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Competition Open for Jefferson Lab Management Contract

This month, the Department of Energy opened a competition to select a contractor to manage Jefferson Lab in Virginia, one of ten labs overseen by the DOE Office of Science. The lab presently focuses on nuclear physics but plans to become a multi-purpose lab in the coming years by constructing the High Performance Data Facility, a major new user facility offering infrastructure for data-intensive science. In announcing the competition, DOE mentioned the lab’s upcoming pivot and stated that the purpose of the competition is to award a new contract “that will result in improved contractor performance and cost efficiencies.” The winner will be expected to assume operations of the lab in June 2025.

The first step of the process is a request for information on perceived barriers to competition, with responses due March 6. The comments will inform DOE’s formal request for proposals. DOE used the same process for the Fermilab contract competition, which is also underway. Jefferson Lab currently is managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, a subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association. SURA President Sean Hearne told FYI that the association will submit a proposal to continue operating the lab. At present, the lab employs around 850 people and has an annual budget of about $236 million.

Budget Negotiations Still Unresolved Ahead of Friday Deadline

With stopgap funding set to expire this Friday for a large group of federal agencies, congressional negotiators had hoped to finalize an appropriations agreement over the weekend but missed that target. Congressional leaders from both parties now plan to meet with the president tomorrow in a bid to hash out the remaining issues. The Department of Energy is among the agencies whose funding is set to expire this week, whereas most other science agencies are funded through March 8. Congress may resort to passing yet another stopgap measure to buy time for more negotiations. The uncertainty about the final outcome has had serious impacts on some agency programs, triggering mass layoffs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab due to the divergence in funding proposals for the Mars Sample Return Project led by the lab. The split highlights regional differences in congressional priorities for NASA’s science programs.

Senators to Explore Subsurface Hydrogen as Energy Source

Opportunities and challenges associated with using hydrogen that is naturally generated underground, known as geologic hydrogen, will be explored at a hearing on Wednesday by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Testifying are Evelyn Wang, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy; Geoffrey Ellis, a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey; and Pete Johnson, CEO of the geologic hydrogen company Koloma. The company is among 16 teams selected this month by ARPA–E to receive a total of $20 million for research into geologic hydrogen. According to the agency, the grants represent “the first time that the U.S. government has competitively selected teams to research this kind of technology.”

Geophysicist Takes Helm of National Energy Technology Lab

This month, the Department of Energy named Marianne Walck as director of the National Energy Technology Lab, which focuses on fossil energy R&D. Walck previously was chief research officer at Idaho National Lab and she holds a doctorate in geophysics from Caltech. Brad Crabtree, the head of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, stated that Walck’s expertise will help the lab with “building out geologic carbon dioxide storage capacity, developing domestic critical mineral supply chains from unconventional resources, increasing methane mitigation efforts, and scaling up carbon dioxide removal.” The lab has more than 1,400 employees and an annual budget exceeding $1 billion, with sites in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, and Alaska.

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In a First, Commercial Lunar Lander Survives Descent but Tips Over

The uncrewed lander Odysseus touched down on the Moon’s surface last week, the first landing by a private company and the first U.S. landing since 1972. The landing was not without issues, however. Laser rangefinders intended to guide the lander to the surface were not properly activated before the launch, but its controllers were able to improvise a solution using Lidar equipment included with a NASA technology demonstration experiment on board. The lander still ended up descending faster than intended, resulting in it tipping over. Since the tipped side carried communications antennae, the lander’s data transmission with Earth is slower than planned. The company that built the lander, Intuitive Machines, anticipates it will be able to continue communicating with the lander until Feb. 27. President Joe Biden issued a statement praising the landing, calling it “a thrilling step forward in a new era of space exploration.” Intuitive Machines plans to launch a second lander later this year.

White House Publishes Inventory of Sexual Harassment Policies at Science Agencies

The White House published an inventory this month of federal science agency policies, procedures, and resources relating to sex-based and sexual harassment involving extramural research awardees. The inventory, which includes public-facing and internal documents, was created by the Interagency Working Group on Safe and Inclusive STEM Environments — a group that was established by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to coordinate agency efforts to combat harassment in research. The act directed OSTP to publish the inventory within 90 days, and the office’s delay in completing it prompted letters of concern from the House Science Committee and science societies, who noted that progress in creating cross-governmental anti-harassment guidelines would stall without the inventory. The act requires that the guidelines be published within six months of the inventory’s completion. As expected, the inventory reveals a patchwork of different policies and approaches to identifying, reporting, and reducing harassment across agencies. While all the agencies have policies covering internal staff, the inventory shows that not all agencies have policies explicitly covering extramural grant recipients.

NSF Awards $20 Million to Boost Capacity for Research Administration

The National Science Foundation announced last week it will provide $21.4 million to four projects to advance research administration infrastructure and support systems at non-R1 institutions. The awards are from NSF’s recently launched Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program, which aims to help R2, R3, undergraduate and community colleges become more competitive against more well-funded research institutions in national research funding opportunities. The Atlanta University Center — a collaboration between Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University — will receive $14 million to create a hub for shared research administration and commercialization services that aims to become a model for strengthening research at HBCUs. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities will receive $2 million to create institutes that offer professional development services and help Hispanic Serving Institutions share research resources and expertise. Pomona College and the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, will receive $1.7 million to study the challenges faced by researchers at emerging and undergraduate institutions, and Iowa State University will receive $3.7 million to implement a research administration internship program open to students from six institutions in Iowa.

New X-Ray Facility Funded by NSF Mid-scale Program

The National Science Foundation awarded $20 million this month to build an X-ray facility at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source in New York. Called X-rays for Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture and Plant Sciences (XLEAP), the facility will use X-ray fluorescence to study the chemical makeup of living samples. The grant is the largest allowable under NSF’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure 1 program, which funds projects ranging from $4 million to 20 million that promise to provide “more advanced research capabilities relative to what is generally available to the general U.S. research community.” Other recent projects funded by the program include the design of a ultrahigh-intensity laser at the University of Rochester, the buildout of an offshore subduction zone observatory in the Pacific Northwest, and the creation of a prototype tornado resilience testing center at Iowa State University.

UN Poised to Consider Satellite Interference with Astronomy

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) may start formally studying the impact of satellite interference with astronomy. A subcommittee agreed this month to propose that COPUOS take up the topic, and the full committee will vote on whether to do so at a meeting in June. However, COPUOS will require unanimous approval by the committee’s 103 member countries to pursue the issue, and a similar effort was rejected last year. The number of satellites in orbit has spiked in recent years and is likely to continue growing, prompting concerns from astronomers about how light and radio interference from these satellites could hinder telescopes.

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All events are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement. Events beyond this week are listed on our website.

Monday, February 26

National Academies: “Research and Application in Team Science: Committee,” meeting one
(continues Tuesday)

National Academies: “Developing and Assessing Ideas for Social and Behavioral Research to Speed Efficient and Equitable Industrial Decarbonization: A Workshop”
(continues Tuesday)

CSIS: “Nuclear Lessons from the Ukraine Conflict”
10:00 am - 4:30 pm

CSIS: “Investing in Leading-Edge Technology: An Update on CHIPS Act Implementation”
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

AAAS: “Science and Technology at the World Bank: Recommendations to President Ajay Banga”
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

NOAA: Ocean Research Advisory Panel meeting
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Tuesday, February 27

USGS: Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science meeting
(continues Wednesday)

Senate: “The U.S. Technology Fueling Russia’s War in Ukraine: How and Why”
10:00 am, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

New America: “The EU AI Act: Lessons for US Policymakers”
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

National Academies: “Global Microelectronics: Models for the Department of Defense in Semiconductor Public-Private Partnerships”
12:00 - 1:00 pm

National Academies: “2024 U.S. National Committee for IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast: Catalyzing the Green Chemistry Movement”
12:00 - 1:30 pm

Hamilton Project: “Meeting Climate Goals through Tax Reform”
1:00 - 2:30 pm

Foundation for Defense of Democracies: “Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program: Previewing the March 4-8 IAEA Board Meeting”
1:15 - 2:15 pm

NIST: “CHIPS for America: Creating Inclusive Opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions”
2:00 pm

Senate: “Understanding the Presence of Microplastics in Water”
2:30 pm, Environment and Public Works Committee

Wednesday, February 28

National Academies: “First Connections to Sustain Science in Latin America Symposium”
(continues through Friday)

National Academies: “Developing a Strategy to Evaluate the 5th National Climate Assessment,” February meeting
(continues Thursday)

National Academies: “Equitable and Effective Teaching in Undergraduate STEM Education,” meeting six
(continues Thursday)

National Academies: Air Force Science and Technology Roundtable, meeting four
9:00 am - 5:00pm

Senate: “Hearing to Examine the Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Developing Geologic Hydrogen in the United States ”
10:00 am, Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Thursday, February 29

Senate: “Hearing on US Strategic Command and US Space Command in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY25 and the Future Years Defense Program”
9:30 am, Armed Services Committee

House: “Examining the Risk: The Dangers of EV Fires for First Responders”
10:30 am, Science Committee

NIH: “60 Years Later: Honoring Black Trailblazers in Health and Science at NIH”
12:00 - 2:00 pm

NOAA: Ocean Exploration Advisory Board meeting
12:00 - 4:00 pm

EPA: Science Advisory Board meeting
12:00 - 5:00 pm

Environmental and Energy Study Institute: “Understanding the Budget and Appropriations Process”
2:00 - 3:30 pm

Linda Hall Library: “Science in the Race to the South Pole”
7:00 - 8:00 pm CST

Friday, March 1

Johns Hopkins: “Introduction to Science Diplomacy”
9:00 - 10:10 am

Sunday, March 3

ASCE: Academic Security and Counter Exploitation program annual seminar
(continues through Friday)

NDIA: 2024 Pacific Operational Science and Technology Conference
(continues through Thursday)

APS: March Meeting
(continues through Friday)

Monday, March 4

NASA: Planetary Science Advisory Committee meeting
(continues Tuesday)

National Academies: The Strategic Council for Research Excellence, Integrity, and Trust meeting
(continues Tuesday)

NSF: Business and Operations Advisory Committee meeting
11:00 am - 5:30 pm

Columbia University: “Reactor Costs and Decarbonization Efforts”
1:00 - 2:00 pm

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

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Deadlines indicated in parentheses.

Job Openings

AIP: Science policy reporter (ongoing)
APLU: Director of governmental affairs for science policy (ongoing)
COGR: Director for research security and intellectual property (March 4)
ONR: Country director for Europe (March 4)
Georgetown University: Research fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (March 4)
Aspen Institute: S&T Policy Fellowship (March 7)
California Council on S&T: S&T Policy Fellowship (March 11)
NSF: Deputy director for the Division of Materials Research (March 13)
ONR: Superintendent of the Acoustics Division (March 15)
NOAA: Weather Program Office director (March 26)
NOAA: Climate Program Office director (March 26)
University of Idaho: Idaho S&T Policy Fellowship (March 29)

Solicitations

NTIA: Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee call for members (March 4)
NSF: RFI on researcher and educator use cases for the National AI Research Resource (March 8)
NSF: RFI on the National Spectrum R&D Plan (March 21)
NTIA: RFI on dual use foundation AI models with widely available model weights (March 27)
USGS: Advisory Committee for Science Quality and Integrity call for nominations (April 11)
NSF: RFI on marine carbon dioxide removal research plan (April 23)
USPTO: National Medal of Technology and Innovation call for nominations (May 3)
NSF: National Medal of Science call for nominations (May 5)
DOE: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award call for nominations (May 9)

Know of an opportunity for scientists to engage in science policy? Email us at fyi@aip.org.

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White House

White House: PCAST releases report on accelerating effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
MIT Technology Review: Trump wants to unravel Biden’s landmark climate law. Here is what’s most at risk

Congress

Roll Call: Mars samples project looms large in final spending talks
E&E News: Signature House nuclear package to get a floor vote
Emerging Technologies Institute: What is the National Defense Authorization Act about? (video)

Science, Society, and the Economy

New York Times: New satellites that orbit the Earth at very low altitudes may result in a world where nothing is really off limits
Wall Street Journal: Nvidia, AI, and US innovation (editorial)
Issues in Science and Technology: Connecting innovation, education, and regional economic growth (perspective by Grace Wang)
Brookings: Beyond federal grants: Sustaining place-based economic development when the appropriations dwindle
Nature: How to boost your research: Take a sabbatical in policy (perspective by Jordan Dworkin)

Education and Workforce

Inside Higher Ed: The Supreme Court declined to hear a case against diversity-focused admissions policies at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
APS: Proposed changes to H-1B visa rule would hurt STEM in the US, APS argues
AAU: AAU responds to Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification RFI on inclusion of STEM in Schedule A occupations
APS: Physics needs community colleges (perspective by Kris Lui and Sherry Savrda)
Physics Today: J’Tia Hart on nuclear security and mentorship (interview)

Research Management

Science: NSF grant reviewers urged think more about societal benefits
COGR: Quick reference table of current and upcoming federal research security requirements
FASEB: NIH and NSF provide updates for grant management
APS: As academic journals move toward open access, some in the industry take action to reduce inequity
Research Professional: Experts call for open science to be more scientific
Chronicle of Higher Education: Wanted: Scientific errors. Cash reward
Science: ‘Ethics is not a checkbox exercise.’ Bioinformatician Yves Moreau reacts to mass retraction of papers from China
The Economist: Why fake research is rampant in China
Research Policy: How technoscientific knowledge advances: A Bell-Labs-inspired architecture (perspective by Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Jeffrey Tsao)

Labs and Facilities

UCAR: Term of NCAR Director Everette Joseph extended to 2029
Fermilab: Scientists get ready to observe neutrinos with SBND
PPPL: Princeton Plasma Innovation Center receives funds for early construction activities and energy conservation
Washington Post: Lab spaces boomed during the pandemic. Then the experiment took a turn

Computing and Communications

Government Executive: OPM announces survey to analyze AI in government jobs
New York Times: Google is giving away some of the AI that powers chatbots
Nature Physics: AI needs a scientific method-driven reset (perspective by Luís Nunes Amaral)
Bloomberg: Advanced chip firms want $70 billion from US, Raimondo says
Bloomberg: How Japan pulled off an early victory in the race to make more chips
HPCwire: QED-C issues new quantum benchmarking paper
Chicago Business Journal: Gov. Pritzker earmarks $500 million for quantum tech in Illinois budget

Space

SpaceNews: China’s 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission
IEEE Spectrum: To avoid wasted effort, a knowledge aggregator developed for studying Earth is being extended to the moon
NASA: Martians wanted: NASA opens call for simulated yearlong mars mission
AUI: Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?
FCC: Mitigation of orbital debris in the new space age
Reuters: India eases approval process for foreign direct investment in space sector
AP: European satellite falls out of orbit, breaks over Pacific
Reuters: Japan’s SLIM moon probe unexpectedly survives lunar night

Weather, Climate, and Environment

The Guardian: Switzerland calls on UN to explore possibility of solar geoengineering
Nature: Scientists under arrest: The researchers taking action over climate change
Science: Research needs for climate loss and damage (perspective by Adelle Thomas)
New York Times: Duke shuts down huge plant collection, causing scientific uproar
Nature: Why citizen scientists are gathering DNA from hundreds of lakes — on the same day

Energy

Voltz: A conversation on nuclear power with Jigar Shah, head of DOE’s Loan Programs Office (audio interview)
New York Times: Why Britain is struggling with nuclear power
PPPL: Engineers use AI to wrangle fusion power for the grid
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: What’s fueling the commercial fusion hype? (perspective by Victor Gilinsky)
Inside Climate News: California’s oil country hopes carbon management will provide jobs. It may be disappointed
NETL: DOE to invest $100 million to support carbon negative shot by funding pilots and testbed facilities for multiple carbon dioxide removal pathways

Defense

DOD: Defense Science Board discusses emerging threats, begins 2024 summer studies
Stimson Center: The defense research funding environment (interview with Melissa Flag)
New York Times: US warns allies Russia could put a nuclear weapon into orbit this year
Lawfare: Russian nuclear ASAT weapons: The fallout
Inside Defense: AFRL warns of ‘broad departmental effects’ without FY-24 appropriations bill

Biomedical

Times Higher Education: New NIH chief puts focus on research collaboration and outcomes
Science: COVID-19 scientists who faced huge bills after speaking webinars win court
Nature: The proposed Pandemic Agreement must ensure that COVID-19 vaccine nationalism is never repeated; 290 scientists call for action (perspective by Colin Carlson et al.)
The Honest Broker: Governing risky pandemic research (perspective by Roger Pielke Jr.)

International Affairs

Science for Policy: Patricia Gruber on science advice in the State Department (audio interview)
Science: On war’s second anniversary, Ukraine’s scientific community mourns lost colleagues
Science|Business: China becomes Russia’s biggest collaborator after war decimates science ties with the West
New York Times: Silicon Valley venture capitalists are breaking up with China
Research Professional: Analysts warn that an absence of dialogue with Russia is threatening science in the Arctic
Science|Business: European Institute of Innovation and Technology director ‘surprised’ by Danish government proposal to ‘discontinue’ agency
Research Professional: Universities give thumbs-up to prospect of second term for Ursula von der Leyen
Research Professional: UK science secretary defends ‘crazy’ visa changes
Nature: A plan to establish Africa’s first continent-wide science fund should not be delayed any longer (editorial)