WEEK OF OCT 28, 2024

What’s Ahead

A liquid carbon dioxide tank — A containment unit used by Glenwood Mason Supply Company to sequester carbon.

John Minchillo / AP Photo

AGU offers ethics framework for geoengineering research

The American Geophysical Union released a framework last week proposing ethical principles for geoengineering research. Geoengineering, also known as climate intervention, involves large-scale attempts to alter the climate system with the purpose of countering global warming. The unintended consequences of large-scale deployment are largely unknown and any research into it must be grounded in sound ethical principles, the report states. The key principles emphasize responsible assessment of physical, environmental, and social consequences of the research and propose that potentially impacted groups be included in the discussion of the purposes and design of the research. Other principles include making funding and research processes transparent and requiring approval from an independent body for technologies with significant risks. The framework intends to encourage more global engagement around governance and practice of geoengineering research, the report states.

Lawmakers seeking details on US isotope supply risks

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is asking the Government Accountability Office to study the U.S. isotope market’s reliance on Russia. In a letter to GAO last week, committee leaders highlighted the Department of Energy’s efforts to develop domestic isotope production but lamented that the U.S. still depends “nearly exclusively” on Russia for 44 isotopes used in industrial and medical applications, citing testimony from 2022. The letter also notes that new DOE facilities intended for isotope production are still being designed or are under construction, with the Stable Isotope Production and Research Center at Oak Ridge National Lab not expected to start production until 2032. Specifically, the letter asks GAO to identify which isotopes are currently produced by DOE and determine what mitigation plans DOE and NNSA have in place in the event of a shortage.

GAO last reviewed DOE’s isotope program in 2012, but that review predominantly focused on problems with DOE’s pricing formula for selling isotopes. The report made passing reference to the fact that DOE purchased some isotopes from Russia, but it predated the sharp deterioration in U.S.-Russia relations stemming from events such as Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In their letter, committee leaders noted that DOE is seeking a large increase for its isotope program in its latest budget request.

NSF commission shares ideas to improve merit review

A commission formed to assess the National Science Foundation’s process for reviewing grant applications shared its preliminary implementation guidance during a meeting last week. The commission, created in 2022, represents the first comprehensive review of NSF’s merit review process in more than a decade. While the commission has indicated that NSF’s processes for reviewing research applications are of a high standard, its guidance includes calls for greater transparency and increased training for reviewers and program officers, particularly in relation to the “broader impacts” criterion that NSF uses to assess how a research proposal might benefit society. The committee also suggests that NSF create an internal repository of solicitation-specific guidance to help identify common themes and terminology across NSF funding opportunities, require more regular reporting from awardees on criterion specific outcomes, and work to develop NSF-wide mechanisms to ensure safe and inclusive research environments. The commission’s final recommendations and implementation guidance will be shared with NSF’s governing board in December and considered for final approval by the board in February.

National Semiconductor Technology Center targets AI, sustainability for initial funding

The National Semiconductor Technology Center released a strategic plan last week that identifies three research areas for initial funding, centering on efficient and environmentally friendly chip designs. These include using AI to automate radio frequency circuit design, developing standardized test vehicles for materials and devices, and prototyping ways to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in manufacturing. These topics were chosen for the initial “Jump Start” award program to maximize engagement across the semiconductor ecosystem, the plan states. It also names energy efficiency using large language models and sustainability as potential areas to frame the NSTC long-term research agenda. Aside from research, the plan also outlines steps to bolster prototyping and the workforce for the U.S. semiconductor industry.

Also on our radar

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology will meet Friday to consider approving reports on networking R&D and groundwater as well as a letter to the president on the “value of federal research and development.”
NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee will meet Thursday and Friday to discuss EPSCoR funding, AI institutes, and research security, among other topics.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s main advisory committee will meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss safety and AI work at NIST, global standardization, and the CHIPS Metrology Program, among other topics.
A group of 82 Nobel Prize winners signed an open letter endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president last week. Eighteen of the signatories won the prize in physics.
The former director for basic research at the Department of Defense, Bindu Nair, moved to the Department of Energy this month to lead its Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s former chief scientist, Sarah Kapnick, has returned to JPMorgan Chase to be the bank’s global head of climate advisory.