New AIBS Report on Biological Sciences in the President's FY 2021 Budget
A new report from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) provides an analysis of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget request for biological sciences research and education.
The report provides an overview and analysis of the budget request for several federal agencies and programs, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States Geological Survey, Department of Energy Office of Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
Most federal s...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
EPA Broadens " Secret Science " Proposal
On March 3, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a supplemental addition to the proposed rule “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science,” also referred to as the “secret science” rule, that would bar the use of scientific studies in crafting regulations unless the underlying data “are publicly available in a manner sufficient for independent validation.”
According to EPA, this supplemental is not a new rulemaking and rather provides clarifications on certain terms and aspects of the proposed rule, first introduced in 2018 by former EPA Administrator Scott Pru...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Biden's COVID-19 Plan Stresses Action on Climate Change
Former Vice President and 2020 Presidential Candidate Joe Biden has proposed a new plan to address the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and to prepare for future global health threats. The plan argues that aggressive action on climate change is needed to combat health threats such as infectious diseases.
“The link between climate change and health security is well-documented and will create a growing threat to Americans,” according to Biden’s proposal. “A Biden Administration will recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement on day one and lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS Testimony: Support Increased Funding for Science
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has provided testimony to House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding fiscal year (FY) 2021 funding for the National Science Foundation and biological research programs within the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
AIBS urged Congress to reject the deep cuts proposed in the President’s budget request and to continue its bipartisan tradition of investing in our nation’s scientific capacity.
In testimony to the House and Senate Appropri...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS Urges Congress to Include Scientific Societies in COVID-19 Economic Measures
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has asked congressional leaders to include scientific societies and organizations in economic measures crafted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AIBS noted, in part: “As Congress considers the economic costs of COVID-19, we request that you include in any economic recovery and resilience measures non-profit scientific societies and organizations. Professional societies and research institutions are suffering significant economic impacts from cancelling scientific conferences, workshops, and other meetings. For many professional associations/scientific societie...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 17, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The National Science Foundation, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), is requesting input on opportunities and constraints to building and sustaining partnerships in ocean science and technology. Public input will inform OSTP as it works with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), federal agencies, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to build and sustain partnerships in ocean science and technology. Comments should be submitted via email to oceansummit@ostp.eop.gov on or before March 19, 2020. For more information, go to: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Enhance Your Interdisciplinary and Team Science Skills
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 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Participate in the 2020 AIBS Congressional Visits Day
Join the American Institute of Biological Sciences on April 20-22, 2020 for our annual Congressional Visits Day in Washington, DC.
Meet with your members of Congress to help them understand the important role the federal government plays in supporting the biological sciences. Advocate for federal investments in biological sciences research supported by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies.
Participants will complete a communications and advocacy training program provided by AIBS that prepares them to be effective advocates for their science. AIBS also provides participants with background informatio...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS's 2019 Policy Accomplishments Documented in Annual Report
The AIBS Public Policy Office has released its annual report for 2019. Read about our achievements in science policy.
Highlights include:
Called on the Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate a government-wide initiative to build the Extended Specimen Network.
Expressed support for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Helped 167 scientists become advocates for science.
Facilitated 127 meetings between scientists and policymakers.
Urged lawmakers to pass appropriations and end a partial government shutdown.
Helped increase spending caps on discretionary spendin...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
State Department Requests Input on Use of Digital Sequence Information of Genetic Resources
The Department of State is accepting comments from the public, academia, industry, and other stakeholders for an ongoing process under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concerning the use of “digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources,” also known as genetic sequence data (GSD).
Comments are due on or before April 30, 2020. The department will also hold a public meeting and information session to discuss these issues on March 12, 2020. More information is available at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-02-20/html/2020-03423.htm.
AIBS recently hosted a webinar on the CBD...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
OSTP Requests Comments on Open Access Publishing
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on Open Science (SOS) are 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. This is part of ongoing efforts to explore opportunities to increase access to unclassified published research, digital scientific data, and code supported by the U.S. Government.
This request for information follows a December 2019 news report that OSTP was considering an E...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
President Proposes 27 Percent Cut to EPA
The budget for the Environmental Protection Agency would be slashed by $2.4 billion or 27 percent in FY 2021 if the President has his way. Overall the regulatory agency would receive $6.6 billion. The Administration proposed drastic cuts to EPA’s budget in FY 2018, FY 2019, and FY 2020 as well. These were rejected by Congress.
The budget prioritizes support for core programs and infrastructure for a “cleaner healthier environment,” collaborations with state, tribal and federal partners, and creating “consistency and certainty for the regulated community” by removing redundant regulations, mod...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
USDA Research, Forest Service Facing Cuts Under President's Budget
Under the President’s Budget Request, which was released on February 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would operate at $23.4 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2021, $3.8 billion below the level enacted by Congress for FY 2020.
The proposed budget for research, education, and economics at USDA is $3.2 billion, 4.4 percent below the FY 2020 level.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) conducts intramural research in the areas of natural and biological science. It would receive $1.4 billion in FY 2021, $189 million below FY 2020. Funding for seven out of eight research areas within ARS would decrease, r...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
NASEM Report Offers Recommendations for Increasing Women in STEMM
A new report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine offers recommendations for actions to increase the representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields. The report notes that culture change driven by systemic actions by higher education institutions, funding agencies, and lawmakers are required. The committee authoring the report included two past presidents of the American Institute of Biological Sciences: Dr. Rita Colwell who chaired the panel and Dr. May Berenbaum who served on the committee.
The report, Promising Practices for Addressing ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Interior to Propose New Rule on Open Science
The Department of the Interior is moving ahead with a proposed rule that would prohibit the agency from considering scientific studies in its decisions unless all of their underlying data are made public, according to a report by The Hill.
In October 2018, the Interior Secretary signed an order requiring that scientific data used in policy decisions be reproducible and made publicly accessible. “Any decision that is based on scientific conclusions that are not supported by publicly available raw data, analysis, or methodology, have not been peer reviewed, or are not readily reproducible should include an explanation...
Source: Public Policy Reports - March 2, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
