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What’s Ahead
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| Jake Sullivan, national security advisor to President Biden, is an architect of sweeping new export controls on advanced semiconductor technologies. (Image credit – Erin Scott / The White House) |
New Semiconductor Export Controls Coming Into Focus
Expansive controls the U.S. levied this month on exports of advanced computing technology to China have reverberated across the global semiconductor industry, requiring firms to immediately suspend certain activities within the country unless they secure exemptions. Much attention has focused on a provision that prohibits “U.S. persons,” including both U.S. citizens and green card holders, from supporting advanced semiconductor development in China without a special license, leaving personnel based in China in immediate danger of violating the controls. At an event last week to unveil the Biden administration’s new National Security Strategy, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described the controls as part of a “small yard, high fence” approach that targets protections at particular technologies, adding, “Chokepoints for foundational technologies have to be inside that yard, and the fence has to be high — because our strategic competitors should not be able to exploit American and allied technologies to undermine American and allied security.” The controls also affect businesses in countries outside the U.S. and China because they apply to products that use U.S.-made components. The administration reportedly pressed other countries to implement similar controls but ultimately decided to proceed unilaterally without securing public commitments from them. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued the U.S. move abuses export controls to “wantonly hobble Chinese enterprises” and stated China would “work with the international community to oppose unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying practices in sci-tech.”
Advocacy Group to Highlight Fears Among Chinese Scientists
On Monday, the Asian American Scholar Forum is hosting a webinar on a recent study that suggests scientists of Chinese origin have been increasingly motivated to leave the U.S., in part due to fear about the government hostility toward research collaborations with China. The Department of Justice has prosecuted a number of scientists for allegedly violating federal science agency policies requiring disclosure of affiliations and funding sources, though many of its charges have been dismissed in court. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy recently released a draft template that aims to clarify what disclosure policies cover. Representatives from OSTP and the Association of American Universities will participate in a panel discussion at this week’s event alongside two of the AASF study’s co-authors. The event will begin with a keynote address by Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chair, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), who has been a leading critic of DOJ’s tactic of premising cases on disclosure policy violations.
European Science Facilities Coping With Energy Crisis
CERN, Europe’s world-leading particle physics lab, announced last week it will suspend its 2022 science operations on Nov. 28, two weeks earlier than originally planned, and it will reduce its 2023 operations by 20%, mainly through another early year-end shutdown. The measures are aimed at saving energy in the face of a cut-off in oil and gas supplies from Russia to Western Europe. The journal Nature reported that, while CERN does not expect its move to have a major effect on the progress of Run 3, the years-long centerpiece operation of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, it would disrupt users who were scheduled to run experiments on beamlines powered by the collider during the affected period. According to Nature, other science facilities are also considering energy-saving options, including DESY, a major accelerator center in Germany, which has already purchased most of its energy for next year but is facing prohibitive prices for the remaining portion.
Neutrino Scientist Picked to Lead DOE High Energy Physics Office
The Department of Energy Office of Science announced last week it has selected Fermilab neutrino physicist Gina Rameika as the next head of its High Energy Physics program. Rameika first came to Fermilab in 1982 and has held various leadership positions there, including directing its Neutrino Division from 2014 to 2016. In April 2021, Rameika was elected co-spokesperson for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a 1,400-member international project that is one of DOE’s top priorities. She has also played leading roles in a number of other neutrino projects, including MicroBooNE and MINOS, and was a member of the team that discovered the tau neutrino in 2000. Rameika is taking over as HEP director from Jim Siegrist, who stepped down in March after more than a decade in the role.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Debris streams from the surface of the asteroid Dimorphos, bottom, following the impact of NASA’s DART spacecraft, as imaged by the nearby LICIACube spacecraft. (Image credit – Italian Space Agency / NASA) |
Asteroid Deflection Test Outstrips Expectations
NASA announced on Oct. 11 that the intentional collision of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission with the asteroid Dimorphos on Sept. 26 had shortened its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos by 32 minutes. Measured by multiple observatories, the new period of 11 hours and 23 minutes represents a more than 4% change, well exceeding expectations the change would be roughly 1%. It is the first time the orbit of a celestial object has ever been measurably altered through human intervention. The minimum change needed to deem the mission a success was 73 seconds. NASA attributed the extraordinary result to the recoil of large masses of material from the asteroid’s rubble-covered surface, as imaged by telescopes both on the ground and in space, as well as by an Italian Space Agency-built cubesat that accompanied DART. At a press event, DART program scientist Tom Statler said the ejected material and the new orbit will now be intensively investigated. The European Space Agency is also aiming to launch a mission called Hera in 2024 that will revisit the scene of the impact.
NSF Moves to Replace Arecibo Telescope With Education Center
The National Science Foundation announced last week that it plans to establish a “multidisciplinary, world-class educational center” at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, opting to expand on the observatory’s STEM education and outreach activities rather than replace its famous radio telescope, which collapsed in December 2020. While some scientists are disappointed by the decision not to rebuild the site’s experimental capabilities, NSF argues there is broad support within the scientific community for an expanded educational facility and notes that Arecibo is a “highly regarded part of the community for many of Puerto Rico’s citizens, serving as a source of pride and local economic benefit while also providing access to training and employment for many in the community.” The recent National Academies decadal survey for astronomy and astrophysics endorsed Arecibo’s “continuation as an important nexus for education, community, and developing a diversified STEM workforce,” while finding that most of the telescope’s scientific capabilities could be recovered through additional investments in other facilities. The new center is expected to open in 2023 and NSF is currently soliciting proposals to manage the center’s education, STEM research, and outreach activities.
Physicist Compels Colleague to Pay Damages for Harassment
Particle physicist Chris Backhouse, until recently employed by University College London, has agreed to pay nearly £50,000 to Indiana University physicist Erica Smith, as well as her legal costs, after she pursued damages for an expansive harassment campaign he conducted against her. Smith had worked with Backhouse at Fermilab on the major neutrino experiments NOvA and DUNE. According to a court statement from Smith, Backhouse’s harassment grew to encompass acts such as obscenely impersonating her on the internet, including to post offers for sex work and to subscribe her to “far-right hate groups” and “fetish websites.” In the statement, Smith noted she had previously made a complaint to Fermilab about Backhouse concerning an “alleged sexual assault” that resulted in “no finding of fact” against him. In remarks on Twitter, Smith further noted she did not report the subsequent harassment campaign to Fermilab or to NOvA and DUNE management because the evidence she obtained linking the online harassment to Backhouse could only legally be used in a lawsuit. While the Department of Energy Office of Science, which oversees Fermilab, has policies to combat harassment, Smith’s allies stressed she only managed to hold her harasser to account through her own resources and perseverance.
Visa Proposals Excluded from Revised Senate Defense Bill
Leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee released a revised version of the National Defense Authorization Act last week that incorporates 75 of the more than 900 amendments proposed for floor consideration. Excluded from the revised version is a closely watched proposal that would exempt STEM graduate degree holders from numerical visa caps. Also excluded are various research security measures proposed by Republican senators, including legislation by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) that would expand the State Department’s ability to deny visas. However, these proposals could still be brought up for a vote if the Senate continues floor debate on the bill after the November midterm elections, or they could be included in a finalized bill through behind-the-scenes negotiations. Among the major amendments adopted last week are legislation to enhance pandemic preparedness, expand domestic advanced reactor fuel supplies, and broadly update policy across U.S. intelligence agencies, the State Department, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, October 17
Tuesday, October 18
Wednesday, October 19
Thursday, October 20
Friday, October 21
Monday, October 24
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Opportunities NIST Seeks Public Input on CHIPS Act Programs
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking additional input to guide its implementation of the CHIPS Act through two new requests for information, one focused on incentive programs for the semiconductor industry and the other focused on identifying requirements for new Manufacturing USA Institutes devoted to semiconductor R&D. Comments are due Nov. 14 and Nov. 28, respectively.
Academies Ocean Acoustics Study Panel Seeking Members
The National Academies is seeking committee members for a study on ocean acoustics education, which will assess current and future workforce needs as well as the status of current training programs. The committee will include eight members with expertise across a range of fields, including acoustics, oceanography, workforce development, and STEM education. Nominations are due Oct. 24.
MIT Science Policy Review Seeks Contributors and Volunteers
The MIT Science Policy Review, an open-access, researcher-run publication, is seeking authors, associate editors, and interviewers to contribute to its next volume. Articles and interviews are developed by teams of subject-matter experts who work with an associate editor to produce a manuscript for peer review. Applications are due Oct. 25.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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