The Week of January 22, 2024

What’s Ahead

Hoover Tower — The tower of the Hoover Institution on the campus of Stanford University.

(Kirby Lee via AP)

Research Security Roundtable Convenes at Hoover Institution

The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank that has a focus on research security and U.S.–China relations. After introductory remarks from institute director Condoleezza Rice, who was secretary of state under President George W. Bush, a panel of representatives from federal science agencies will offer their perspectives on recent research security initiatives. FBI Special Agent Nicholas Shenkin will also participate in a session titled, “Enhancing Collaboration in Science and Security.” Other sessions will address research security policy at the University of California, perspectives from university researchers across the Pacific region, and security considerations specific to biotechnology, computer science, and aerospace. Los Alamos National Lab Director Thom Mason, a member of the roundtable, will also deliver a speech on research security at the Hoover Institution on Monday before the roundtable convenes.

With US Back in UNESCO, Senate to Review Nominee for US Rep

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on the nomination of Courtney O’Donnell to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. O’Donnell has worked as an aide to Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden and was director of global partnerships at Airbnb. The U.S. recently rejoined UNESCO after a five-year absence. The Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from UNESCO in 2017, arguing that the group was biased against Israel. The U.S. stopped paying dues to UNESCO after it granted membership to Palestine in 2011, and the outstanding dues now exceed $600 million. The Biden administration has requested Congress allocate $150 million to resume U.S. contributions in fiscal year 2024.

Biden Officials to Explain STEM Visa Policy Moves

The CHIPS for America Program Office will host a one-hour briefing Tuesday on efforts by the Biden administration to expand immigration pathways for STEM students and researchers. Speakers will include officials from the White House, State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A focus of the briefing will be President Joe Biden’s recent executive order on artificial intelligence, which directs agencies to use existing authorities to make it easier for experts in “critical and emerging technologies” to study or work in the U.S.

Meteorologists Meet in Baltimore for AMS Meeting

The American Meteorological Society will begin its 104th annual meeting this weekend in Baltimore, Maryland. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Living in a Changing Environment,” with sessions covering topics such as modeling methods for climate uncertainty and lessons learned from the Fifth National Climate Assessment, which was published in late 2023. On Sunday, the AMS Presidential Forum will consist of a discussion on the barriers limiting the reach and impact of climate science with MIT professor Kerry Emanuel, environmental diplomat Monica Medina, and former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC), now director of RepublicEn, a group that advocates for confronting climate change in a way that is consistent with conservative principles. On Thursday next week, Jane Lubchenco, a top climate official in the White House, will discuss the Fifth National Climate Assessment and the Biden administration’s climate research priorities, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Rick Spinrad will participate in a discussion on combating climate disinformation through education and communication. (AMS is an AIP Member Society.)

Science Committee Backs Artemis Despite Delays

The House Science Committee held a hearing last week to examine NASA’s recent decision to delay the next two launches in its Artemis program to return humans to the Moon’s surface. Committee members from both parties accepted the rationale for delaying the missions but were critical of NASA’s budgeting practices and sought greater clarity on its plans. Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) also noted he intends to advance legislation this spring to comprehensively update NASA policy, which he said would be the first major update in seven years, if enacted. Witnesses for the hearing warned that there may be further delays to the program. Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin was blunt in his criticism of Artemis, stating it is “excessively complex” and “unrealistically priced,” as well as “highly unlikely to be completed in a timely manner even if successful.” Citing the importance of the U.S. having a presence on the Moon, Griffin said it was “unacceptable” for the U.S. to fall behind China and called for a complete reworking of the Artemis program, rather than increased efforts to keep the existing program on track. Various committee members noted the ambitions of the Chinese space program, with Lucas pointing out that the country is actively seeking international partners for its own lunar research station.

Federal Funding Extended to March

President Biden signed stopgap legislation last week that funds federal agencies at current levels until the first week of March, buying time to finalize appropriations for fiscal year 2024. The Senate approved the legislation on a 77-18 vote and the House followed suit on a 314-108 vote, with all but two of the no votes from Republicans. Though congressional leaders have agreed to topline spending limits for defense and non-defense programs, appropriators have yet to announce how these funds will be allocated across the 12 bills that together fund the government. House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) also stated last week that Republicans are committed to “fighting for meaningful policy changes” to be incorporated into the legislation, while Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) stated the legislation should exclude any “partisan poison pills.”

Republicans Launch Research Security Probe into Former UCLA Scientist

Republican leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Energy and Commerce Committee have launched an inquiry into why the federal government awarded millions of dollars in research grants to projects led by Song-Chun Zhu, an artificial intelligence scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles who joined a Chinese talent recruitment program in 2010 and moved to China in 2020. Citing a 2023 article by Newsweek, the lawmakers state that Zhu’s projects received more than $30 million in federal grant funding during his career, of which $1.2 million was awarded by the Department of Defense after he moved to China. In letters to UCLA, DOD, and the National Science Foundation, the lawmakers asked for extensive information regarding Zhu’s research and grant awards, organizational conflict of interest and oversight policies, and details on any researchers affiliated with UCLA or in receipt of NSF or DOD funding who currently reside in China or have ties with the CCP. In statements to Newsweek, NSF indicated it became aware of risks associated with Zhu’s foreign affiliations “near the end range” of his funding. DOD noted that the grants in question involved many researchers and pointed to the benefits of international collaboration in research. Congressional concerns surrounding participation in Chinese talent recruitment programs began to build in 2019, and last year’s CHIPS and Science Act will bar agencies from awarding funding to participants in “malign” recruitment programs starting in August this year.

NNSA Grades Lab Performance for Fiscal Year 2023

Last week, the National Nuclear Security Administration published summaries of its annual performance evaluations for the contractors that manage NNSA facilities, including Los Alamos National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, and Sandia National Labs. The lab contractors received overall ratings of 89%, 94%, and 91%, respectively. All three received 100% ratings for their goals focused on “advancing science and technology.” Problems flagged during the reviews largely concern nuclear weapons production and warhead life-extension programs. The full performance evaluation reports are under review by NNSA’s Freedom of Information Act Office, which expects to release them by Feb. 26.

Former NOAA Administrator John Byrne Dead at 95

John Byrne led NOAA from 1981 to 1984.

(NOAA)

Oceanographer John Byrne, who led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1981 to 1984, died on Jan. 11 at the age of 95. As NOAA administrator, he worked to increase the agency’s focus on oceanography while also grappling with pressure from President Ronald Reagan’s White House to tighten budgets. He also drove a major reorganization in 1982 that created the agency’s present structure of line offices. Byrne earned a doctorate in marine geology from the University of Southern California in 1957 and began his career as a geologist in the petroleum industry. He joined the oceanography program at Oregon State University in 1960 and remained there for essentially his entire career, though he served for short stints at the National Science Foundation and U.S. Geological Survey in the late 1960s. At Oregon State, he held a series of leadership positions, including dean of the School of Oceanography and the university’s first dean of research. After Byrne stepped aside as NOAA administrator he became the university’s president, a job he held from 1984 to 1995.

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