As the House advances a budget that cuts non-defense spending while boosting defense spending over the next decade, a group of coalitions representing scientific organizations and universities is urging Congress to lift both defense and non-defense budget caps that are constraining federal spending on science.

Last week, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources discussed draft legislation to facilitate the production of helium on federal lands. As helium is vital to several sectors including academic research, members expressed concerns about the impending closure of the Federal Helium Reserve.

The American Physical Society, working with a group of scientific and university societies, has released a report with recommendations on how to better recruit undergraduate STEM majors to teach STEM subjects in high school.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science held its annual meeting in Boston last week. At the meeting, speakers discussed the policy and political challenges currently facing science, as well as the best means for scientists to engage with the policy process.