White House Releases Biosafety Plan
BU IN DC
Anthony Janetos, director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future participated in a meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee, of which he is a member, on October 28 and 29.
Linda Hyman, Barbara Schreiber, Deborah Fournier, Chelsea Epler, and M. Isabel Dominguez of the School of Medicine and Kimberly McCall of the College of Arts & Sciences attended the annual meeting of the National Institutes of Health Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) program on November 5 and 6.
Graduate students Alicia Wooten and Kelsey Williford of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences attended the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Public Policy Institute on October 26 and 27.
WHITE HOUSE RELEASES BIOSAFETY PLAN
The White House released a memorandum describing its plans to enhance biosafety and security at federal infectious disease laboratories last week. The plan was the result of a year-long comprehensive review of the federal government’s biosafety enterprise and includes: public disclosure and annual reporting of lab accidents, a new system for reporting lab problems, and a review to determine whether the current number of high-containment labs in the United States is appropriate. Separately, the independent Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense released a list of 33 recommendations to optimize federal biodefense efforts last week.
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NIH REQUESTS BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE INPUT
The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health has requested public input as it puts together its strategic plan for fiscal years 2016 through 2020. OBSSR is particularly interested in, “critical challenges that currently hinder scientific advancement in the behavioral and social sciences, the resolution of which would have broad and transformative impact” in the field. Comments should be submitted by November 20.
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BUZZ BITS…
- On Wednesday, a coalition of business groups, think tanks, and state officials released seven shared principles for the upcoming renewal of the Higher Education Act, including a more transparent accreditation process and rewards for institutions with excellent graduation and employment outcomes.
- The American Academy of Arts & Sciences announced a three-year Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education on Wednesday. The Commission will look at issues such as “cost, financing models, accessibility, dramatic changes in learning patterns and in technological possibilities.”
- Twelve scientific coalitions sent a letter to Capitol Hill on Tuesday asking legislators to provide at least a 5.2% increase in federal research accounts in the forthcoming fiscal year 2016 spending package, commensurate with the increase in overall discretionary funding provided in last week’s Bipartisan Budget Agreement.