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DOE Office of Science Now Accepting Applications for SCGSR Awards

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is pleased to announce that the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is now accepting applications for the 2022 Solicitation 2 cycle. Applications are due 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

SCGSR application assistance workshops will be held on September 19, 2022 and October 20, 2022. The first workshop will provide a general overview of the program; register here.

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NSF Announces Four New Engineering Research Centers

Engineering discoveries and advances have the power to make transformational positive impacts on society. For decades, the U.S. National Science Foundation has been a steadfast supporter of research centers that integrate engineering with other disciplines, foster partnerships and champion innovation to create value and address national needs.

NSF announces the launch of four new Engineering Research Centers with an investment of $104 million over five years. The centers will transform technology for sustainable solutions that will impact agriculture, manufacturing, health and urban planning.

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NSF Selects James. L. Moore III to Head the Education and Human Resources Directorate

The U.S. National Science Foundation has selected James L. Moore III to head the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, or EHR, which supports research that enhances learning and teaching, and broad efforts to achieve excellence in STEM education at all levels and in all settings.

Since 2018, Moore has been vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University. In this role, he has managed a robust diversity and inclusion portfolio, serving more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and a myriad of faculty, postdocs, and staff throughout the university. Simultaneously, he served as the first executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male and is a Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the College of Education and Human Ecology.

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Don't Just Explain: Engage

Trust in Science Is Not the Problem

Many members of the science and science policy communities have grown increasingly concerned lately about what they see as a decline in the general public’s trust in science. Frequently cited examples include the common failure to follow COVID public health guidelines or to take the issue of climate change seriously enough to adopt significant changes in individual behavior or support changes in public policy. Discussion then often shifts to debates about how to restore that trust. The basic premise, however, is wrong. There is no real evidence that the public has lost trust in science per se.

On the contrary, most surveys show that most of the public does trust, has confidence in, and respects science and scientists. Therefore, problems around expert advice and the public are best considered one societal issue at a time and should be viewed in terms of how scientific advances intersect with such variables as individuals’ values, economic and other interests, or politics. most effective remedial strategies typically start from that perspective.

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NASA Reboots Its Role in Fighting Climate Change

NASA is best known for exploring other worlds, whether that’s sending astronauts to the Moon or flying helicopters on Mars. But under US President Joe Biden, the space agency intends to boost its reputation as a major player in studying Earth — especially with an eye towards fighting climate change.

Gavin Schmidt, a climate modeller at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City and the agency’s new climate adviser, as well as the Keynote speaker at CSSP's recent Spring Leadership Workshop says, “If you’re going to make policy related to scientific questions, you need to have science at the table."

Read more at Nature.

Nominate Candidates for Expiring NSB Positions

The National Science Board (Board) requests your assistance in the nomination process for candidates for the eight Board positions that will become vacant on May 10, 2022.

The Board was established by Congress in 1950 and has two important roles. It provides oversight for, and establishes the policies of, the National Science Foundation. It also serves as an independent body of advisors to both the President and Congress on broad national policy issues related to science and engineering research and education. More information on the Board and its current membership can be found at https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/index.jsp.   

The 24 Board Members are appointed by the President for 6-year terms, with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years. The Board is responsible for assembling and transmitting recommendations to the White House for appointments from various scientific, engineering, and educational organizations and societies. Candidates are submitted via the nominations portal. No log-in is required.

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NSB Passes Resolutions to Address Missing Millions

NSB’s Vision 2030 emphasizes the urgent need for greater participation of women and other underrepresented groups in the U.S. science and engineering enterprise and ensuring that research benefits reach all Americans. Last week, the National Science Board (NSB) passed two resolutions to advance both goals.  One resolution aims to address unconscious biases and improve the preparedness of proposal reviewers. The second seeks to increase the potential of proposals’ Broader Impacts (BI) to benefit society.

“The Board is committed to working with NSF to find new ways to advance our shared goals that are essential to building America’s workforce and ensuring its innovation leadership. These two resolutions are an important step,” said NSB Chair Ellen Ochoa. “We trust in Director Panchanathan and his creative staff to find the best way to implement the policies we outline in the resolutions and look forward to getting an update on their impact.”

Both resolutions require an evaluation and report back to the NSB within 12 months.

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National Science Foundation's (NSF) Dear Colleague Letter

The Council of Scientific Society Presidents has been made aware of an opportunity from the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that we are pleased to be able to share. Scientific societies are in a unique position to be able to lead change that will expand and enhance the structure and culture of science networks.

CSSP is pleased to share this important opportunity with our community.

Dear Colleague,

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CSSP Op-Ed Published by The Hill

A letter to U.S. political leaders calling for quadrupling training & research budgets of agencies that fund science, written by Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP) Executive Board members Dr. Martin Apple, President Emeritus and Research & Development director and Dr. John A. Downing, Professor of Biology and Director of the Minnesota Sea Grant College Program at the University of Minnesota (Duluth & St. Paul), was published by The Hill.

By supporting the Double Down on Federal Science Spending the future of science and the strategic role the federal investment in science plays will increase scientific tools and talent in the U.S. Join CSSP in calling on your political leaders to put redoubling science investment on their 2021 wish list.

Science & Technology Action Committee Plan Seeks Endorsements

The Science and Technology Action Committee is seeking endorsements from organizations for the Science & Technology Action Plan that has been developed. The plan includes recommendations for ways to invest in ourselves, and our country to drive the innovation and change that can serve our nation and our planet.

The U.S. science and technology (S&T) enterprise is highly innovative and productive and federally centralized efforts will allow for better and quicker response to challenges at the scope and scale to increase research, development and education.

Invitation to STAS 20

Invitation to STAS 20: Celebrating 20 Years of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary

The Science & Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State

Dr. Mung Chiang

invites you to attend a virtual panel discussion on the past, present, and future of science and technology in U.S. foreign policy, in celebration of the 20thanniversary of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary.

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Good Science Must Guide Legislation

As a member of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents - CSSP Committee on Government Affairs, I was proud to help craft the bi-partisan letter "Good Science Must Guide Legislation" intended for all national, state, and local elected officials and candidates for office.

Few Key Points:

  • Good science assures the nation’s health, wealth, and national security.
  • The well-being of Americans is currently challenged on many fronts: pandemic, cybersecurity, climate change, healthcare, etc. Good science will help resolve these threats and provide hope for a future in which we can all be vested.
  • The United States must take the technological lead in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources.
  • The United States must regain a leadership position in renewable energy technology.
  • International collaboration is critical to the development of new technologies and health solutions. We should strive to attract the best and brightest international students and researchers to America, and incentivize them to remain here.
  • Sound scientific principles should be the major factor in legislating solutions to enhance the nation’s health, prosperity, and security.

Investment in science is investment in our future!

Vote Science Strong

Vote Science Strong is a national, non-partisan campaign to provide those who care about science, research and innovation with the tools to engage candidates running for Congress and President. Research!America along with partners, AAAS, AGU and Sigma XI have put together resources to make it easy to get involved. You can link to information about candidate tele-town halls and sample questions, sample social media posts, voting information and more. Get involved today to send a science strong message to your candidates and help to ensure our nation's policies and investments align with a science strong future.

To learn more, check out: https://www.researchamerica.org/vote-science-strong

Free webinar: Towards a US Research Data Framework

This webinar, co-organised by STM, CHORUS and the Center for Open Science, is part of a series organized in the context of STM’s Research Data Year presenting speakers from a variety of stakeholder groups sharing the same goal: making research data more Open and FAIR. For recordings of earlier webinars, click here.

In this webinar, Dr. Robert J. Hanisch will present NIST's initiative to create a Research Data Framework in the US with the aim of improving research integrity, cost and efficiency, risk management, and amplifying scientific discovery and innovation. The initiative is based on the demonstrated success of the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” which NIST initially issued in February 2014.

Dr. Hanisch’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the merits of this effort in the context of making research data more Open and FAIR, consisting of:

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CSSP Chat Insights: Diversity and Equality

Our August CSSP Chat on Ensuring Diversity and Equity in STEM, led by Dr. Beronda Montogmery, brought to light many valuable ideas and thought processes around these issues. Introducing the idea gatekeeping or groundskeeping prompted lively discussion on ways to expand diversity through the cultivation and enactment of leadership philosophies and progressive vision rather than just looking at "skills and tactics." More information about this philosophy can be found in Dr. Montgomery's paper on "Academic Leadership: Gatekeeping or Groundskeeping?" published in the Journal of Values Based Leadership.

This timely conversation also included thoughts for ways in which to communicate how each society presents their culture to both current and future members. Included in those thoughts were:

  • Evaluating your society on its three “R’s”Representation, Reputation, Resources
  • Easy to embrace definitions - Diversity: being invited to the party. Inclusion: being asked to dance.
  • When considering diversity within your society, it's important to look beyond just the "numbers" and look to the practices and experiences that are lived and espoused as well.
  • Consideration for the language used when talking about these issues can also have a strong impact. An article on rethinking underrepresented language helps to see the influence that the language we use has on the way we see and are seen.
  • How and what to include in surveys to aid in garnering greater and more honest participation from members.

The CSSP Chats create an opportunity to talk with other leaders of science societies about the challenges and goals being faced by all, and to hear and share experiences for how they have been and are being addressed - including successes and failures. Our next Chat will be on the topic of Managing Personal Transitions: Leadership Skills and your next job and will be presented on Thursday, September 17th at 12:30 pm ET.

Join APS in Call for Study of Influence of Systemic Racism in Academia

Chairwoman Johnson Requests National Academies Study on the Influence of Systemic Racism in Academia

The American Physiological Society (APS) is asking you to join them in signing onto a community letter to House Science Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson supporting her call for a National Academies study on the influence of systemic racism in academia.

The events of the last few months have brought renewed attention to the persistent problem of racism in our society. The sciences are not immune from this systemic problem, and indeed, demographic analysis of the scientific workforce confirms a lack of racial and ethnic diversity at all levels.

In late July, Chairwoman Johnson sent a letter to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) asking for a study on the influence of systemic racism in academia. Her letter specifically calls for the study to examine “the extent to and ways in which systemic racism in research learning environments influences the recruitment, retention, and advancement of historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups pursuing scientific, engineering, technical, and medical careers.” She further calls for “identification and analysis of promising policies, strategies, and practices that have been the most successful in preventing and addressing systemic racism in these settings.”

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Science Elicits Hope in Americans – Its Positive Brand Doesn’t Need to Be Partisan

"...effective science communication depends on understanding the factors that influence public perceptions of science so that those doing the communicating – such as the research community, health professionals or governmental agencies – can advance greater public understanding of the science or motivate the actions of individuals, groups or society."

Read more at The Conversation.

AAAS Releases A DRAFT Plan To Address Systemic Racism In The Sciences

AAAS released a DRAFT plan to address systemic racism in the sciences as a follow-up to AAAS' participation in the STEM day shutdown that took place in June. AAAS strongly encourages comments and suggestions which can be sent to [email protected].

House released bipartisan RISE Act legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives released its bipartisan RISE (Research Investment to Spark the Economy) Act legislation (HR 7308) on June 24; on July 23 the Senate released the Senate RISE Act (S4286). This legislation would authorize $26 billion in relief for research workforce and institutions. 

FAS Congressional Science Policy Initiative

Sign up to be part of the Federation of American Scientists' (FAS) Congressional Science Policy Initiative (CSPI), a nonpartisan effort to help facilitate the engagement of scientists, engineers, technologists, and other experts with the US Legislative Branch to help produce evidence-based public policy. https://fas.org/congressional-science-policy-initiative/