck, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, remarked in a statement, “It has become increasingly clear that a new kind of quantum technology is emerging. We can see that the laureates’ work with entangled states is of great importance, even beyond the fundamental questions about the interpretation of quantum mechanics.” Such fundamental questions were not only neglected when Clauser, Aspect, and Zeilinger conducted their work in the 1970s and 1980s, they were broadly regarded as disreputable. In a 2002 oral history, Clauser recalled that his research on entanglement endangered his career but also that a few figures had given him the support he needed to perform it, including the eminent physicist Charles Townes. Over subsequent decades, interest grew around subjects such as quantum cryptography and computing, leading ultimately to the emergence of quantum information science as a top policy priority, punctuated in the U.S. by the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, October 10
Tuesday, October 11
Wednesday, October 12
Thursday, October 13
Friday, October 14
Monday, October 17
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Opportunities Congressional Science Policy Fellowships Seeking Applicants
SSTI Hiring Program Director
The State Science and Technology Institute is hiring a program director to lead work related to technology-based economic development, including on topics such as technology translation and commercialization, entrepreneurship, regional strategies, or workforce development. Applicants should have strong communication and community-building skills and related subject matter expertise, with policy research experience preferred.
Georgia Tech Hiring S&T Policy Professor
Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy is seeking candidates for a tenure-track or tenured position in science and technology policy, especially those with expertise in equity in innovation, commercialization of emergent technologies, or technology transfer. Applications should be submitted by Oct. 15 for optimal consideration.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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