What’s Ahead

Folded into its launch configuration, the James Webb Space Telescope is hoisted to be encapsulated in its Ariane 5 launch vehicle. (Image credit – Manuel Pedoussaut / European Space Agency)

Webb Telescope Ready for Long-Awaited Launch

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch aboard an Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket on Friday morning from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Since arriving at the site in October, the telescope’s launch has been pushed back twice, first due to an incident involving an “unplanned release” of a clamp that adjoins the telescope to the rocket, and then a “communication issue” between the telescope and the rocket. After launch, the telescope will undertake a 29-day journey to the second Lagrange point, a location in space about 1.5 million kilometers away where gravitational forces will keep the spacecraft anchored in position with respect to the Earth as it orbits the Sun. En route, the telescope will unfold into its operational configuration and test its systems.

The stakes for a successful launch and commissioning are extremely high. The mission was a top recommendation of the 2000 National Academies decadal survey and during the two decades since then its schedule slipped repeatedly while its cost multiplied to about $10 billion. Congress continued to support the mission through these difficulties, although some lawmakers did propose at points to defund it and the project became a key reference point for the challenges large space science missions can face. When it begins science operations, the telescope will enable unprecedented observations addressing subjects such as the characteristics of distant exoplanets and the conditions that prevailed during the earliest ages of the universe.

Update: Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the launch is now scheduled to take place on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 25.

Tabak Takes Over at NIH as Collins Steps Aside

The National Institutes of Health is under new leadership for the first time in over 12 years after Francis Collins stepped down from the director position on Dec. 19. President Biden has not yet nominated a successor to Collins, who announced in October he would return to leading a genetics research lab within NIH. The agency is now led on an acting basis by its principal deputy director, Lawrence Tabak, who has held that role since 2010 after serving for a decade as director of NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. With a current annual budget of $43 billion, NIH is the world’s largest biomedical research agency and generally enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress, though in recent years it has become embroiled in controversies concerning its approach to research security, sexual harassment, and gain-of-function research.

FYI This Week Will Return in January

FYI This Week will be on a holiday hiatus next week and will return on Jan. 3. If you are not yet receiving FYI updates by email, we invite you to sign up for our weekly newsletter and our bulletins by clicking here. We also invite you to keep tabs on budgetary, legislative, and leadership developments using the trackers on the FYI website.

In Case You Missed It

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) during a visit to the National Energy Technology Lab in June 2021. (Image credit – NETL)

DOE Science Funding Restored to Imperiled Build Back Better Act

Last week, Senate Democrats released the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s draft text for the Build Back Better Act, the roughly $2 trillion spending bill Democrats are working to pass without Republican support. The draft allocates nearly $8 billion for R&D programs at the Department of Energy, including $5 billion for national laboratory infrastructure that was not included in the pared-down version of the bill the House passed in November. While the bill does not allocate funding to specific projects, it would enable DOE to fully fund its contributions to upgrades at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, while also providing a budgetary advance that could help accelerate its flagship Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment project. The funding would also support an array of other projects across the DOE Office of Science.

However, the fate of the overall bill has come into serious doubt after the committee’s chair, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), declared his opposition to it on Dec. 19. It remains unclear whether the declaration was intended to stop the legislative effort altogether, or to derail its current structure, which funds some initiatives for only relatively short periods of time — a strategy Manchin denounces as a budget “gimmick.” Shortly after Manchin’s announcement, the White House issued a sternly worded statement calling the move a “sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position,” stating that Manchin had met with President Biden on Dec. 14 to present a framework for a compromise bill. Congress is now adjourned for the year, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is vowing to forge ahead in the new year, holding a vote early on to put senators on record and then continuing “until we get something done.”

Engineer Marvin Adams Tapped to Lead NNSA Weapons Programs

On Dec. 15, the White House announced that Texas A&M nuclear engineering professor Marvin Adams will be nominated to lead weapons programs for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Labs. Adams currently serves as director of national laboratories mission support for Texas A&M, which since 2018 has been part of the consortium that operates Los Alamos, and he is also a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which Biden reconstituted in September. Adams received his doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan in 1986 and then worked at Livermore Lab until joining Texas A&M in 1992. He has since frequently served as an outside advisor to the government on nuclear weapons, and according to Texas A&M is the only academic to have served on a Defense Department panel that assesses the readiness of the nuclear weapons stockpile. In a statement, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called Marvin “the nation’s foremost academic expert on safeguarding our nuclear stockpile.” NNSA’s weapons programs are currently led by Charles Verdon, who previously was a senior weapons official at Livermore Lab. He was confirmed by the Senate in 2018 and was the only Senate-confirmed NNSA appointee to remain in place through the presidential transition.

Meteorology Professor Michael Morgan Nominated for NOAA Job

Also on Dec. 15, the White House announced President Biden will nominate University of Wisconsin-Madison meteorology professor Michael Morgan to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The role oversees NOAA’s terrestrial and satellite-based observation systems as well as the integration of observations into operational forecasts of weather, climate, and other elements of the Earth system. Morgan earned his doctorate in meteorology from MIT in 1994 and has served in several leadership roles in the meteorology community, including as director of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation from 2010 to 2014. He has also held a number of advisory and governance roles with the American Meteorological Society, World Meteorological Organization, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and American Institute of Physics. The assistant secretary role has been filled on an acting basis since January by Stephen Volz, a career official who leads NOAA’s satellite division.

US Outlines Climate Research Strategies at AGU

In a speech last week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, President Biden’s science adviser Eric Lander called for a “revolution” in greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting, including by expanding space-based observations globally, so as to hold countries accountable for their emissions reductions pledges. He also identified areas of energy research that should be the target of “ferocious innovation,” specifically mentioning the Department of Energy’s Earthshots initiatives as well as nuclear fusion and electrofuels. In conjunction with the meeting, the White House also issued a five-year Arctic research plan for federal agencies that identifies four priority areas: Arctic systems interactions, community resilience and health, sustainable economies and livelihoods, and risk management and hazard mitigation. At a release event, members of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, which produced the report, said a biennial implementation plan identifying more specific objectives will be released in mid-2022. Separately at the AGU meeting, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 16th annual Arctic Report Card, documenting rapid changes in the region such as near-record-low amounts of multiyear sea ice, while the National Science Foundation’s Environmental Research and Education Advisory Committee presented a report recommending priorities for studies on the national security implications of climate change. These include challenges associated with a more navigable Arctic and associated needs for improved predictive capability for Arctic weather and ice pack extent.

Bipartisan Bill Proposes DOE Microelectronics R&D Centers

Last week, House Science Committee members Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Jake Ellzey (R-TX) introduced the Microelectronics Research for Energy Innovation Act, which would establish a microelectronics R&D initiative within the Department of Energy. The bill would direct the DOE Office of Science to establish up to four Microelectronics Science Research Centers and recommend that each receive up to $25 million per year for five years for activities to accelerate the development, testing, and fabrication of new technologies, to improve the sustainability of microelectronic devices, and to strengthen the microelectronics workforce. The bill would also authorize a new department-wide microelectronics research program with a recommended annual budget of $100 million. Congress’ recent efforts to promote semiconductor manufacturing have centered on funding the CHIPS for America Act, which created a variety of new R&D programs that are mostly led by the Departments of Commerce and Defense. The House Science Committee recently held a hearing where Berkeley Lab Director Michael Witherell highlighted microelectronics research efforts at DOE’s national labs. DOE has reported that it was spending about $30 million on advanced microelectronics through its Office of Science in fiscal year 2021, up from $5 million the year before.

DOE and Energy Committee Eye Next Steps on Advanced Reactors

The Department of Energy issued a request for information last week on options for implementing a congressionally mandated program to develop domestic supplies of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). HALEU is uranium that is enriched so that between 5% and 20% of its mass is composed of the highly fissile uranium-235 isotope. While traditional energy-producing nuclear reactors use uranium that is less than 5% enriched, many “advanced” reactors currently being developed are designed to use HALEU. DOE plans to support the completion of a project already underway to demonstrate HALEU production methods, but in anticipation of the new program it will not exercise an option for the project to continue with HALEU production. That project has been the subject of considerable scrutiny, including by the House Science Committee, because it was awarded to the company Centrus without a bidding process. In a recent routine disclosure, Centrus indicated it was aware DOE might not fund continued operations through the contract and that it expects to have strong chances of obtaining competitively awarded follow-on funding through DOE’s new HALEU-supply program.

In a separate move, last week Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the Fission for the Future Act, which would direct DOE to establish a program to support the planning, licensing, and construction of advanced reactors. Entities eligible for support under the program would include states, local and Tribal governments, national labs, utilities, and other private companies. DOE is already supporting private efforts to develop advanced reactors mainly through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which has just received about $2.5 billion across six years through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

NSF Responds to JASON Report on Major Facility Cybersecurity

Last week, the National Science Foundation posted a summary of a report by the JASON science advisory panel that recommends ways the agency can improve cybersecurity practices across its portfolio of major research facilities. NSF states it agrees with the report’s seven recommendations and describes actions the agency will take in response, which include ensuring cybersecurity is a “review criterion of each call for proposals in a major facility competition” and creating a position dedicated to facility cybersecurity. Discussing a draft of the report at a cybersecurity summit last month, NSF’s chief research security officer Rebecca Keiser remarked that it was motivated in part by an FBI inquiry about cybersecurity practices across federal agencies. Keiser added, “We require our awardees to do quite a lot of the work [on cybersecurity] and we set overall general guidelines. Something that we were interested in and the NSF director was interested in was seeing if the JASON agreed with continuing that approach or whether we should set more stringent requirements.” She said the report does not recommend major changes to NSF’s approach and that parts of the report may not be publicly released if they expose current vulnerabilities.

Events This Week

All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.

Monday, December 20

Environmental Law Institute: “Coastal Impacts of Climate Change: The Surfside Condominium Collapse and Future Risks”
12:00 - 1:30 pm

Tuesday, December 21

National Academies: “Workshop on Anticipating Rare Events of Major Significance,” day two
10:00 am - 3:35 pm

U.S. Energy Association: “Paving the Way to a Hydrogen Economy,” part one
2:00 - 4:30 pm

Wednesday, December 22

U.S. Energy Association: “Paving the Way to a Hydrogen Economy,” part two
3:00 - 5:30 pm

Thursday, December 23

No events.

Friday, December 24

NASA: Launch of James Webb Space Telescope

Opportunities

APLU Hiring Director of Governmental Affairs

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is hiring a director for its Office of Governmental Affairs. The office develops science policy and budget priorities for the association, focusing on federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health as well as issues related to intellectual property. Applicants should have at least six years of federal government relations or related experience. Preference will be given to applications received by Jan. 11.

NIH Diversity Initiative Holding Listening Sessions

As part of its new UNITE initiative, the National Institutes of Health is holding a series of listening sessions on advancing racial equity in the biomedical research workforce. Among other topics, the agency is seeking comments on changing culture, improving policies and oversight, strengthening career pathways, ensuring fairness in funding deliberations, and enhancing funding and research support for “diverse institutions and historically under-resourced research areas.” Sessions continue through Feb. 1.

Day One Project Hiring for Several Positions

The Day One Project, an initiative to develop and implement actionable S&T policy ideas is seeking a policy director for its entrepreneurship and technology policy verticals, a lead for its work on “entrepreneurship and regional innovation,” and two staff to support its placement of fellows in federal agencies. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Breakthrough Institute Seeking Summer Fellows

The Breakthrough Institute is accepting applications for its Generation Fellowship, a 10-week paid summer fellowship open to graduating college seniors, young professionals, and students in the early stages of their post-graduate education. After a two-week policy bootcamp covering areas such as innovation and technology policy, fellows will join small teams to conduct research in one of three program areas: climate and energy, food and farming, or cities. Applications are due Jan. 28.

Carnegie Endowment Hiring Scholar of Emerging Technologies

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is seeking a research scholar for its Technology and International Affairs program to pursue projects related to “emerging and disruptive technologies as factors in international stability and instability.” Candidates should have an advanced degree and significant experience working on technology policy issues in academia, government, or the private sector. Applications are due Jan. 3.

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.