Issue 16 (August 8)

PDF

Senate CJS Bill Approved by Committee; Congress Leaves for Recess

On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill; the bill was marked up in subcommittee on July 25. In addition, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the CJS bill on July 13 (check out COSSA’s coverage of this and other FY 2018 appropriations bills). The CJS bill serves as the vehicle for annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and many other federal departments and agencies. The next step for the bill is consideration by the full Senate. However, now that Congress has left town for the August recess, we will not see floor action until after Labor Day at the earliest.

Read on for COSSA’s analysis of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposals for the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

National Science Board Accepting Nominations

Nominations are being sought for new members of the National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy. The Board consists of 24 members who serve staggered six-year terms, with the NSF director serving as a 25th ex officio member. Nominations are considered by the NSB, which makes recommendations to the White House. New members of the Board are appointed by the President. For the incoming class of 2018-2024, the NSB is particularly interested in individuals with expertise in enterprise risk management, international research collaborations, convergent research and grand challenges, promotion of diversity and minority serving institutions, Integrative social sciences, and STEM education and the science of learning, among others. The complete list and other selection criteria are available in the NSB’s Dear Colleague letter. More information on the nomination process is available on the NSB website. Nominations are due by September 8, 2017.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

Human Subjects Advisory Committee Seeking New Members

The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP), the advisory body to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), is soliciting nominations to fill four vacancies in 2017. SACHRP provides scientific expertise and recommendation on matters related to the protection of human subjects in scientific research. The Committee will likely play an important role as OHRP implements the revisions to the Common Rule (see COSSA’s coverage). Experts are sought from fields including “public health and medicine, behavioral and social sciences, health administration, and biomedical ethics.” Nominations must be received no later than September 18, 2017. More information is available in the Federal Register notice.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

NIJ Publishes Two Reports on School Safety

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and evaluation agency of the Department of Justice, has published two reports as part of their Comprehensive School Safety Initiative. This research-focused initiative began in response to high-profile incidents of school violence and aims to identify causes of school violence, increase school safety, and implement policies for safer schools. The two reports released on July 28 are Summary of School Safety Statistics, which includes data collected by researchers as well as federal agencies, and States’ Roles in Keeping Schools Safe: Opportunities and Challenges for State School Safety Centers and Other Actors, which includes insight from school safety officers from 20 states.  

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

Interagency Forum Releases 2017 America’s Children Report

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a working group of 23 Federal agencies, recently released its annual compendium of indicators, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being, 2017.  The 2017 report is the 20th annual release in the series, which compiles federal data and statistics related to a wide range of factors important to children’s lives, including “family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.” The 2017 report includes a special feature on peer victimization among U.S. third-graders. The complete report is available at childstats.gov.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

COSSA Welcomes the African Studies Association

COSSA is pleased to welcome the African Studies Association as its newest affiliate member. The African Studies Association is “the flagship membership organization devoted to enhancing the exchange of information about Africa.” COSSA’s full membership list is available here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

CASBS Accepting Applications for 2018 Fellowship

The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University, a COSSA member, is now accepting applications for its residential fellowships for the 2018-2019 academic year. The CASBS fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to pursue innovative ideas and expand horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship is considered a career milestone by most recipients, and almost all report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Center’s website through November 3, 2017 for the 2018–2019 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements, see CASBS’ website.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

Events Calendar

A list of COSSA members’ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA events page. COSSA members who have an upcoming event they would like to see listed in the Events Calendar and on our website should send an email to jmilton@cossa.org.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.

Subscribe

Past Newsletters

Browse

Archive

Browse 40 years of the COSSA Washington Update.