Science Policy Plans, Pandemic Origins, Robotics
BU IN DC
Lara Merling of the Global Development Policy Center spoke at a Capitol Hill briefing on “The Impact of U.S. Policy on the Global Economy” on February 2nd.
SCIENCE POLICY IN THE 118TH CONGRESS
Congressional leadership for the committees that oversee federal science policy are now in place, with a mix of new and old priorities expected to be the focus for 2023.
- Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will once again helm the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. An advocate for the space industry in Washington state, Cantwell intends to reauthorize science programs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She is also expected use her gavel to highlight how government agencies are implementing the CHIPS + Science Act passed in 2022 and to advocate for full funding for its science provisions.
- Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) will chair the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for the first time; he has been the senior Republican since 2019. Chairman Lucas will focus on the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy’s implementation of the CHIPS + Science Act; research security and malign foreign influence in American labs; and broadening participation in science in rural communities, such as those in his district.
EVENT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The Office of Research will host its first Research on Tap of the semester, “Robotics and Autonomous Systems,” on February 8th at 4:00 p.m. in the Kilachand Center. Hosted by Yannis Paschalidis and Sean Andersson of the College of Engineering, the event will feature micro talks from BU faculty whose research involves robotic devices and locomotion, soft robotics, algorithmic advances, leveraging control and decision theory, data science and artificial intelligence, and how lessons from neuroscience are influencing these algorithms. Attendees will also learn more about the new BU Robotics and Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center. A reception will follow the presentations to allow attendees to network with potential collaborators.
LAWMAKERS DISCUSS STRATEGY FOR INVESTIGATING PANDEMIC ORIGINS
Two subcommittees of House the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss a national strategy for investigating the origins of future pandemics. The author of a recent Government Accountability Office report testified that policymakers should consider multilateral agreements for sharing genetic sequence samples and data, incentivizing the growth of a workforce skilled in the multiple disciplines needed to understand a pandemic’s origins, and augmenting the 2022 National Biodefense Strategy to clarify how federal agencies will work with domestic and international partners to effectively investigate the origins of a pandemic. Virologist Michael Imperiale of the University of Michigan urged lawmakers to bolster funding for life sciences research and warned that students may turn away from careers in infectious diseases research if they see virologists being vilified by politicians and pundits.