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What’s Ahead
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| Former White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier, pictured here at a Senate hearing in 2018, is testifying this week before the House Science Committee. (Image credit – Bill Ingalls / NASA) Bill Ingalls / NASA |
Science Committee Surveying Outlook for US Science and Technology
The House Science Committee is holding its first hearing of the year on Tuesday, taking a broad look at the global status of U.S. science and technology and the competition presented by China. The witnesses will be Kelvin Droegemeier, who directed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Trump administration, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Klon Kitchen, Council on Competitiveness President Deborah Wince-Smith, and Lawrence Livermore National Lab Director Kim Budil. The charter for the hearing highlights a provision in last year’s CHIPS and Science Act requiring OSTP to develop a “national science and technology strategy” and update it quadrennially. During his time at OSTP, Droegemeier was an advocate for having such a strategy and review process. The charter also touches on the ongoing evolution of research security policies, including provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act and a presidential memorandum on the subject that was issued in the last days of the Trump administration and retained by the Biden administration.
Congress Probing Export Control and Investment Screening Plans
The Senate Banking Committee is meeting Tuesday to hear testimony from former federal officials on the role of export controls, sanctions, and “other economic tools” in advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. The hearing comes as President Biden is reportedly preparing to create a new mechanism for screening U.S. financial investments in certain technology sectors in China. This so-called “outbound” investment review process is meant to complement the traditional export control regime and is expected to focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, supercomputing, and quantum technology. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) told Politico last month that the Biden administration “is talking about a theory where they would stop capital flows into sectors of the economy like AI, quantum, cyber, 5G, and, of course, advanced semiconductors — all those things.” The head of the Commerce Department’s export control arm, Alan Estevez, is testifying before McCaul’s committee at a hearing on Tuesday. The department has already implemented sweeping limits on exports of advanced semiconductors to China and plans to implement new controls on additional areas such as quantum computing and biotechnology.
Science Agency Leaders Speaking at AAAS Meeting in DC
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is holding its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday through Sunday. Among the plenary speakers are White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar, Department of Energy Undersecretary for Science and Innovation Geri Richmond, and National Institute of Standards and Technology Director Laurie Locascio. Other plenary sessions include a lecture by National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt on the “Past, Present, and Future of our Research Enterprise” and a panel discussion on the public and private sectors’ roles in the innovation ecosystem that will include National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal. AAAS is also hosting a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of its S&T Policy Fellowships program, which places scientists and engineers across the federal government. A compilation of science policy sessions at the meeting is available here.
Study Launches on NASA Workforce and Infrastructure Needs
The National Academies is kicking off a study this week that will assess NASA’s workforce and infrastructure needs across all of its mission areas. The study committee is charged with making “prioritized recommendations on actions needed to better align NASA’s engineering and science workforce, skills, physical and systems infrastructure, and technologies with NASA’s mission objectives and strategic goals.” The committee will be chaired by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, who has often taken high-profile roles in science and technology policy advocacy.
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In Case You Missed It
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| The Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Labs. (Image credit – Randy Montoya / Sandia National Labs) |
Report Urges Renewal of High Energy Density Facilities and Workforce
A report the National Academies released last week reviews the status of high energy density (HED) science in the U.S., focusing on fundamental science topics relevant to the National Nuclear Security Administration. Congress requested the report through the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, intending it as a complement to a separate classified study on HED research for stockpile stewardship. The report finds that the “overarching challenge” facing NNSA is workforce recruitment and retention and recommends the agency enhance access to flagship HED facilities to support the growth of the field. It specifically calls for NNSA to establish plans over the next five years to extend, upgrade, or replace its flagship HED facilities, which include the National Ignition Facility, the Z Pulsed Power Facility, and the Omega Laser Facility. It also recommends expanding remote access to experimental and computing facilities and encouraging deeper collaboration with academia, the private sector, and international partners while also addressing security and nonproliferation concerns. In addition, the report lays out “grand challenge” directions for future research and outlines strategies for expanding education opportunities and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the HED workforce.
Raimondo Sets Ambitious Goals for CHIPS Act Outcomes
In a speech last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo outlined goals for expanding the U.S. semiconductor workforce and manufacturing base using the $50 billion appropriated to the Commerce Department by the CHIPS and Science Act. Raimondo said the act must spur at least $500 billion in private-sector investments and that the U.S. must succeed in “inspiring a generation of engineers and scientists who are excited about manufacturing.” Noting how President Kennedy’s goal of sending humans to the Moon spurred a rapid increase in the number of doctoral graduates in physical sciences and engineering, Raimondo called for an analogous effort to triple the number of graduates in semiconductor-related fields over the next decade. She also said that 100,000 construction workers will be needed to build new semiconductor fabrication facilities and asked semiconductor companies to work with high schools and community colleges to train 100,000 new technicians to staff them once built, predicting a shortfall of 90,000 technicians by 2030 absent action. Among the department’s manufacturing capacity goals, she stated the U.S. will aim to have “at least two large-scale clusters of leading-edge logic fabs” supported by a network of R&D hubs known collectively as the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The Commerce Department is holding a webinar on Tuesday to announce details of the funding application process for the $39 billion in manufacturing incentives funded by the CHIPS and Science Act.
Competition Opens for Big-Ticket DOE Carbon Capture Projects
The Department of Energy released two funding opportunity announcements last week for demonstration and large-scale pilot projects that will capture carbon emissions from electricity generation and industrial operations. Funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the two programs anticipate awarding a total of $2.52 billion. Of the total, up to $820 million will go to up to 10 pilot projects that aim to reduce technological risk and attract follow-on private investment. DOE expects to spend the remaining $1.7 billion on six demonstration projects that “can be readily replicated and deployed at power plants and major industrial sources of carbon emissions, such as cement, pulp and paper, iron, and steel.” The infrastructure law stipulates two projects should be for coal power plants, two for natural gas power plants, and two for industrial facilities. Previously, DOE’s largest expenditure on a carbon capture project, and the only one at a power plant to be completed, was $195 million to support construction of the Petra Nova facility at a coal plant in Texas. That facility was mothballed when economic conditions made it unprofitable to operate, but its operator announced this month it will soon restart as circumstances have become more favorable. Leaders of the House Science Committee have expressed concern about DOE’s procedures for awarding funds for and overseeing large-scale projects and last week co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would require the department to semi-annually update Congress on the progress of such projects.
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Events This Week
All times are Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted. Listings do not imply endorsement.
Monday, February 27
Tuesday, February 28
Wednesday, March 1
Thursday, March 2
Friday, March 3
Saturday, March 4
Sunday, March 5
Monday, March 6
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Opportunities
GAO Hiring Chief Scientist
The Government Accountability Office is hiring a chief scientist, who will serve as GAO’s principal liaison to Congress and federal agencies on matters related to science, technology, and engineering. Candidates must have a degree in a STEM field, preferably a doctorate, and experience leading studies of emerging S&T policy issues. Applications are due March 23.
Registration Open for AMS Summer Policy Colloquium
The American Meteorological Society is holding its annual Summer Policy Colloquium June 4 to June 9. The event brings Earth system scientists to D.C. to participate in policy simulations and to meet with federal agency officials and members of Congress. Registration closes on April 14.
Science Policy Journal Seeking Volunteer Ambassadors
The Journal of Science Policy and Governance is seeking volunteer ambassadors to assist journal leadership with outreach and communications, event planning, and data collection and evaluation. Volunteers must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or graduate degree program and be able to commit one to three hours of work per week for one year. Applications are due March 7.
Know of an upcoming science policy event either inside or outside the Beltway? Email us at fyi@aip.org.
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