NASEM - Biological Collections Need National Strategy, Increased Investment
According to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), biological collections - living and natural history specimens, biological materials, and data in museums, stock centers, research centers, and universities - are in need of long-term financial sustainability, digitization, recruitment and support of a diverse workforce, and infrastructure upgrades. (Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Global Biodiversity Goals Not Being Met, Says UN Report
A new report from the United Nations (UN) concludes that the world has not met any of the targets set 10 years ago by the Convention on Biological Diversity for protecting nature. (Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Congress to Pass Stopgap Measure to Avoid Shutdown
With negotiations over COVID-19 pandemic relief stalled, lawmakers are looking to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operational in the new fiscal year which starts on October 1. A stopgap funding measure is required because the House and Senate have not yet agreed on and passed appropriations bills to fund the government in fiscal year 2021. (Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
American Society of Human Genetics Denounces Unethical Use of False Genetic “Theories”
The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) has issued a statement reinforcing facts about human genetics and expressing strong opposition to efforts that bend genetics knowledge for social or political ends. (Source: Public Policy Reports)
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 28, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Short Takes
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is holding a webinar entitled, Designing Research Campaigns for the Next Decade of Biological and Physical Sciences in Space, on September 29 from 1:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time. The Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space 2020-2030 is slated to begin later this year, bringing together the research community to identify priorities for the next decade. The survey will include a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) request to present research ideas, which may integrate multiple missions and multiple disciplines to tackle an overarchi...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Enter the 2020 Faces of Biology Photo Contest
Enter the Faces of Biology Photo Contest for your chance to win $250 and to have your photo appear on the cover of the journal BioScience.
The competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), recognizes scientists who use imagery to communicate aspects of biological research to the public and policymakers.
The theme of the contest is “Faces of Biology.” Photographs entered into the contest must depict a person, such as a scientist, researcher, collections curator, technician, or student, engaging in biological research. The depicted research may occur outside, in a lab, with a n...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Prepare Your Resume, Hone Your Interview Skills
Registration is open for the Employment Acquisition Skills Boot Camp for Scientists, an online professional development program from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs in the United States do an excellent job of preparing students for careers in academia. As early career professionals and a growing number of reports note, however, many STEM graduates (including those with advanced degrees) are interested in employment in sectors beyond the professoriate.
Scientists continue to report that they feel ill-prepared and ill-equipped ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
2020 ADBC Conference and Pre-Conference Webinar Series
Discussion/Q&A
Speakers: Robert Gropp, Scott Miller, Pam Soltis, Roland Roberts
Zoom link for series: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/93561818170?pwd=eVRxU1RWQWE2VGFhTi91enV6WWJvdz09
For additional information visit: https://www.idigbio.org/content/webinar-series-adapting-covid-resources-natural-history-collections-new-virtual-world
Virtual ADBC Summit 2020
The 2020 Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) conference will be held on September 22-25, 2020 at 1:00 PM Eastern. This year’s virtual format will allow a unique opportunity for all interested members within the ADBC community to be able to ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
NSF Requests Information on STEM Education
In coordination with the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC’s) Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting input on the implementation of the Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan, Charting a Course For Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education.
This Request for Information (RFI) addresses changes in education systems that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Information collected from this solicitation may be used to guide future Federal STEM education resource devel...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
USFWS Proposes Revisions to Critical Habitat Designations
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued a new proposed rule that would modify the process of designating critical habitats under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If finalized, the new regulation could potentially shrink critical habitats, which are areas essential for recovery of a species.
Under ESA, critical habitats are to be designated “on the basis of the best scientific data available and after taking into consideration the economic impact, the impact on national security, and any other relevant impact.” The law allows exclusion of certain areas if “the benefits of such exclusion out...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Senate Democrats Outline Plan to Address Climate Crisis
On August 25, 2020, the Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis released a report, The Case for Climate Action: Building a Clean Economy for the American People, outlining a policy roadmap for addressing climate change.
The panel, led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and comprised entirely of Democratic lawmakers, provides “a framework for Congress to finally do what is necessary to build the clean energy future.” The report makes several recommendations for tackling climate change, including increasing federal spending on climate action to 2 percent of gross domestic product annually in order t...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Lawmakers Concerned About Political Meddling at CDC
In a September 14, 2020 letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairwoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) expressed concerns about political interference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawmakers have called for a briefing with Secretary Azar to address these concerns.
The letter was in response to reports from Politico that the politically appointed HHS spokesperson, Michael Caputo, and his aides demanded and received the right to revi...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Relief Negotiations Stall After " Skinny " GOP Proposal Fails in Senate
A pared-down COVID-19 relief package introduced by Senate Republicans failed to move forward in the Senate after failing to capture the 60 votes needed to close debate. The chamber voted 52-47 - along party lines.
The “skinny” proposal was introduced on September 8, after relief negotiations between Democratic leadership and the Trump Administration have been stalled for weeks as a result of disagreement over the size of the package. Republicans in the Senate had introduced a $1 trillion package, entitled the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act (HEALS Act) in late July. The House ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
Science, Medical Groups Oppose Fetal Tissue Ethics Board Recommendations
AIBS joined 76 other scientific, medical, and patient groups in expressing concerns about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Fetal Tissue Ethics Advisory Board’s report that recommends withholding funding for most of the applications submitted to NIH to conduct medical research using human fetal tissue.
After reviewing 14 research proposals in July 2020, the Ethics Board recommended in a report sent to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar only fund one of the proposals and withhold f...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
AIBS Endorses Call to Study Racism in Science
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has endorsed a science community letter supporting House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson’s (D-TX) request that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) investigate systemic racism in academic research.
On July 29, 2020, Chairwoman Johnson requested Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences, undertake “a rigorous and thoughtful analysis of the extent to which the U.S. scientific enterprise perpetuates systemic inequities to the detriment of society as a whole, as wel...
Source: Public Policy Reports - September 14, 2020 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news
