CHIPS, Science Budgets, Biden Science Priorities
BU IN DC
Mayank Varia of the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences attended a meetingof the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building, of which he is a member, on July 22nd.
Joshua Goodman of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development announced he will start a year-long position next week as a senior economist with the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Eve Manz of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development moderated a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine panel on integrating science and engineering in preschool and elementary school on July 28th.
CONGRESS SENDS MAJOR SCIENCE BILL TO THE PRESIDENT
Congress passed a massive science bill and sent it to the President this week, paving the way for his approval of legislation that increases the funding targets for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The science bill included in the CHIPS+ Act (H.R. 4346) directs the NSF and DOE to award more grants to institutions in states that historically have not successfully competed for significant federal research funding, requires grantees to alert federal science agencies when research personnel are found to have engaged in sex-based harassment, asks grantees to disclose more information on their collaborations with international partners, and creates new programs to broaden participation in the sciences by underrepresented populations. President Joe Biden is expected to quickly sign the bill into law.
SENATE PROPOSES RESEARCH, STUDENT AID INCREASES
On Thursday, Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee unveiled their proposed funding levels for government operations in fiscal year 2023. The bills released by the Committee would increase several science and student aid accounts, including a proposed 6% increase for the National Institutes of Health, 17% increase for the National Science Foundation, and 7% increase for the Pell Grant award for low-income students. Senate Republicans have not yet agreed to the funding levels, which would also need to be reconciled with the proposals put forward by the U.S. House of Representatives. A final spending agreement is not expected before the expiration of the current fiscal year on September 30th, necessitating a continuing resolution to keep the government operating this fall.
BUZZ BITS…
- Last week, the White House released a memorandum identifying the Biden Administration’s scientific priorities for fiscal year 2024. The plan includes reducing the cancer death rate by half and cultivating an equitable STEM ecosystem, as well as previously-stated priorities such as preparing for and preventing pandemics and tackling climate change.
- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that Dr. Mark Clampin will become the next astrophysics division director within the agency’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) on August 15th. Dr. Clampin, who currently oversees science programs at Goddard Space Flight Center, will replace Dr. Paul Hertz, who will become a senior adviser to SMD after leading the astrophysics division for ten years.
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Maria Duaime Robinson will serve as director of DOE’s Grid Deployment Office. Ms. Robinson previously served as the first Korean American elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
A Note To Our Readers: Beltway BUzz will not publish in August due to the Congressional District Work period. In the meantime, you can find updates on Twitter and our website. See you in September!