Congress to Focus on Budget Upon Return
BU IN DC
John Clarke of the College of Arts & Sciences participated in a meeting at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) regarding the MAVEN mission on August 12 and 13.
Keith Brown of the College of Engineering met with officials at Department of Defense research labs and the National Science Foundation on August 17 and 18.
CONGRESS TO FOCUS ON BUDGET UPON RETURN
When Members of Congress return to Washington next week, the agenda will be dominated by a debate over how to complete work on stalled spending bills prior to the start of the new federal fiscal year on October 1. Options include a continuing resolution (C.R.) to keep government agencies operating at their current funding levels for several months, a long-term C.R. to keep the government running for a full year, or a budget deal that lifts the current spending caps and allows lawmakers to set new spending levels for each agency. Universities will be closely watching to see how federal research agencies fare, as well as the status of expiring student aid programs like Perkins Loans. Two Senate committees are also poised to introduce bills this fall to renew the Higher Education Act and reauthorize research programs at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health.
SENATE COMMITTEE RECEIVES RESEARCH POLICY IDEAS
On August 17, Boston University responded to a request by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for input on maximizing federal research investments. The University urged Congress to fund basic research across all disciplines, build a diverse pipeline for the scientific workforce, and simplify federal regulatory requirements. A variety of higher education and scientific societies submitted comments, with the Association of American Universities echoing many of BU’s priorities and advocating for further investments in major research facilities and instrumentation. The Consortium of Social Science Associations urged federal support for social and behavioral science, providing compelling examples of social science research that has made significant contributions to society.
BUZZ BITS
Several appointments to key positions for federal science policy development and implementation were announced this summer:
- President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Dr. Richard Buckius as Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Buckius is an engineer currently serving as NSF’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Science Adviser.
- The Administration announced Dr. Cheryl Murray as its nominee to serve asDirector of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Murray is a physics professor and former dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) named Dr. William T. Riley as Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). He has been Acting Director since May 2014, and at the NIH since 2005.
- NIH announced that Dr. Kay Lund will serve as the inaugural Director of the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce Programs. The new division focuses on NIH support for biomedical workforce training. Dr. Lund was a professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.