Now Online: 2020 Communications Boot Camp for Scientists
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is offering a professional development program designed to enhance the communication skills of scientists, particularly those interested in communicating with decision-makers and the news media. The program is an excellent way to develop new communication skills and identify effective methods for broadening the impact of research and education programs.
The AIBS Communications Training Boot Camp for Scientists expands on AIBS’s highly successful media and science policy training workshops. The Boot Camp meets the needs of everyone from graduate students to senior ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Increase Your Career Opportunities and Your Impact: 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 - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Recording of AIBS Webinar on Online Learning Resources Now Available
AIBS hosted a webinar entitled, “Empowering 21st Century Learners through Biodiversity Knowledge: Resources for Online Learning,” on March 24, 2020. The presenter, Dr. Anna Monfils, Professor of Biology at Central Michigan University, talked about the NSF-funded Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education Network (BLUE).
BLUE has focused efforts on developing and disseminating exemplar educational materials, defining core biodiversity data literacy skills and competencies, and extending the network to engage with communities of scientists advancing similar initiatives. The webinar showcased new resources ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
BioScience, Oxford University Press Share Coronavirus-related Articles with Public
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and Oxford University Press (OUP) have made all coronavirus-related articles published in BioScience freely available.
Relevant articles from other journals published by OUP are also available in the collection
(https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/coronavirus). As new articles are published, they will be added to this collection. This content is being made freely available in the PubMed Central and World Health Organization databases, with no restrictions on reuse or text- and data-mining.
(Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
DOE Requests Input on COVID-19 Response
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is soliciting ideas about how the Department and the National Laboratories might contribute resources for science and technology efforts and collaborations in response to the national public health emergency.
The scientific community is urged to consider research questions that underpin COVID-19 response and provide input on strategic, priority research directions that may be undertaken using DOE user facilities, computational resources, and enabling infrastructure.
More information is available in this Dear Colleague Letter.
(Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Scientific, Medical Groups Call for Lifting Ban on Fetal Tissue Research
A group of 100 research societies, professional organizations, and universities has urged President Trump to lift the ban on federally funded research using human fetal tissue in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The groups argued that the restrictions would delay medical research that could lead to new treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
The letter reads, in part: “The world is facing an unprecedented public health threat that, by some estimates, could claim the lives of over a million Americans. While there are promising treatments in development, we will not know whether these treatments are safe and ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
NSF BIO to Hold Virtual Office Hours on COVID-19 Impacts on Research
The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be holding a series of four BIO-wide virtual office hours where the research community is invited to share concerns, ask questions, or offer suggestions on how the agency can do more to address the national emergency and mitigate the longer-term harm of COVID-19 on U.S. research and training.
Sessions will be held at 4:00 PM EDT on Monday, March 30; 3:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, March 31; 2:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, April 1; and 1:00 PM EDT on Thursday, April 2. Representatives from across BIO will be in attendance during each session....
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS, Member Societies Ask NSF to Extend Grant Proposal Deadlines
On March 23, 2020, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), along with 22 of its member societies, requested the National Science Foundation to extend current grant proposal deadlines in light of the COVID-19 emergency.
“Faculty researchers across the country are actively endeavoring to re-envision their courses for an online instructional environment that is likely to last for at least the balance of the academic year. Faculty members must develop new methods and plans for how they will engage and support their students remotely. At the same time, many are working to minimize damage and loss to on-goin...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
CARES Act Suspends Tax Provision to Provide Deduction for Donations to Charities, Including Non-Profit Science Organizations
Non-profit organizations, including scientific organizations, are eligible for some of the economic measures included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act enacted on March 27, 2020.
On March 12, 2020, AIBS requested that congressional leaders include scientific societies and organizations in economic measures crafted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Provisions for 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit organizations in the economic stimulus package include emergency small business loans of up to $10 million to help maintain operations and employee retention payroll tax credits to employers that ha...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Congress Passes Third Coronavirus Relief Package, Includes Research Funding
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or “CARES Act,” the largest economic stimulus package in U.S. history to address economic impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. President Trump signed the measure on the same day. The $2 trillion stimulus package includes economic relief measures to help individuals, small businesses, and “severely distressed” industry sectors deal with the impacts of the outbreak. Funds are also provided to support coronavirus-related research.
The legislation provides $4.3 billion to the Centers for Dis...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 30, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has extended the comment periods for two recent Requests for Information. The deadline to submit comments on open access publishing is now April 6, 2020. With this solicitation, the OSTP is requesting recommendations on approaches for ensuring broad public access to the peer-reviewed scholarly publications, data, and code that result from federally funded scientific research. Details about the submission process can be found at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-03-05/html/2020-04538.htm. Comments on a draft set of desirable characteristics of data re...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS Postpones Congressional Visits Day, Moves to Online Advocacy Events
In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, AIBS has determined that the appropriate course of action at this time is to postpone the annual Congressional Visits Day scheduled for April 22. In the coming weeks, we will evaluate options for rescheduling the event for a time this fall.
We appreciate your flexibility and commitment to science-informed public policy. In the coming weeks, AIBS will be sharing opportunities to communicate with members of Congress through the online AIBS Legislative Action Center. We will also organize a “call-in” day - a coordinated event where participants will call members of Congre...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Now Online: Enabling Interdisciplinary and Team Science
Reports abound from professional societies, the Academies, government agencies, and researchers calling attention to the fact that science is increasingly an interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, inter-institutional, and international endeavor. In short, science has become a “team sport.”
There is a real and present need to better prepare scientists for success in this new collaborative environment. The American Institute of Biological Sciences is responding to this call with a new program for scientists, educators, and individuals who work with or participate in scientific teams.
Team science is increasingly...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Now Online: 2020 Communications Boot Camp for Scientists
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is offering a professional development program designed to enhance the communication skills of scientists, particularly those interested in communicating with decision-makers and the news media. The program is an excellent way to develop new communication skills and identify effective methods for broadening the impact of research and education programs.
The AIBS Communications Training Boot Camp for Scientists expands on AIBS’s highly successful media and science policy training workshops. The Boot Camp meets the needs of everyone from graduate students to senior ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Registration Open for 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 - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
