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What’s Ahead
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| Image credit – Senate Democrats |
New Fiscal Year Set to Begin With Stopgap Budget
Just before fiscal year 2021 begins on Thursday, the Senate is expected to approve a measure the House passed last week that will fund most federal programs at their current levels through Dec. 11, staving off a government shutdown. Under stopgap funding, agencies generally cannot begin major new projects and initiatives but can continue work that has already been funded. Congress is not expected to take up any other major legislative business until after the November election, with the exception of the Senate’s consideration of President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Negotiations on a new pandemic relief bill remain stalled, with House Democrats now drafting a $2.4 trillion bill, down from their initial pricetag of $3 trillion but well above Senate Republicans’ last proposal. Research groups continue to advocate for substantial relief funds to be included in the legislation, though the outlook for their inclusion remains cloudy.
House to Grill HHS Head About Political Pressure on COVID Response
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is appearing on Friday at a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on “the Trump administration’s unprecedented political interference in the work of scientists and public health experts.” Since Azar last testified before Congress in February, the scientific integrity of his department and its agencies has been battered as President Trump and his appointees have repeatedly impressed political considerations onto the government’s pandemic response efforts. Last week, Trump suggested he may reject plans by the Food and Drug Administration to implement a more stringent process for granting emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines. The next day, National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt and National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau issued a joint statement expressing alarm over “ongoing reports and incidents of the politicization of science, particularly the overriding of evidence and advice from public health officials and derision of government scientists.” Shoring up public confidence in the vaccine approval and distribution process will be the focus of a separate House hearing Wednesday featuring testimony from four non-federal public health officials, including the co-chair of the National Academies’ Committee on Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus.
Artemis Lunar Program’s Senate Road Show Continues
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is testifying before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, continuing his efforts to secure congressional support for the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024. NASA released an updated plan for Artemis on Sept. 21 outlining mission architectures and schedule milestones through the first crewed landing, and tallying up the program’s $28 billion pricetag for the next five years. At a hearing two days later, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), the Senate’s lead appropriator for NASA, offered Bridenstine supportive words but was noncommittal on funding, observing that circumstances have been “significantly altered” since NASA’s budget request in February. The House and Senate are expected to complete appropriations for the coming fiscal year sometime after the November election. Bridenstine indicated in a call with reporters last week that Artemis’ next funding ramp-up, to $7 billion, can wait that long but that it would become “increasingly more difficult” to meet the program’s goals without an appropriation for the full requested amount by March 2021.
Planetary Science Decadal Survey Committee Convenes
The National Academies decadal survey for planetary science and astrobiology is approaching full speed, as its steering committee gathers for its first two meetings this week. The survey will identify top research priorities and provide ranked-ordered mission recommendations to guide decision-making at NASA and the National Science Foundation through the early 2030s. For the first time, the survey will include consideration of planetary defense activities and crewed space exploration. The survey has already accepted nearly 600 white papers and convened a series of webinars for students and early-career researchers. Now, members of the full committee, who were announced earlier this month, will proceed to incorporate further research community input into its report, which is planned for release in 2022.
NASA Seeking Grander Vision for Microgravity Research
The National Academies is hosting a webinar on Tuesday to discuss NASA’s vision for the forthcoming decadal survey on biological and physical sciences in space, which primarily concerns research conducted in microgravity environments, such as aboard the International Space Station. NASA recently transferred this research from its human exploration directorate to its science directorate and will ask the survey to recommend ideas for “research campaigns,” which the webinar agenda calls a “bold new concept” that could entail using “multiple missions and multiple disciplines to tackle an overarching scientific or exploration goal.” Academic planetary scientists Bruce Jakosky and Clive Neal will discuss how NASA has used decadal surveys in other fields to solicit ideas for ambitious flagship missions, which play a special role in the agency’s research strategy.
Science Committee Examining Ways to Cope With Overlapping Crises
The House Science Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the ways that extreme weather disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and social inequalities interact to create compounded problems. House Democrats have increasingly pointed to such environmental justice considerations when advocating for legislation to address climate change. The witnesses are Roxane Cohen Silver, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine; Colette Pichon Battle, founder and executive director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy; and Samantha Montano, a professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Webinars to Shine Skeptical Light on DOJ ‘China Initiative’
On Wednesday, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University and two Asian American advocacy groups are holding the first in a series of webinars on the “human and scientific costs” of the initiative the Department of Justice launched in 2018 to crack down on espionage orchestrated by the Chinese government. Since then, the department has brought charges against more than a dozen researchers for crimes such as visa fraud, lying to federal investigators, fraud related to failures to disclose external sources of research support, and intellectual property theft. Scientists have reported the initiative has had a chilling effect on scientific collaboration between the U.S. and China, and critics argue the effort is overzealous and influenced by racial bias. The department maintains its approach is tightly focused on violations of the law and commensurate with the violations’ scale. The panelists for the first webinar are physicist and former Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who has raised concerns about the climate for international scholars in the U.S., Seton Hall University Law Professor Margaret Lewis, Asian Americans Advancing Justice President John Yang, and former FBI agent Michael German.
Augustine and Lane Renew Attention to Eroding US Standing in R&D
Former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine and former White House science adviser Neal Lane are headlining a webinar on Wednesday to discuss a forthcoming report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences titled, “The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science and Engineering.” The report will review developments since a 2014 report they co-chaired that warned China was on pace to surpass the U.S. in R&D spending. The academy states this point has since been reached and that the situation is exacerbated by new strains stemming from the pandemic, restrictions on foreign researchers, and proposed cuts to federal R&D budgets. Augustine has long been a central figure in focusing national attention on international competition in science and engineering, including as chair of the influential 2005 National Academies report Rising Above the Gathering Storm.
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In Case You Missed It
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| Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. (Image credit – DHS) |
DHS Seeks to Cap Student and Exchange Visa Lengths
The Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule on Sept. 25 that would cap the duration of international student and visiting researcher visas to two or four years, depending on the applicant’s country of origin. This would mark a sharp break from current policy where such visas remain valid for as long as holders remain engaged in their academic programs. Under the proposed rule, which has a 30 day public comment period, visa holders would have to request an extension if they cannot complete their program before the visa expires. The two year cap would apply to countries that have visa overstay rates above 10%, which disproportionately affects small countries, and to those that are designated as state sponsors of terrorism. DHS asserts the change would reduce the potential for visa overstays and malfeasance such as espionage by offering periodic opportunities for vetting. A number of universities have already objected to the rule. Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne wrote, “While we understand the national security issues referenced in this proposal, this is another in a series of policies that make the U.S. less welcome to our international community — to the detriment of our international students and scholars, our universities, and our country’s scientific leadership and long-term economic competitiveness.”
More Than 3,000 Scientists Petition in ‘Defense of Democracy’
A petition seeking to rally scientists who believe democratic principles in the U.S. are in danger has garnered more than 3,000 signatures to date. Framed as a “statement in defense of democracy,” the petition does not mention specific political actions or actors but lists a variety of general concerns that include: threats to democratic institutions and the rule of law; political attacks on women, people of color, immigrants, and the press; and the “propagation of disinformation; and sidelining of science as input to public policy.” The effort was spearheaded by “several Princeton and Columbia University scientists,” as well as the Union of Concerned Scientists and Federation of American Scientists, both non-profit advocacy organizations. The signatories include a number of leading figures in science policy, such as former White House Office of Science and Technology Policy directors John Holdren and Neal Lane, former OSTP acting director Rosina Bierbaum, former energy secretary Ernest Moniz, former National Institutes of Health director Harold Varmus, former National Science Board chair Lewis Branscomb, longtime White House adviser Dick Garwin, former Democratic congressman and American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO Rush Holt, former Association of American Universities president Mary Sue Coleman, former LIGO director Barry Barish, former Caltech president David Baltimore, and former Princeton Plasma Physics Lab director Stewart Prager.
Trump Reinforces Restrictions on Diversity Training
President Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 22 restricting federal agencies and their contractors from offering certain kinds of diversity and inclusion training, expanding on a White House policy issued earlier this month. The new order forbids all training activities that employ “any form of race or sex scapegoating” or promote any of a number of “divisive concepts,” such as the idea that “the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.” As examples, it specifically identifies recent training materials used at Argonne and Sandia National Labs that discuss white privilege and structural racism. Agencies will be required to submit all diversity training materials to the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Labor is instructed to set up a hotline for complaints about such training. If found in violation of the policy, contractors could face the suspension or termination of their contracts. Grant-awarding agencies are further instructed to make acceptance of grant funds contingent on agreement not to use them for such training. The administration’s new policy has been criticized by university officials and the Association of American Medical Colleges, and last week Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency raising concerns about its suspension of racism sensitivity programs. The order states all agencies, contractors, and grant recipients “should, of course, continue to foster environments devoid of hostility grounded in race, sex, or other federally protected characteristics.”
Another Controversial NOAA Leadership Appointment in the Works
The Washington Post reported last week that the White House plans to appoint research meteorologist Ryan Maue as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s chief scientist, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Maue received a meteorology doctorate in 2010 from Florida State University and has spent most of his career at private-sector weather services companies, including most recently BAMWX. News of Maue’s selection attracted criticism from a number of climate scientists on social media due to his view that climatic warming will be less severe than supposed, and because he has often chided climate activists for making what he regards as dubious assertions, such as about connections between current extreme weather events and warming trends. Former NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco tweeted she is “gravely concerned” by the appointment and House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-NM) wrote to NOAA expressing doubts Maue would uphold scientific integrity at the agency. Maue’s appointment also comes on the heels of the selection of fringe climatologist David Legates for another leadership position at NOAA, and E&E News reports that other scientists who have opposed the conclusions of climate consensus reports have been offered positions at the agency by the White House, though they have declined them. NOAA’s research head Craig McLean has been serving as acting chief scientist since the beginning of the Trump administration.
Energy Secretary Dismisses Climate Science Consensus
Department of Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette cast doubt on consensus conclusions of climate science last week in response to questions from reporters during a tour of a natural gas and petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania. According to an account by State Impact Pennsylvania, an NPR affiliate, “When asked to clarify whether he believed the scientific consensus that human-caused carbon emissions are fueling hotter temperatures, he said: ‘No one knows that.’” The article continues, “When told by a reporter that scientists say humans are causing climate change, he said: ‘Scientists say a lot of things. I have scientists inside of the Department of Energy that say a lot of things. Look, the bottom line is we live here, so we must have some impact. The question is, what is the exact impact that we’re having? And that’s the question that has not been resolved.’” Since becoming energy secretary late last year, Brouillette has only spoken briefly about his views on climate change. He told a Senate committee this March that it is “something that we have to address,” but that “doing something about it is a different story.” He continued, “I know we have an impact; the question is, what can we do? And that’s one of our roles at the Department of Energy.”
House Passes Expansive Energy Policy Bill
On a largely partisan vote of 220 to 185 last week, the House passed its Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, a sprawling energy policy reform package containing numerous R&D-focused provisions. A number of amendments were approved on the floor prior to the vote, including a block of wildfire-related provisions, a measure providing detailed direction for Department of Energy fusion research programs, and a 50% increase to the bill’s proposed wind and solar energy R&D funding levels. Republicans on the House Science Committee raised procedural complaints about the bill and argued it focuses too heavily on R&D for “mature” renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar. Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) characterized the bill as a “partisan messaging exercise” and called for the House to instead consider bipartisan bills focused on geothermal energy, energy storage, and ARPA–E. Conversely, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) maintained the bill is “designed to try to reach an agreement on an energy package — not a big one — that we could actually get signed into law by the end of the year.” The White House has indicated it would likely veto the bill in its present form.
Multi-Billion Dollar Test Reactor Passes Early Milestone
The Department of Energy announced last week it has approved the preliminary design and cost range estimate for the Versatile Test Reactor, allowing the project to move into a more advanced phase of planning. If built, the reactor will be the only facility in the U.S. capable of irradiating materials, fuels, and components with the high-energy neutrons employed in many advanced power-producing nuclear reactor designs. Currently, Idaho National Lab is leading the project and DOE will decide during its next phase whether it would be built there or at Oak Ridge National Lab. Before construction can begin, though, Congress will have to meet the project’s escalating funding needs, which could bring qualms about it to the fore. DOE has proposed that the reactor’s annual budget should ramp up from $65 million to $295 million next year, but House appropriators have proposed keeping its budget level. Moreover, with a total cost estimated to fall between $2.6 billion and $5.8 billion, increases would only get steeper in the years ahead. The House’s Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act anticipates the project will require an annual budget of $765 million by fiscal year 2024 to meet its early-end target for starting operations in 2026.
NASA Delays Titan Rotorcraft Mission by One Year
NASA announced on Sept. 25 it is pushing back the target launch date for its Dragonfly mission from 2026 to 2027, citing factors “external” to the project, including COVID-19’s impact on the agency’s planetary science budget. The mission aims to land a rotorcraft on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, which is remarkable for its thick atmosphere and abundance of hydrocarbons. Dragonfly is the latest project in the New Frontiers program, the most expensive class of mission that teams from outside NASA propose and develop. An audit the agency’s Office of Inspector General released this month states that early estimates place Dragonfly’s lifecycle cost around $2 billion, about double that of previous New Frontiers missions. The audit flagged it as an example of the danger that increasing lifecycle costs will result in longer waits between missions and fewer being launched overall.
CIA Stands Up New Lab
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency announced last week it has established a “federal laboratory and in-house research and development arm to drive science and technology breakthroughs for tomorrow’s intelligence challenges.” The CIA has long supported R&D work on intelligence technologies and it is not immediately clear to what degree the new laboratory entity encompasses or expands on those activities. However, the agency states it is now newly able to join the Federal Labs Consortium and to support internal technology commercialization and external partnerships with the academic and private sectors. The new entity also permits CIA employees to patent and license intellectual property developed while working for the agency.
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Events This Week
Monday, September 28
Tuesday, September 29
Wednesday, September 30
NSF: Federal Interagency Conference on Social Science and Big Data (continues through Friday) Closed to the public Atlantic Council: “EnergySource Innovation Stream with Commonwealth Fusion Systems” 8:30 - 9:00 am CSIS: “Innovation in Transportation Fuels” 9:00 - 10:15 am Senate: “NASA Missions and Programs: Update and Future Plans” 10:00 am, Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (253 Russell Office Building) World Resources Institute: “Explore Countries’ National and Long-term Climate Commitments with Climate Watch” 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Brookings: “The Future of Defense Task Force’s final report: Reviewing the nation’s defense assets and capabilities” 11:00 am - 12:00 pm House: “Coping with Compound Crises: Extreme Weather, Social Injustice, and a Global Pandemic” 11:30 am, Science Committee House: “Pathway to a Vaccine: Ensuring a Safe and Effective Vaccine People Will Trust” 11:30 am, Energy and Commerce Committee Atlantic Council: “Space Economics: Building Sustainable Space Infrastructure” 12:00 pm Hudson Institute: “Strengthening U.S. Manufacturing: Spurring Innovation” 12:00 - 1:00 pm CO-LSEN/AAAS: “A Discussion on Institutional Racism in STEM” 12:00 - 3:00 pm National Academies: 6th Annual Intelligence Community Academic Research Symposium 12:00 - 3:30 pm National Academies: Space Technology Industry-Government-University Roundtable meeting 12:00 - 4:00 pm NASA: “Lunar Surface Science Workshop: Planetary Protection / Permanently Shadowed Region Classification” 12:00 - 4:00 pm National Space Society: “LEO Commercialization: The Pathway to Earth’s Trillion Dollar Space Economy” 1:00 pm DOE: “Quantum InnovationXLab: Global Communications, Transportation, and Navigation” 1:00 - 3:00 pm NIST: “Forensic Science Public Update Meeting” 1:00 - 4:30 pm Ecological Society of America/ESAL: “Local Engagement Opportunities for Scientists” 2:00 - 3:00 pm National Academies: “Best Practices in Assessing Mortality and Significant Morbidity Following Large-Scale Disasters,” report webinar 3:00 - 4:00 pm National Science Policy Network: “SciPol 101” 3:00 - 4:30 pm University of Michigan: “Scientific Espionage, Open Exchange, and American Competitiveness: Colloquium Talk by Xiaoxing Xi” 4:00 pm American Academy of Arts and Sciences: “Inadequate Investment: America, China, and the Future of Innovation” 4:00 - 5:15 pm National Association of Science Writers: “The Politics of the Pandemic” 5:00 - 6:00 pm ESEP/NSPN: Virtual Science Policy Happy Hour 7:00 - 8:30 pm AAJC/APA/Brennan Center: “The Human and Scientific Costs of the Department of Justice’s China Initiative’” 8:00 pm Politics and Prose: “The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster That Launched the War on Cancer” 8:00 pm
Thursday, October 1
Friday, October 2
Saturday, October 3
Monday, October 5
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Opportunities
Nominations Sought for Presidential STEM Mentoring Awards
The 2020-2021 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring are now open for nominations. The award recognizes mentors who have worked with underrepresented groups for at least five years. Nominations are due Dec. 18.
ISS User Advisory Committee Seeking Members
The International Space Station National Lab User Advisory Committee is accepting applications for individuals to participate in one of its five subcommittees: Science, Applied R&D, Technology Development, Commercial Service Provider, and Educational Outreach. The subcommittees will make recommendations on how to improve utilization of the lab. Applications are due Oct. 5.
AGU Hiring for Public Affairs Internship
The American Geophysical Union is accepting applications for its fall public affairs internship. Interns will monitor congressional events, write blog posts, and assist the public affairs team in organizing virtual advocacy days and the society’s fall meeting, among other responsibilities. Interested individuals must have completed at least two years of coursework towards a degree in Earth or space sciences. 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.
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