What’s Ahead

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler speaks at the White House on Sept. 10. (Image credit – Andrea Hanks / The White House)

EPA Head to Face House Science Committee

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will make his first appearance before the House Science Committee on Thursday at a hearing that is apt to cover a number of contentious science policy and regulatory changes stewarded by Wheeler and his predecessor Scott Pruitt. Committee Democrats have been scrutinizing the agency’s treatment of its science advisory panels, including its new policy barring researchers who hold EPA grants from simultaneously serving on a panel. They have also opposed EPA’s plans to restrict itself from basing regulations on scientific studies whose underlying data are not publicly available. Other issues that may be raised at the hearing include EPA’s newly announced plans to phase out testing of chemicals on animals and its recent rollbacks of regulations advanced during the Obama administration that sought to limit methane emissions and wetland pollution.

STEM Ed Programs in House Spending Panel Spotlight

The heads of the National Science Foundation’s education directorate and NASA’s STEM education office are testifying Thursday at a hearing on “STEM engagement” by the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee. The subcommittee’s spending bill for fiscal year 2020 proposes to boost the NSF education directorate by 4% to $950 million and the NASA office by 12% to $123 million, rejecting the Trump administration’s calls to zero out the NASA office and shave 10% from the NSF directorate. Subcommittee Chair José Serrano (D-NY) has been a proponent of efforts to increase participation of minority groups in STEM fields, directing NSF to create a program dedicated to supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which issued its first awards last summer.

Study on Mental Health Needs of STEM Students Launching

A new National Academies study focused on the mental health needs of students in STEM fields is holding its kickoff meeting on Monday. The effort comes as students and researchers have called for greater attention to mental health problems in undergraduate and graduate education, with some suggesting their pervasiveness represents a “crisis.” Sponsored by the arms of the National Institutes of Health focused on mental health, drug abuse, and alcoholism, the study will assess challenges institutions face in providing mental health services on campuses and will examine relationships between mental health and substance abuse. AAAS Interim CEO Alan Leshner, a former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is chairing the study committee. At the kickoff meeting, the committee will hear about initiatives currently tackling the issue, including a new survey research project that will assess the mental health services available to graduate students.

Optics Frontiers Conference Featuring Quantum Tech

Reflecting the growing interest in nascent applications of quantum information science, the Optical Society’s Frontiers in Optics conference this week in Washington, D.C., has quantum technology as its crosscutting theme. Among the special sessions is an update on the U.S. National Quantum Initiative by University of Maryland physicist Christopher Monroe, one of the main advocates behind the legislation that launched the initiative.

In Case You Missed It

Senators Propose Spending Surge for DOE R&D Programs

The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously advanced spending legislation for the Department of Energy last week that includes increases for R&D that are disproportionately high compared to the overall increases for federal discretionary spending agreed to in July. The DOE Office of Science, the largest federal funder of fundamental physical science, would see its current budget increase 10% to $7.2 billion. The House has proposed a 4% boost. Funding for DOE’s applied energy programs would also surge under the Senate proposal, with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in line for an 18% boost to $2.8 billion. The Senate has also matched the House proposal to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy at $428 million, a 17% boost. These increases are broadly consistent with the aim of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to double energy R&D funding over a five-year period, a goal he restated in an op-ed article published Sept. 9. Meanwhile, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons research, development, test, and evaluation programs would receive a 21% budget increase to $2.4 billion. Further details are available in FYI’s Federal Science Budget Tracker.

Debate on Defense and NIH Bills Bodes Badly for On-Time Budgets

The path for other spending legislation proved bumpier last week, with the Senate Appropriations Committee advancing the Department of Defense bill on a party-line vote after Democrats unsuccessfully pushed to block transfers for border wall construction. The committee also cancelled plans to consider the bill that funds the National Institutes of Health due to a dispute over whether certain abortion-related amendments would violate the budget agreement struck this summer, which includes a non-binding clause forbidding “poison pill” policy provisions. These setbacks cast doubt on the prospect that the Senate will pass any spending bills before the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. For its part, the House plans to vote on a stopgap spending measure this week that would fund the government into November. Senate appropriators did, however, indicate the DOD bill is broadly bipartisan aside from the border wall disagreement, with Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauding it for, among other things, raising the budget for research, development, test, and evaluation programs to $104 billion, 10% above an already record-high level. Within this amount, overall support for basic research accounts would rise 4% to $2.6 billion while applied research accounts would fall 2% to $6 billion.

ARPA–E Bill Splits House Science Committee

The House Science Committee advanced reauthorization legislation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy last week on a party-line vote, with Republican members protesting the magnitude of budget increases recommended in the bill. While Republican leaders applauded its expansion of ARPA–E’s mandate, Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) criticized the bill’s call for raising the agency budget to $1 billion by 2024 as unrealistic, arguing such a steep increase “would be challenging for any program to effectively manage, but ARPA-E is particularly unsuited for the task, and its small staff will make this even more difficult.” Democrats opposed an amendment that would have set more modest budget targets. In any event, House and Senate appropriators have proposed to provide the agency $428 million in fiscal year 2020, equal to the amount recommended by Science Committee Democrats.

NOAA’s Hurricane Dorian Statement Under Investigation

Last week, media reports indicated that Neil Jacobs, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was pressured to issue an unattributed statement on Sept. 6 that criticized a Sept. 1 tweet posted by a National Weather Service forecast office in Alabama concerning the anticipated impacts of Hurricane Dorian. According to unnamed sources, at the behest of President Trump, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees NOAA, to demand the agency resolve the contradiction between the forecast office’s message and an inaccurate one posted by Trump minutes earlier. Ross reportedly conveyed the order to Jacobs and threatened to fire senior NOAA officials if he refused. Trump denies he gave such an order and the Commerce Department denies Ross threatened to fire anyone. Investigations into the matter have now been opened by the Commerce Department inspector general, NOAA’s acting chief scientist, and Democratic leaders on the House Science Committee. Although Jacobs has not recanted NOAA’s statement, he sought to repair relations with the forecasting community in an address on Sept. 10 at the National Weather Association’s annual meeting and an internal all-staff email sent Sept. 13. He has said he will also soon make personal visits to forecast offices across the country.

Climate Antagonist Will Happer Leaves White House Job

E&E News reported last week that on Sept. 13 Princeton University physicist Will Happer left the White House staff of the National Security Council. He had served as its senior director for emerging technologies since last September. According to various media reports, Happer leveraged his role to advance his longstanding opposition to the scientific consensus on climate change. Internal documents obtained by the New York Times indicated he was partially responsible for blocking the congressional testimony of a State Department analyst concerning the dangers that climate change presents for national security. The collapse of a proposal he had championed to stand up a White House panel that would scrutinize official climate assessments is reportedly what ultimately prompted him to leave. Happer previously left another government role as director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Research after clashing with then-Vice President Al Gore over ozone depletion in 1993.

Scientist With China Ties Sentenced for Grant Fraud

Former Virginia Tech professor Yiheng Zhang was sentenced last week to time already served for applying to receive a National Science Foundation grant for research he knew had already been performed in China. According to the Department of Justice, the trial established that Zhang, an expert in artificial sweeteners, defrauded NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research program in that he intended to use the grant funds for other research at his company. At the time of the application, Zhang was serving as a paid researcher at a biotechnology institute in China in addition to his U.S. faculty position. Zhang has been barred from applying for federal grants and spent two years under house arrest in addition to about three months in prison. The Roanoke Times reports that Zhang’s lawyer argued against additional prison time on the grounds that the case had already served as a sufficient warning to other scientists against similar infractions. He also maintained that his client’s motive was simply to do more research. The case is one of several recent federal investigations involving professors with ties to Chinese institutions. Last month, U.S. prosecutors charged a University of Kansas professor with fraud for allegedly “hiding” his employment with a Chinese university, and last week prosecutors charged a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington with conspiring to steal technology on behalf of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Events This Week

All times are Eastern Daylight Time and all congressional hearings are webcast, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.

Monday, September 16

OSA/APS: Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science (continues through Thursday) Marriott Wardman Park (2660 Woodley Rd. NW, DC) National Academies: “Supporting the Whole Student: Mental Health and Well-Being in STEMM Undergraduate and Graduate Education,” kickoff meeting (continues Tuesday) National Academy of Sciences building (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) National Academies: “The Role of Authentic STEM Learning Experiences in Developing Interest and Competencies for Technology and Computing,” meeting two (continues Tuesday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) Webcast available ASU: “Developing the Commercial Spaceflight Research Marketplace: Challenges, Solutions and Benefits” 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) National Academies: “Twitter Chat on Reproducibility in Science” 1:00 - 2:00 pm Washington Post: “Ad Astra: A Conversation with Brad Pitt, James Gray, and NASA Officials” 4:30 pm, Webinar

Tuesday, September 17

National Academies: Committee on Radio Frequencies meeting (continues Wednesday) Socorro, New Mexico World Resources Institute: “Good Governance for Long-term Low Emissions Development Strategies” 9:00 - 10:00 am, Webinar Senate: Hearing on minerals needed for clean energy technologies 9:30 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee (366 Dirksen Office Building) Carnegie Endowment: “New Technologies and Nuclear Risk” 9:30 am - 12:15 pm, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC) Aerospace Corporation: “Webinar on DIY Satellites and Citizen Space” 10:00 - 11:00 am NSF: Reintegrating Biology Virtual Town Hall 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Union of Concerned Scientists: “Rising Temperatures and Implications for Health, Safety, and Infrastructure” 12:00 - 1:30 pm, 2261 Rayburn House Office Building Webcast available AAAS: “Science and policy: Their Yin and Yang dynamic and global food security” 4:00 - 6:00 pm, AAAS headquarters (1200 New York Ave. NW, DC)

Wednesday, September 18

National Academies: “Quadrennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative,” meeting four (continues Thursday) Woods Hole, MA House: “Oversight of the Smithsonian Institution” 9:00 am, Administration Committee (1310 Longworth Office Building) Commerce Department: American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (4103 Benning Rd. NE, DC) Webcast available Senate: “Improving American Economic Competitiveness through Water Resources Infrastructure” 10:00 am, Environment and Public Works Committee (406 Dirksen Office Building) FCC: Technological Advisory Council meeting 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, FCC headquarters (445 12th St. SW, DC) Webcast available House: “Developing Core Capabilities for Deep Space Exploration: An Update on NASA’s SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Voices Leading the Next Generation on the Global Climate Crisis” 10:00 am, Foreign Affairs Committee (2172 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Building a 100% Clean Economy: Pathways to Net Zero Industrial Emissions” 10:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2123 Rayburn Office Building) NSF: Reintegrating Biology Virtual Town Hall 1:00 - 2:30 pm NSF: Cyberinfrastructure Advisory Committee meeting (continues Thursday) NSF headquarters (Alexandria, VA) Webcast available House: “The Next Mile: Technology Pathways to Accelerate Sustainability Within the Transportation Sector” 2:00 pm, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building)

Thursday, September 19

Rally for Medical Research: Capitol Hill Day MSNBC: Climate forum with 2020 presidential candidates (continues Friday) Georgetown University (Washington, DC) AAAS: “Chemistry in Indoor Environments Symposium” 8:15 am - 7:00 pm, AAAS headquarters (1200 New York Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available House: “Science and Technology at EPA” 10:00 am, Science Committee (2318 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Engagement” 10:00 am, Appropriations Committee (H-309 Capitol Building) House: “Small Business Administration Programs Spurring Innovation” 10:00 am, Small Business Committee (2360 Rayburn Office Building) House: “Marine Debris Impacts on Ecosystems and Species” 10:30 am, Appropriations Committee (2008 Rayburn Office Building) C2ES: “Getting to Zero: National Decarbonization Strategies” 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, Webinar WRI: “Reenergizing Climate Action on Capitol Hill: A Bipartisan Conversation with Reps. Francis Rooney (R-FL) and Paul Tonko (D-NY)” 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, World Resources Institute (10 G St. NE, DC) AAAS: Live Chat on S&T Policy Fellowship Application and Interview Process 1:00 - 2:00 pm, Webinar House: “The Northern Northern Border: Homeland Security Priorities in the Arctic, Part I” 2:00 pm, Homeland Security Committee (310 Cannon Office Building) NSPN: “State Level Policy Fellowships: Opportunities, Progress, and Ongoing Effort” 3:00 - 4:00 pm, Webinar ASME: “Securing U.S. Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing” 4:30 - 6:00 pm, 2060 Rayburn Office Building

Friday, September 20

National Academies: “Symposium on Adopting Open Science Practices: Researcher Perspectives on Incentives and Disincentives” 8:30 am - 2:30 pm, National Academy of Sciences building (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available House: “Building a 100% Clean Economy: Solutions for the U.S. Building Sector” 9:00 am, Energy and Commerce Committee (2123 Rayburn Office Building) Carnegie Endowment: “How China and California Collaborate and Compete for Our Future” 10:30 am - 12:30 pm, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC)

Monday, September 23

FDP: Federal Demonstration Partnership meeting (continues through Tuesday) Omni Shoreham Hotel (2500 Calvert St. NW, DC) DOE: Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee meeting (continues Tuesday) Holiday Inn Washington Capitol (550 C St. SW, DC) Webcast available NASA: Planetary Science Advisory Committee meeting (continues Tuesday) NASA headquarters (300 E St. SW, DC) Webcast available CSIS: “Implementing Innovation: The 21st Century National Security Innovation Partnership Conference” 10:00 am - 12:45 pm, CSIS headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available USIP: “Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) on U.S.-China Competition” 12:00 - 3:00 pm, U.S. Institute of Peace (2301 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) NIST: National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Advisory Committee teleconference 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Opportunities

FYI Hiring Science Policy Reporter

AIP is accepting applications for a science policy reporter to join the FYI team based in College Park, Maryland. The reporter will write and edit content for multiple FYI email newsletters and web resources as part of an editorial team. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of science policy, science writing, or policy reporting experience are encouraged to apply.

Nominees Sought for National Quantum Initiative Advisory Panel

The Department of Energy is accepting nominations for the new National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Advisory Committee. The committee will provide input to federal agencies on trends in quantum information science and technology, implementation of the NQI legislation, opportunities for international collaboration and standards, and “whether national security and economic considerations are adequately addressed by the NQI.” Nominations are due Oct. 4.

NSF Hiring Deputy Director for Astronomy Division

The National Science Foundation is accepting applications for the deputy director position in its Astronomical Sciences Division. Applicants must have a doctorate in astronomical sciences or a closely related field and demonstrate broad understanding of university research and grant administration. Applications are due Sept. 30.

For additional opportunities, please visit www.aip.org/fyi/opportunities. Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.