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What’s Ahead
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| An artist’s rendition of the GOES-T satellite, which launched in March and now monitors weather patterns in the western U.S. from geostationary orbit. (Image credit – NOAA) |
Science Committee Examining Arctic Science, Weather Satellites
The House Science Committee is holding hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively dedicated to the science of the changing Arctic region and the future of the weather satellite programs managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing are leaders of the Interagency Arctic Research and Policy Committee, U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Woodwell Climate Research Center Arctic Program, and the Eskimo Walrus Commission. At Wednesday’s hearing, the committee will hear from NOAA’s observing systems program head and NASA’s director for interagency satellite programs, as well as an auditor of NOAA satellite programs. NOAA has traditionally bundled its weather observation instruments into large-scale satellites that are assigned to particular geostationary and polar orbits, and NASA is currently overseeing the construction and launch of the latest satellite constellations for both types of orbit. Last year, NOAA announced it would start using a “portfolio approach” to observations that more flexibly integrates data from various sources, including commercial satellites. That next-generation Earth observation architecture is still in its early planning phases.
Intelligence Committee Holding Research Security Hearing
The Senate Intelligence Committee is holding an open hearing on Wednesday titled, “Protecting American Innovation: Industry, Academia, and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.” Among the witnesses is former NCSC Director Bill Evanina, who testified before the committee last year at an open hearing focused on foreign influence and research exploitation campaigns by the Chinese government. The hearings are part of a series of public and private meetings organized by Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-FL) to raise concerns about China’s methods of pursuing technologies critical to economic and national security. The other witnesses for this week’s hearing are Texas A&M University Chief Research Officer Kevin Gamache, former counterintelligence official Michelle Van Cleave, and cybersecurity policy expert Robert Cheldon.
PCAST Continues Discussion of CHIPS and Science Act
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will join a meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology on Wednesday to discuss implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act. The Commerce Department is stewarding $50 billion in semiconductor initiatives funded by the act, and earlier this month PCAST approved a report that offers recommendations on how to structure the act’s semiconductor R&D programs, though the final report is not yet public. (Update: PCAST published its report on Sept. 21.) The White House also released a draft National Strategy on Microelectronics Research last week and is seeking public feedback. Following Raimondo’s presentation, PCAST will discuss regional innovation programs authorized by the act with Erwin Gianchandani, head of NSF’s new Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate, and Alejandra Castillo, head of the Economic Development Administration at the Commerce Department. On Sept. 2, EDA awarded $1 billion to 21 regional industry clusters using pandemic recovery funds, and the CHIPS and Science Act envisions the agency establishing a sustained effort to seed technology hubs across the U.S.
US Pressing Clean Energy Agenda at Pittsburgh Diplomatic Gathering
The U.S. position in international climate change negotiations has changed markedly now that an ambitious slate of clean energy measures will be established and funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration will have a marquee opportunity to showcase an updated diplomatic strategy at the inaugural Global Clean Energy Action Forum, taking place Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh. The event will be attended by senior leaders from 31 countries for a joint convening of the Clean Energy and Mission Innovation Ministerials, which are diplomatic initiatives focused on the development and deployment of clean-energy technologies. In addition, the event will feature the first meeting of a new “youth engagement track” called the Energy of the Future Forum, aimed at involving students and early-career professionals in the transition to clean energy sources. Numerous officials from the White House, federal agencies, and the national labs will be speaking at the event, including Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, National Economic Advisor Brian Deese, and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The next opportunity to strengthen worldwide agreements on climate is approaching in November with the COP27 United Nations climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Academies Events to Chart Ukraine Recovery, ‘Endless Frontier’
The National Academies is hosting a three-day workshop starting Wednesday to discuss options for rebuilding research and education infrastructure in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion. The workshop is chaired by former National Science Foundation Director Rita Colwell and will include panel discussions with officials from various Ukrainian and European research institutions. Separately on Thursday, the Academies is holding a half-day Endless Frontier Symposium to discuss potential reforms to research and higher education institutions in the U.S. The symposium builds on a 2020 Academies event that marked the 75th anniversary of Science: The Endless Frontier, a landmark science policy report written by World War II science administrator Vannevar Bush. Biden administration officials participating in the event include White House Office of Science and Technology Policy interim director Alondra Nelson and Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), center, on a visit to the ITER site in March 2022. ITER Chief Scientist Tim Luce, right, testified before Manchin’s committee on Sept. 15. (Image credit – ITER) |
Manchin Praises ITER Fusion Project But Skepticism Lingers
At a hearing last week, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) extolled fusion energy as a “potential pathway to world peace” and spoke enthusiastically of his recent visit to ITER, an international fusion facility under construction in France. “It left me profoundly reflective of the potential of the technology to transform our energy future. Touring a facility dedicated to international scientific and engineering collaboration among our geopolitical rivals, including Russia, including China … and allies helps restore faith in what we can do together given so much conflict at present,” Manchin reflected. Much of the hearing explored how ITER will complement other fusion experiments supported by the Department of Energy and private fusion startups. For instance, DOE’s Lead Fusion Coordinator Scott Hsu noted that although ITER will be a unique research tool it alone will not demonstrate all the technologies necessary for a viable commercial fusion industry. However, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) aired skepticism about the benefits of U.S. participation in ITER, stating that the project is “progressing slowly and increasing in cost” at a time when fusion companies have attracted billions of dollars in private investment to pursue quicker paths to fusion. Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) also probed the national security implications of collaborating with Russia and China on the project.
Pietro Barabaschi Chosen as Next ITER Director-General
The governing council of the ITER Organization announced on Sept. 15 it has selected electrical engineer Pietro Barabaschi as ITER’s next director-general (DG). The organization is the international collaboration responsible for building and eventually operating the France-based ITER facility, which will be the world’s largest fusion energy experiment. Barabaschi is currently acting director of Fusion for Energy, the organization that manages the European Union’s contribution to ITER, and he has also been overseeing the EU’s contributions to three efforts it is pursuing in partnership with Japan: the JT-60SA tokamak, the IFMIF/EVEDA linear accelerator, and the International Fusion Energy Research Center. Earlier in his career, he held positions at ITER work sites in San Diego and Munich and at the Joint European Torus facility in the U.K. The previous DG of ITER, Bernard Bigot, died in May, and the organization’s deputy DG Eisuke Tada will continue leading it on an interim basis until Barabaschi’s arrival next month. ITER has indicated that due to pandemic disruptions it will soon announce cost increases and a delay in the facility’s anticipated 2025 start date.
Zurbuchen Will Step Down as Head of NASA Science Directorate
NASA announced last week that Science Mission Directorate head Thomas Zurbuchen plans to leave his position at the end of the year, having held it since late 2016. Zurbuchen pointed out in a blog post that none of his predecessors had been in the role for so continuously long as he has. (Ed Weiler served for more time across two separate appointments.) Further explaining his decision, Zurbuchen wrote, “After six-plus years, I feel I have had a chance to implement my best ideas. There are, without doubt, other great leaders with other amazing ideas that need to be tried, and the science community deserves the opportunity to give them that chance. Most importantly, the state of NASA’s science program is strong and ready for that change now.” During his time as directorate head, Zurbuchen has overseen, among other accomplishments, the successful launch of the beleaguered James Webb Space Telescope, a major expansion of NASA’s planetary science program, a renaissance in lunar science, the dawn of commercially operated science missions, the creation of a planetary defense program, and the flourishing of cubesat-based science. According to Zurbuchen, his next step will be to “take a break.”
Foreign Investment Screening Panel to Prioritize Tech Security
President Biden issued an executive order last week that sets priorities for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel that recommends whether the president should block certain business transactions on national security grounds. The order requires CFIUS to pay close attention to investments involving “technologies that are fundamental to national security,” listing as examples “microelectronics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and biomanufacturing, quantum computing, advanced clean energy, and climate adaptation technologies.” It also directs the White House Office of Science and Technology to periodically publish a list of such technologies in consultation with federal agencies. The technology areas highlighted in the order overlap with the list of “critical and emerging technologies” released by OSTP early this year. The Biden administration’s emphasis on these technologies was highlighted in a speech last week by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who discussed initiatives funded by the CHIPS and Science Act as well as prospective changes to export control policy and creation of a process for monitoring U.S. investments abroad, which is outside the scope of CFIUS. He said the process would focus on investments “that would not be captured by export controls and could enhance the technological capabilities of our competitors in the most sensitive areas.”
Biden Launches Biotechnology Initiative
President Biden issued an executive order last week establishing the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, which aims to accelerate R&D, strengthen biosecurity, and bolster supply chains across the health, energy, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The White House also released a fact sheet identifying actions already underway at federal agencies, such as $1 billion the Department of Defense plans to spend over five years to support domestic biomanufacturing infrastructure. The Department of Energy also plans to expand funding for demonstrations of biorefinery technology capable of converting biomass to renewable fuels and chemicals. Administration officials discussed next steps for the initiative in a three-hour summit at the White House.
DOE Sets Goals for Offshore Wind Energy in Latest ‘Earthshot’
The Department of Energy announced last week that it is launching a Floating Offshore Wind Shot initiative that will seek to lower the cost of energy generated by floating offshore wind turbines by at least 70% to $45 per megawatt-hour by 2035. It is the fifth in DOE’s series of “Energy Earthshots,” with the others setting analogous cost and capability goals for clean hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture and sequestration, and geothermal energy. DOE announced the new Earthshot as part of a series of actions involving the Departments of Commerce, Interior, and Transportation.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Daylight Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, September 19
Tuesday, September 20
Wednesday, September 21
Thursday, September 22
Friday, September 23
Monday, September 26
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Opportunities AIP Placing Science Fellow in State Department
The American Institute of Physics is seeking applicants for its 2023-2024 State Department Fellowship program. The fellow will work at the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on topics at the intersection of science, policy, and international affairs. Qualified individuals at any stage of their career are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have a doctorate in physics or a field closely related to the physical sciences, membership in an AIP Member Society, and eligibility for a security clearance, among other qualifications. Applications are due Oct. 31.
AGU Hiring Science Policy Interns for Fall 2022
The American Geophysical Union is accepting applications for its science policy and government relations internship this fall. Interns will monitor congressional events, write blog posts, and help organize advocacy events, among other responsibilities. Interested individuals must have completed at least two years of coursework towards a degree in Earth or space sciences.
Fusion Industry Association Hiring Interns
The Fusion Industry Association is hiring interns to work on a full or part-time basis. Interns will support the organization’s policy, communications, research, and programming activities by participating in outreach activities, writing press releases, and contributing to reports. Applicants should be at least juniors in college and have an interest in energy policy or physical science.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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