State Department Teleconference on Digital Sequence Information of Genetic Resources
The U.S. Department of State has announced a public teleconference on the “Use of Digital Sequence Information of Genetic Resources,” on May 14, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern time. This meeting replaces the March 12 in-person meeting.
International discussions around the use of digital sequence information (DSI) are currently being conducted in multiple international forums - the Nagoya Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Health Organization, the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction negotiations...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Now in BioScience: Policy for Bioeconomic Growth
A new Washington Watch column, Policy for Bioeconomic Growth, by AIBS Public Policy Manager Jyotsna Pandey is now available in BioScience. The coronavirus pandemic has shown that biology and the economy are tightly linked. The article discusses the policy implications of growing and safeguarding the bioeconomy. Below is an excerpt.
“Policymakers around the world increasingly look to biology to strengthen economies and promote national security and well-being. But what is the bioeconomy, and how can policy promote its growth?
According to a 2020 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) repor...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Study: Federal Scientists Warned About Undermining Science Before COVID-19
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has published a study in PLOS ONE that shows that a few years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and experts within the federal government were concerned that the Trump administration was undermining scientific capacity and making it challenging for federal scientists to perform their work and share it with the public.
The paper, Perceived losses of scientific integrity under the Trump administration: A survey of federal scientists, analyzed a 2018 survey of more than 63,000 federal scientists across 16 agencies done by UCS and Iowa State University’s Center for Surve...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Lawmakers Call for Next Coronavirus Relief Package to Support Scientific Workforce
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have called for the next coronavirus stimulus package to include $26 billion in funding to address the challenges faced by the U.S. scientific workforce during the pandemic. The proposed funding would cover supplements for research grants and contracts, provide emergency relief to sustain research support personnel and operating costs for research facilities, and fund additional graduate student and postdoc fellowships, traineeships, and research assistantships for up to two years. The Dear Colleague Letters calling for this support has been endorsed by several scientific organizations, in...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
NIH Terminates Bat Coronavirus Research Grant
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has terminated a grant supporting research in China on how coronaviruses spread from bats to humans, according to a report in Politico.
The decision followed unverified reports from U.S. lawmakers and conservative media suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which employs a Chinese virologist who had been receiving funding from the NIH grant in question. Seven days before the grant was terminated, President Trump, when asked about the project, said, “We will end that gra...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
New Resource for Spotting COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
The COVID-19 pandemic provides fertile ground for the emergence and spread of new conspiracy theories, often with significant negative implications for public health and well-being. A new resource has been developed by experts in communications and the spread of misinformation to help people spot and respond to conspiracy theories.
“How to Spot COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories,” was developed by Stephan Lewandowsky, John Cook, Ullrich Ecker, and Sander van der Linden.
According to the authors: “When people suffer a loss of control or feel threatened, they become more vulnerable to believing conspiracies. ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
NSB Provides Roadmap for U.S. Science and Engineering for the Next Decade
This report provides a vision of where the U.S. S&E enterprise must be in 2030 and lays out the actions that the Board, NSF, and others can take to achieve that vision so that America remains a global leader.” He added, “We hope Vision 2030 inspires others to join with NSF to take the actions our country needs.”
“Realizing this vision will require all entities in America’s S&E ecosystem to act,” according to the report. NSB has committed to a number of actions, in partnership with NSF and other leaders in the science community, to retain and enhance U.S. global S&E leadersh...
Source: Public Policy Reports - May 11, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The National Academies is seeking experts for a study that will develop a vision for the National Science Foundation for using an interdisciplinary, systems approach to studying the Earth. The study will identify facilities, infrastructure, coordinating mechanisms, computing, and workforce development needed to support that goal. Nominations for committee members who have cross-disciplinary expertise related to the study are invited. Expertise is needed in the fields of behavioral, social, and economic sciences; atmospheric science; climate science; biology and ecology; oceanography; hydrology; geology and geophysics; cryo...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Increase Your Career Opportunities: 2020 Writing for Impact and Influence Online Course
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is once again offering its popular professional development program to help scientists and students hone their written communication skills to increase the power of their message.
Writing for Impact and Influence combines practical instruction and hands-on exercises to improve participants’ general writing proficiency and their ability to reach large audiences. The program will provide participants with the skills and tools needed to compose scientific press releases, blog posts, emails, and memoranda.
Learn to write for stakeholders, decision-makers, and the gen...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Last Chance to Respond: BCoN Survey on Pandemic Impact on Biodiversity Collections
Projections indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home orders will have a deep and lasting impact on many aspects of our lives and work.
In order to document the effect of the crisis on biodiversity collections and those who use and care for them, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), the Natural Science Collections Alliance, and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) have created this survey: https://aibs.wufoo.com/forms/biodiversity-collections-network-survey/
Anyone associated with a U.S. biodiversity collection i...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
National Academies' Presidents Criticize Halt in US Funding for WHO
Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences, John L. Anderson, President of the National Academy of Engineering, and Victor J. Dzau, President of the National Academy of Medicine, have issued a statement urging continued funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) during the coronavirus pandemic.
The presidents note: “Continued funding to the WHO is critical to ensure global access to primary care and essential medicines; train the health workforce; improve monitoring and prepare for future public health emergencies; prevent noncommunicable diseases; and promote mental health, among countless ot...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Report Available: Leveraging Science and Academic Engagement During Incidents
On June 25-26, 2019, a workshop sponsored by the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) held in Tiburon, California, explored the integration of academic resources and expertise into a conventional oil spill response. A summary report from the workshop titled, “Leveraging Science and Academic Engagement During Incidents,” is now available.
The goal of the workshop was “to provide focused discussion regarding lessons learned from academic engagement during oil spill response, with participants from in...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
HHS Vaccine Expert Sidelined by Trump Administration
According to a report by the New York Times, Dr. Rick Bright, a vaccine expert at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has alleged that he was abruptly dismissed from his role overseeing an agency centrally involved in the process of developing and ultimately making available a coronavirus vaccine for questioning investments in anti-malarial drugs.
Bright served as the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response prior to his dismissal. He said he was “involunta...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
EPA Cannot Bar Grant Recipients from Science Panels, Court Rules
A federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot bar recipients of agency grant funding from serving on its science advisory committees.
Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued the directive prohibiting researchers receiving EPA research funding from serving on any of the agency’s nearly two-dozen advisory committees in October 2017. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued the agency over the directive last year.
In an opinion written earlier this year, Senior Judge Denise Cote of the U.S. District Court f...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Trump Administration Finalizes WOTUS Rule
On April 21, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers issued the final “Navigable Waters Protection Rule,” defining the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act.
The rule revises the definition of “waters of the United States” or “WOTUS” to limit the number of wetlands and waterways that would receive federal protections. The final rule removes protections for ephemeral streams that flow only after heavy rainfall or snowmelt but retains protections for streams and creeks that flow year-round or intermittently into larger downst...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 27, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
