What’s Ahead
Spending Legislation at Forefront of Congress’ Fall Agenda
Lawmakers will soon return to Washington, D.C., following their summer recess, and fall promises to be a busy legislative season as usual. Appropriations are a high priority as fiscal year 2020 will begin on Oct. 1. The two-year budget deal reached in July should ease the way to finalizing spending proposals. With the statutory budget caps for the coming fiscal year now increased, many science programs are in line to receive funding boosts, though probably not so large as the ones proposed in the House this spring. There is a chance some agencies will receive an on-time appropriation as happened last year, but given there is less than a month left to complete the appropriations process, Congress will likely resort to stopgap measures to keep others open. Aside from science agency budget outcomes, one outstanding issue is whether the Senate will assent to the House’s proposal to revive Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment, which has been defunded since 1995.
Defense and Energy R&D Policy Bills Also in the Queue
Congress is also expected to convene a conference committee soon to reconcile the House’s and Senate’s respective proposals for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. Lawmakers have successfully passed the annual update to national defense policy 57 years in a row, but this year’s negotiations could be difficult due to partisan disputes over several issues, including whether to block the deployment of new low-yield nuclear warheads. As usual, numerous R&D-related provisions are up for inclusion in the final bill. Other issues to watch include what sorts of climate change policies Congress will require the Department of Defense to implement and whether the department will be directed to maintain a contract for the JASON science advisory group. Looking to the longer term, committees in the House and Senate are continuing to develop broad energy R&D legislation. Key Republicans in the Senate have cast energy innovation as a response to climate change, and the idea has gained backing from some conservative-leaning organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. However, it remains to be seen whether the push will yield concrete commitments to long-term R&D spending increases or result in more modest policy changes.
Arctic Futures Conference Tracing Policy to 2050
Arctic scientists and Indigenous leaders are convening in Washington, D.C., this week for a conference that aims to identify ways of making scientific findings and Indigenous knowledge actionable for policymakers. Called Arctic Futures 2050, the program features sessions focused on the implications of expected climate change in the region and emerging research priorities. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a vocal advocate for Arctic research who has been outspoken about the negative impacts of climate change on the region, will offer video remarks. Also participating in the conference is John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Obama, who has been active on Arctic policy since leaving the White House.
Defense Conference to Contemplate Future Warfare
DefenseNews is convening federal defense officials and national security experts on Wednesday for its third annual conference , organized around the theme, “Future Warfare and the Modern Balance of Power.” Sessions include panel discussions of the Army’s new Futures Command and the state of the nuclear triad . Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Director Steven Walker and Defense Innovation Unit Director of Strategic Engagement Mike Madsen are participating in a panel on recent efforts to build a stronger relationship between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin will deliver a keynote address.
In Case You Missed It
White House Releases Annual R&D Priorities Memo
The White House issued its latest R&D priorities memorandum last week, providing guidance to federal agencies as they prepare their budget request submissions for fiscal year 2021. Many of the priority areas are the same as those in last year’s memo , including AI and machine learning, quantum information science, hypersonics, biomedical innovations, and space exploration and commercialization. With Kelvin Droegemeier now at the helm of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the latest memo elaborates on several of these areas and places them in a broader framework that echoes his emphasis on “American values.” Ocean exploration and Earth system predictability are two new priority areas identified in the memo, with the latter described as critical for guiding federal investments and understanding predictability across timescales “from individual thunderstorms to long-term global change.” Though the memo does not refer directly to climate change, when asked about the topic Droegemeier has often pointed to opportunities to improve the robustness of model projections.
Concept Studies for Flagship Space Telescopes Unveiled
The teams that NASA charged more than three years ago with developing four flagship space telescope concepts have completed their work and their final reports were released to the public last week. The in-progress decadal survey for astronomy and astrophysics will consider the reports as it prepares recommendations that will guide NASA’s investments over the next 10 years. Each of the concepts includes design variations that are intended to inform potential scoping decisions in response to different budget scenarios. Each variation is accompanied by an independently reviewed projected lifecycle cost range and development schedule. The reports also expansively detail the scientific questions each concept is tailored to address. NASA has emphasized it wants the decadal survey to present an “ambitious” vision, but it is up to the survey committee to decide how to use the reports. Of the four concepts, the most powerful and versatile is the Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor , which would launch in 2039, according to its report. The telescope would cost between $8 billion and $16 billion in fiscal year 2020 dollars, depending on the choice of design and the cost estimation method used, and assuming an early commitment by NASA to developing the required technologies. The other three concepts are the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) , Origins Space Telescope , and Lynx X-ray Observatory .
WFIRST Passes Preliminary Design Review
NASA announced on Aug. 28 that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) has passed its preliminary design review. The milestone affirms the flagship telescope’s basic design meets requirements and that the project is within its budget and schedule goals. NASA has been keeping close tabs on WFIRST to avoid the cost growth that afflicted the James Webb Space Telescope early in its development. The mission will now proceed into its advanced design phase, which concludes with a critical design review that will establish a firm baseline cost and schedule. Although WFIRST was the top-ranked recommendation for space-based astronomy projects in the 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey, the Trump administration has proposed canceling the mission to free up funding for other priorities. Congress must provide more than $500 million to WFIRST in fiscal year 2020 to keep the project on track for launch in the mid-2020s and within its congressionally mandated $3.2 billion cost cap.
Congress Urged to Drop Europa Clipper Rocket Requirement
NASA’s Office of Inspector General has called on Congress to drop a statutory requirement that the agency launch the Europa Clipper mission using the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket in 2023. In a letter sent to Senate appropriations committee leaders last week, the office cites timing and costs concerns, emphasizing that an SLS rocket will be unavailable until at least 2025 because of development delays and the anticipated allocation of the first three SLS launches to NASA’s new Artemis lunar program. The office also states the Clipper would need to be stored for at least two years at a cost of cost $3 million to $5 million per month until an SLS is available for launch. As an alternative, the letter notes that a commercial rocket would cost about one-third of an SLS rocket and could be ready for launch by 2023, though it would entail a longer transit time to Europa. Earlier this year, the office released an audit detailing challenges NASA will face in meeting a 2023 launch date, but it does not request a schedule change in its letter. It does state that to meet that date, NASA would have to begin the procurement process for a commercial rocket within a “few months.”
Columbia University President Rebukes FBI on Research Security
In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Aug. 30, Columbia University President Lee Bollinger rejected what he referred to as calls from the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies to “develop more robust protocols for monitoring foreign-born students and visiting scholars — particularly if they are ethnically Chinese.” FBI Director Christopher Wray began publicly asserting a year and a half ago that the Chinese government systematically exploits U.S.-based research through both illicit and licit means, including by using scientists, students, and others as “non-traditional collectors” of information. Since then, FBI officials and some congressional lawmakers have worked to raise awareness of the issue among university leaders. While Bollinger acknowledged the need to enforce and bolster protocols aimed at protecting proprietary and sensitive national security research, he insisted that “only a fraction of the research conducted on campus is ‘secret,’” and that the rest is supposed to be shared widely. Rather than become an “arm of U.S. law enforcement,” he argued, universities should maintain their openness and be welcoming to everyone regardless of nationality or country of origin. “Ironically, what the FBI apparently considers our great vulnerability is, in my view, our greatest strength,” he wrote. Bollinger is the latest of a number of U.S. university presidents to weigh in on the situation.
$1.3 Billion Infusion Recommended for NIH Facilities
A congressionally mandated report released last week by the National Academies concludes that the National Institutes of Health’s campus in Bethesda, Maryland, should receive a $1.3 billion infusion to address “deteriorating conditions” at many of its facilities and will require additional funds in the future to avoid “yet another buildup of deferred maintenance.” The report recommends that Congress address the maintenance backlog in two stages, first funding $700 million in already identified infrastructure improvements “as soon as possible”, followed by a second tranche of $600 million based on the campus’ Master Plan and a reassessment of its facility priorities. In recent years, NIH has received multi-billion dollar budget increases, with the fiscal year 2019 appropriations for the agency providing $200 million for its buildings and facilities budget line, up from a 10-year average of about $100 million. However, the report notes this elevated level of spending is nonetheless “wholly inadequate to reduce the previous years’ backlog.”
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 2
Labor Day holiday.
Tuesday, September 3
National Academies: “Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication Research and Practice,” meeting two (continues Wednesday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) ISSI: International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics (continues through Thursday) Rome, Italy Purdue University: Atoms for Humanity Summit (continues through Thursday) West Lafayette, IN
Wednesday, September 4
National Academies: Arctic Futures 2050 Conference (continues through Friday) National Academy of Sciences building (2101 Constitution Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available for plenary sessions AFCEA/INSA: Intelligence and National Security Summit (continues Thursday) National Harbor, MD USGS: National Geospatial Advisory Committee meeting (continues Thursday) National Conservation Training Center (Shepherdstown, WV) DefenseNews: 3rd annual conference 7:30 AM - 5:00 pm, Ritz-Carlton (Pentagon City, VA) CNN: Democratic presidential candidate town hall on climate change 5:00 pm ESEP: Science policy happy hour 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Players Club (1400 14th St. NW, DC)
Thursday, September 5
National Academies: “Advancing Commercialization from the Federal Laboratories,” kickoff meeting (continues Friday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) National Academies: “Review of Governance Reform in the National Nuclear Security Administration” (continues Friday) Keck Center (500 5th St. NW, DC) C2ES: “Opportunities in Carbon Utilization: A Vital Pathway to Decarbonization” 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, United States Energy Association (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC) NASA: Regulatory and Policy Advisory Committee meeting 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, NASA headquarters (300 E St. SW, DC) Webcast available Secure World Foundation: “Workshop on Exploring the Hidden Economic Value of Space Applications” 12:30 - 5:30 pm, George Washington University (1957 E St. NW, DC)
Friday, September 6
NIH: Council of Councils meeting 8:15 am - 4:00 pm, NIH headquarters (Bethesda, MD)
Monday, September 9
NOAA: Science Advisory Board meeting 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, Webinar Wilson Center: “Greenland-US Research Cooperation: Exploring a New Model for Research in Greenland” 12:30 - 4:30 pm, Reagan International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC) Webcast available
Opportunities
Atmospheric Sciences Board Seeking Members
The National Academies is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on its Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, which provides independent advice to the federal government. The board is currently seeking five new members to serve for three-year terms. Nominations must be submitted by Sept. 20.
Jefferson Science Fellows Application Open
The National Academies is accepting applications for its Jefferson Science Fellows program, which places scientists in the State Department or U.S. Agency for International Development for one year. Applicants must be senior faculty from U.S. higher education institutions who are U.S. citizens. Applications are due Oct. 31.
Potomac Institute Hiring S&T Policy Interns
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is seeking applicants for its spring semester S&T policy internship program. Applicants should have an interest in science and public policy, relevant research experience, and university coursework in a related field. Interns are unpaid, but can receive course credit for completion of the program. Applications are due Nov. 22.
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 .
Around the Web
News and views currently in circulation. Links do not imply endorsement.
White House
- Executive order on establishing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (White House)
- The Trump administration is establishing the United States Space Command (White House)
- A new strategy on climate: Try to outlast Trump (Politico)
- If 2020 Democrats are going to be serious about climate, they need to cut out Congress (Mother Jones, perspective by Rebecca Leber)
Congress
- Chamber of Commerce changes tune on climate, but Dems remain skeptical (E&E News)
- Even a Democratic landslide in 2020 won’t guarantee major climate action (Bloomberg)
- Climate change could be a problem in 2020 ... for Democrats (Politico)
Political Engagement
- APS advocacy helps House pass ‘Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act’ (APS News)
- Between two worlds (Science, perspective by Luis Alexis Rodriguez-Cruz)
Science, Society, and the Economy
- Most Americans say science has brought benefits to society and expect more to come (Pew Research Center)
- Can an infusion of public R&D investment revitalize a lagging economy? (PBS News Hour)
- The long game of research (ACM, perspective by Moshe Vardi)
- Evidence lights the way (Science, perspective by Adam Gamoran)
Education and Workforce
- Fearing a new ‘red scare’ atmosphere, activists and lawmakers fight targeting of Chinese Americans (South China Morning Post)
- China’s spies are waging an intensifying espionage offensive against the US (The Atlantic)
- FBI is ‘harassing’ some Chinese citizens says academic group (Cincinnati Public Radio)
- Nine Arizona State students from China detained at LA airport, denied admission to US (Arizona Republic)
- Under tighter scrutiny, many Chinese scientists are returning home (STAT)
- Has President Trump scared away all the foreign students? (EducationNext, perspective by Alex Usher)
- NSF graduate fellowships disproportionately go to students at a few top schools (ScienceInsider)
- A better future for graduate student mental health (Nature)
- Why we need to talk more about mental health in graduate school (The Chronicle of Higher Education, perspective by Kathryn Wedemeyer-Strombel)
- Female scientists are up against a lot of unconscious bias. Here’s how to fight it (Vox)
- Younger scientists need better support (Nature, editorial)
- Make science PhDs more than just a training path for academia (Nature, perspective by Sarah Anderson)
- Astronomy degree recipients: One year after degree (AIP, report)
Research Management
- Jeffrey Epstein’s links to scientists are even more extensive than we thought (BuzzFeed News)
- Scientists face continued fallout over Epstein connections (Undark)
- The US land-grant university system: An overview (CRS, report)
- Why the periodic table of elements is more important than ever (Bloomberg Businessweek, special issue)
- Is it time to upend the periodic table? (New York Times)
- Plan S appoints ‘open-access champion’ (*Research)
- World Health Organisation joins Plan S to make health research available for free (Science|Business)
- The role of charitable funding in university research (Science and Public Policy, paper by Oishee Kundu and Nicholas Matthews)
Labs and Facilities
- Japan decides to build next underground neutrino detector (The Mainichi)
- Arecibo Observatory gets $19 million NASA grant to help protect Earth from asteroids (University of Central Florida)
- As Dorian looms, Florida’s Space Coast braces for possible unprecedented impact (Reuters)
- CMS detector phase one upgrade gets CD-4 approval (Fermilab)
- NSF’s huge ecological observatory is open for business. But tensions remain (Science)
- New leadership-class computing center boosts US science with largest academic supercomputer in the world (NSF)
- Management of cybersecurity activities at a DOE site (DOE IG, report)
Energy
- Inclusion of early stage technology demonstration in authorized technology transfer activities (DOE)
- $50 million announced for fusion energy and plasma science research (DOE)
- Knowledgebase is power for nuclear reactor developers (Oak Ridge National Lab, interview with Weiju Ren)
- Aging nuclear plants, industry cost-cutting, and reduced safety oversight: A dangerous mix (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, perspective by Edwin Lyman)
- Trump’s crucial decision on nuclear power (Washington Post, perspective by Hugh Hewitt)
Quantum Science and Technology
- $61 million announced to advance quantum computing and networking (DOE)
- $21 million announced for QIS research in particle physics and fusion energy (DOE)
- Quantum sensors: A revolution in the offing? (Optics and Photonics News)
- University of Strathclyde to host new quantum research center (Optics.org)
Space
- James Webb Space Telescope has been assembled for the first time (NASA)
- NASA’s Mars Helicopter attached to Mars 2020 rover (NASA)
- NASA invites students to name Mars 2020 rover (NASA)
- ‘Rosalind Franklin’ Mars rover assembly completed (BBC News)
- SpaceX refused to move a Starlink satellite at risk of collision with a European Earth observation satellite (Forbes)
- What does the Trump Administration’s new memorandum mean for nuclear-powered space missions? (CSIS)
- The first female space tourist on what we can do in orbit (Wall Street Journal)
- Prospect of off-planet outposts spurs interest in space resources (Physics Today)
- NASA has switched on the atomic clock that could help get people to Mars (MIT Technology Review)
- Huge cash prizes and the abdication of public oversight (Space Review, perspective by Casey Dreier)
Weather, Climate, and Environment
- Secret science plan still a ‘real mystery’ — agency adviser (E&E News)
- Major climate change rules the Trump administration is reversing (New York Times)
- Politics of climate change put corporations in tough spot (AP)
- The threat of climate change should concern all technologists (IEEE Spectrum, perspective by Qusi Alqarqaz)
- Six new satellites watch the atmosphere over Earth’s equator (Eos)
- First all-female crew takes off to collect data on Dorian for NOAA (CNN)
- A brief history of attempts to attack the weather (Slate)
- Ocean drilling revolutionized Earth science — now geologists want to plumb new depths (Nature)
- The Earth Prediction Innovation Center and its epoch (Living on the Real World)
Defense
- Chem-bio defense office reorganizes to take on new threats (National Defense Magazine)
- Bipartisan, bicameral committee leaders press DHS on reported changes to weapons of mass destruction counterterrorism programs (Homeland Security Committees)
- Here’s who will build and integrate the first hypersonic weapon system prototype (DefenseNews)
- How the DOD failed to follow up on hypersonics decades ago (Acquisition Talk)
- How Amazon and Silicon Valley seduced the Pentagon (ProPublica)
- Have you seen any Nazi uranium? These researchers want to know (NPR)
- Strangelove redux: US experts propose having AI control nuclear weapons (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
Biomedical
- Laboratory animal welfare: Report on reducing administrative burden for researchers (NIH)
- Is there a role for the Biological Weapons Convention in oversight of lab-created potential pandemic pathogens? (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, perspective by Lynn Klotz)
- Secretary Perry and Sandy Weill sign MOU utilizing DOE fueled artificial intelligence to advance transformative scientific opportunities (DOE)
- Cooperative agreement for Mo-99 production awarded to fourth US company (DOE)
- Huge US government study to offer genetic counselling (Nature)
International Affairs
- Plan to prorogue parliament increases fears of no-deal Brexit (*Research)
- Boris Johnson promises research investment amid political chaos (*Research)
- Fears for Britain’s standing in the world of science as students shun chemistry degrees (The Guardian)
- Foreign interference under the spotlight at Australian universities (Nature)
- Special report on China (Physics World)
- China’s long march to technological supremacy (Foreign Affairs, perspective by Julian Baird Gewirtz)
- How S&T industrial parks invigorated western China’s economy (Pandaily, perspective by AJ Cortese)
- Torchbearer: Igniting innovation in China’s tech clusters (Macro Polo)
- Science rumor dismissing initiative launched in Beijing (China.org.cn)
- The personal impact of Mexico’s budget crisis (Physics World, interview with Fernando Rosales-Ortega)
- Memo to Italy’s president: Your researchers need you (Nature, editorial)
- Iran curbs UN probe into Tehran nuclear equipment site (Wall Street Journal)
- Iran’s actions threaten Iranian scientists (Physics Today, perspective by Eugene Chudnovsky)
- How nuclear scientists are decoding Russia’s mystery explosion (Nature)
- Getting rid of the Swedish bomb (Physics Today)
- AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy leverages alliances to build global bridges (Science)
- EU science diplomacy in a contested space of multi-level governance (Research Policy, paper by Nicolas Rüffin)
- The future of European research must be inclusive (Horizon, interview with Jean-Eric Paquet)