Federal Weekly Report
Subject: DC Update, News from Washington
From: Sarah Walter, Associate Vice President of Federal Relations, and Jacob Courville, Director of Federal Relations, Office of the Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Michigan State University (MSU’s) Washington Office
Date: August 6, 2020
**Please see MSU’s Together We Will Webpage,
Research Community and Governor’s Executive Order Webpage,
COVID-19 Stimulus News & Research Funding Opportunities and
COVID-19 Information for International Students, Scholars, Faculty & Staff
for the latest updates from the university**
* NOMINATION REQUESTS FOR FEDERAL PANELS, AWARDS & COMMITTEES
* NEWS SUMMARY
* NEWS ARTICLES OF INTEREST
NOMINATION REQUESTS FOR FEDERAL PANELS, AWARDS & COMMITTEES
THE ERNEST ORLANDO LAWRENCE AWARD
Department of Energy Notice, August 2020
The Lawrence Award honors U.S. scientists and engineers, at mid-career, for exceptional contributions in research and development supporting the Department of Energy and its mission to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. The Lawrence Award is given in each of the following nine categories: Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences; Biological and Environmental Sciences; Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences; Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences; Energy Science and Innovation; Fusion and Plasma Sciences; High Energy Physics; National Security and Nonproliferation; and Nuclear Physics. The Lawrence Awards are administered by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Each Lawrence Award category winner receives a citation signed by the Secretary of Energy, a gold medal bearing the likeness of Ernest Orlando Lawrence, and a $20,000 honorarium; if there are co-winners in a category, the honorarium is shared equally. [All nomination materials and support letters for the 2020 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award must be received by Thursday, October 1, 2020, 5:00 PM ET.]
NEWS SUMMARY
The House and Senate are working in Washington, DC. Negotiating a fourth relief package to address the COVID-19 crisis is the main focus of debate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told Senators that the chamber will be in session next week but Senators can work from home until a deal is reached on the fourth COVID-19 stimulus package. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD 5th District) announced last Friday that the House of Representatives would stay in session in August until a deal is reached on the COVID-19 relief package.
Government officials working in the White House complex will be randomly tested for COVID-19.
Lindsey Criswell, vice chancellor of research at the University of California, San Francisco, has been named director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NEWS ARTICLES OF INTERST
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH & HEALTH
- FAUCI SAYS HE'S 'OPTIMISTIC' AMERICANS WILL GET CORONAVIRUS VACCINE NEXT YEAR
- SANOFI AND GSK LAND $2.1 BILLION DEAL WITH U.S. FOR COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPMENT AND 100 MILLION DOSES
- HHS, DOD COLLABORATE WITH JOHNSON & JOHNSON TO PRODUCE MILLIONS OF COVID-19 INVESTIGATIONAL VACCINE DOSES
- VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ‘JOINT VENTURE’ BETWEEN CDC AND PENTAGON
- NIH DELIVERING NEW COVID-19 TESTING TECHNOLOGIES TO MEET U.S. DEMAND
- NIH LAUNCHES CLINICAL TRIAL TO TEST ANTIBODY TREATMENT IN HOSPITALIZED COVID-19 PATIENTS
- NIH CLINICAL TRIAL TO TEST ANTIBODIES AND OTHER EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS FOR MILD AND MODERATE COVID-19
- NIH HARNESSES AI FOR COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND MONITORING
- NIH CLINICAL TRIAL TESTING REMDESIVIR PLUS INTERFERON BETA-1A FOR COVID-19 TREATMENT BEGINS
- MEASURING THE SENSITIVITY OF COVID TESTS WITH NEW MATERIAL FROM NIST
- EXECUTIVE ORDER ON ENSURING ESSENTIAL MEDICINES, MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES, AND CRITICAL INPUTS ARE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES
- AAMC RELEASES ROAD MAP TO RESET NATION’S APPROACH TO COVID-19
- NATIONAL ACADEMIES LAUNCH STUDY ON COVID-19 VACCINE ALLOCATION
- A BILL WOULD SPEND $1 BILLION ON DIVERSIFYING MEDICAL SCHOOLS TO CLOSE THE RACIAL HEALTH GAP
- ANTIABORTION ETHICISTS AND SCIENTISTS DOMINATE TRUMP’S FETAL TISSUE REVIEW BOARD
- LEVERAGING STANDARDIZED CLINICAL DATA TO ADVANCE DISCOVERY
- NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR ON THE NIH MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC INDEPENDENT CAREERS (MOSAIC) PROGRAM FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS (UE5 AND K99/R00)
- NOTICE OF INTENT TO PUBLISH A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR HEALTHY BRAIN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT STUDY
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
- NOTICE OF SPECIAL INTEREST: SEX AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE-RELATED DEMENTIAS (AD/ADRD)
- NOTICE OF SPECIAL INTEREST (NOSI): DISCOVERY OF ANALGESIC NATURAL PRODUCTS THROUGH THE NINDS IGNITE PROGRAM
COVID-19 – MISC.
- MCCONNELL PREDICTS CORONAVIRUS RELIEF DEAL 'IN THE NEAR FUTURE'
- NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE OVER NEXT COVID-19 STIMULUS
EDUCATION POLICY
- ACTING ON DIVERSITY
- AGENCY INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES; COMMENT REQUEST; CARES ACT MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT (MOE)
INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES & IMMIGRATION
- U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT EASES GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL ADVISORY
- U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES FEE SCHEDULE AND CHANGES TO CERTAIN OTHER IMMIGRATION BENEFIT REQUEST REQUIREMENTS
- CONGRESS DEMANDS US UNIVERSITIES HAND OVER ALL RECORDS OF FOREIGN DONATIONS
- GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT: RETHINKING RISK IN THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
- ARMY SELECTS 54 GRAD STUDENTS FOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
- DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER: POTENTIAL SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY HUBS FOR COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN NSF-FUNDED ARCTIC RESEARCHERS AND ARCTIC RESIDENTS
RESEARCH POLICY
- HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE REQUESTS STUDY ON RACISM IN STEM
- PCAST DELIVERS ROADMAP TO SPUR ‘INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE’
SOCIAL SCIENCES, THE ARTS & HUMANITIES
- SMITHSONIAN, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND NATIONAL ARCHIVES ARE COUNTING DOWN TO THE SUFFRAGE CENTENNIAL WITH #19SUFFRAGESTORIES
- NOTICE OF SPECIAL INTEREST: BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH ON AFFECTIVE, MOTIVATIONAL, AND SOCIAL FUNCTION IN NORMATIVE AGING AND/OR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS (AD/ADRD)
STUDENT AID
- TRUMP TEES UP STUDENT LOAN EXECUTIVE ACTION
2020 ELECTION
- BIDEN LINKS LOAN FORGIVENESS TO RACIAL EQUITY
Summaries of News Articles of Interest
(Please click on the Title to link to the entire article.)
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH & HEALTH
FAUCI SAYS HE’S ‘OPTIMISTIC’ AMERICANS WILL GET CORONAVIRUS VACCINE NEXT YEAR
By Matthew Schwartz, NPR, July 31, 2020
A coronavirus vaccine could be ready for distribution by the end of the year, and distributed to Americans in 2021, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist told lawmakers Friday.
By Matthew Herper, STAT News, July 31, 2020
The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed effort will provide up to $2.1 billion to Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to fund development and manufacturing of the companies’ experimental COVID-19 vaccine, the companies announced Friday.
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) News Release, August 5, 2020
HHS and Department of Defense (DoD) announced an agreement with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to demonstrate large-scale manufacturing and delivery of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, the federal government will own the resulting 100 million doses of vaccine. The vaccine doses could be used in clinical trials or, if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes use as outlined in agency guidance, the doses would be distributed as part of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WILL BE ‘JOINT VENTURE’ BETWEEN CDC AND PENTAGON
By Sarah Owermohle, Politico, July 31, 2020
Nationwide distribution of any coronavirus vaccine will be a “joint venture” between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which typically oversees vaccine allocation, and the DoD, a senior administration official said today. The DoD “is handling all the logistics of getting the vaccines to the right place, at the right time, in the right condition,” the official said in a call with reporters, adding that the CDC will remain in charge of tracking any side effects that emerge post-vaccination and “some of the communications through the state relationships [and] the state public health organizations.”
NIH DELIVERING NEW COVID-19 TESTING TECHNOLOGIES TO MEET U.S. DEMAND
NIH News Release, July 31, 2020
The NIH is investing $248.7 million in new technologies to address challenges associated with COVID-19 testing (which detects SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus). NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative has awarded contracts to seven biomedical diagnostic companies to support a range of new lab-based and point-of-care tests that could significantly increase the number, type and availability of tests by millions per week as early as September 2020.
NIH LAUNCHES CLINICAL TRIAL TO TEST ANTIBODY TREATMENT IN HOSPITALIZED COVID-19 PATIENTS
NIH News Release, August 4, 2020
Patients admitted with COVID-19 at select hospitals may now volunteer to enroll in a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a potential new treatment for the disease. The Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial is known as ACTIV-3, and as a “master protocol,” it is designed to expand to test multiple different kinds of monoclonal antibody treatments. It also can enroll additional volunteers in the middle of the trial, if a specific investigational treatment shows promise. The new study is one of four ongoing or planned trials in the National Institutes of Health’s. Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines program, a public-private partnership to speed development of the most promising treatments and vaccine candidates. It also is receiving support through Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government’s multi-agency effort to develop, manufacture and distribute medical countermeasures to fight COVID-19.
NIH News Release, August 4, 2020
A Phase 2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including an investigational therapeutic based on synthetic monoclonal antibodies to treat the disease. Researchers sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH, are working with clinical sites to identify potential patient volunteers currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, who have mild to moderate disease not requiring hospitalization. They will be invited to take an experimental therapy or a placebo as part of a rigorously designed randomized clinical trial.
NIH HARNESSES AI FOR COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND MONITORING
NIH News Release, August 5, 2020
The NIH has launched the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center, an ambitious effort that will harness the power of artificial intelligence and medical imaging to fight COVID-19.
NIH CLINICAL TRIAL TESTING REMDESIVIR PLUS INTERFERON BETA-1A FOR COVID-19 TREATMENT BEGINS
NIH News Release, August 6, 2020
A randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a treatment regimen consisting of the antiviral remdesivir plus the immunomodulator interferon beta-1a in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun. The study, called the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 3, is anticipated to enroll more than 1,000 hospitalized adults with COVID-19 at as many as 100 sites in the United States and abroad.
MEASURING THE SENSITIVITY OF COVID TESTS WITH NEW MATERIAL FROM NIST
National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) News Release, August 6, 2020
Researchers at the NIST have produced synthetic gene fragments from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This material, which is non-infectious and safe to handle, can help manufacturers produce more accurate and reliable diagnostic tests for the disease.
White House Executive Order, August 6, 2020
...I am therefore directing each executive department and agency involved in the procurement of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs (agency) to consider a variety of actions to increase their domestic procurement of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs, and to identify vulnerabilities in our Nation’s supply chains for these products. Under this order, agencies will have the necessary flexibility to increase their domestic procurement in appropriate and responsible ways, while protecting our Nation’s service members, veterans, and their families from increases in drug prices and without interfering with our Nation’s ability to respond to the spread of COVID-19.
AAMC RELEASES ROAD MAP TO RESET NATION’S APPROACH TO COVID-19
By Gabrielle Redford, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) News Release, July 29, 2020
Alarmed by increasing rates of coronavirus infections and deaths across the country, the AAMC issued a comprehensive “road map” on Wednesday for the nation to follow to help change the course of the pandemic in the United States. The Way Forward on COVID-19: A Road Map to Reset the Nation’s Approach to the Pandemic calls on federal and state governments, businesses, academic medicine, and local communities to work together to implement a set of 11 evidence-based, short- and long-term actions to address critical testing and supply issues, mitigate the spread of the virus, and ameliorate the health disparities that have further exacerbated the pandemic for vulnerable populations, among other actions.
NATIONAL ACADEMIES LAUNCH STUDY ON COVID-19 VACCINE ALLOCATION
COSSA Washington Update, August 4, 2020
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has launched a fast-track study to develop a framework for planning the equitable distribution of vaccines against COVID-19. The study, which is sponsored by the NIH and CDC, is responsible for producing a consensus report that considers the following questions:
- “What criteria should be used in setting priorities for equitable allocation of vaccine?
- How should the criteria be applied in determining the first tier of vaccine recipients? As more vaccine becomes available, what populations should be added successively to the priority list of recipients? How do we take into account factors such as:
- Health disparities and other health access issues
- Individuals at higher risk (e.g., elderly, underlying health conditions)
- Occupations at higher risk (e.g., health care workers, essential industries, meat packing plants, military)
- Populations at higher risk (e.g., racial and ethnic groups, incarcerated individuals, residents of nursing homes, individuals who are homeless)
- Geographic distribution of active virus spread
- Countries/populations involved in clinical trials
- How will the framework apply in various scenarios (e.g., different characteristics of vaccines and differing available doses)?
- If multiple vaccine candidates are available, how should we ensure equity?
- How can countries ensure equity in allocation of COVID-19 vaccines?
- For the US, how can communities of color be assured access to vaccination?
- How can we communicate to the American public about vaccine allocation to minimize perceptions of lack of equity?
- What steps should be taken to mitigate vaccine hesitancy, especially among high-priority populations?”
During the open session of the committee’s first meeting on July 27, National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau announced that the committee is planning to produce a discussion draft released for public comment by early September, hold a public workshop to collect additional feedback, and issue its final recommendations by early October. The study committee is co-chaired by Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, and William H. Foege, Emeritus Presidential Distinguished Professor of International Health, Emory University.
* This is the complete news article.
A BILL WOULD SPEND $1 BILLION ON DIVERSIFYING MEDICAL SCHOOLS TO CLOSE THE RACIAL HEALTH GAP
By Curtis Bunn, NBC News, August 5, 2020
The Expanding Medical Education Act, introduced in the Senate last week by Tim Kaine, D-Va., was drafted to offer a pathway to “tackle the lack of representation of rural students, underserved students, and students of color in the physician pipeline,” it says. The goal would be to reduce mistrust in doctors and health care institutions among marginalized communities, thus narrowing the gap in health care. The legislation would encourage recruiting, enrolling and retaining Black students in medical schools and help fund programs for schools that mostly serve students from marginalized backgrounds.
ANTIABORTION ETHICISTS AND SCIENTISTS DOMINATE TRUMP’S FETAL TISSUE REVIEW BOARD
By Meredith Wadman and Jocelyn Kaiser, Science, July 31, 2020
Last summer, the Trump administration clamped down on federally funded fetal tissue research by requiring that such projects go through an ethics review by a new advisory board. Research advocates were eager to learn who Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar would appoint to the board and to see its ideological makeup. Today they got their first look as it gathered online for a one-time meeting run by the NIH. Although the 1-hour public portion of the meeting was perfunctory—limited to introductions and public comments—it offered a glimpse of the opposition that may greet proposals to work with fetal tissue donated after elective abortions. At least 10 of the 15 members of the NIH Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board oppose abortion, and several have publicly stated positions against the funding of fetal tissue research.
LEVERAGING STANDARDIZED CLINICAL DATA TO ADVANCE DISCOVERY
By Patricia Flatley Brennan, Susan Gregurick, Teresa Zayas Cabán, and Steven Posnack, Open Mike, July 31, 2020
Opportunity knocks for NIH researchers, who will be able to leverage clinical data from electronic health record systems with increased frequency and consistency. The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act has charted a path toward increasing access to and interoperability of electronic health information for clinical care. This, in turn, has paved the way to leverage relevant policies, systems, and infrastructure to accelerate research. In parallel, researchers have been challenged to make data from a single research study, once collected, useful for other research endeavors. Data sharing is essential for expedited translation of research resources into human health improvements. Specifically, sharing scientific data and results enables researchers to more vigorously test the validity of research findings, strengthen analyses by combining data sets, and explore new frontiers.
NIH Notice, July 31, 2020
The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants to the NIH MOSAIC Program to Enhance Diversity UE5 (PAR-19-342) and K99/R00 (PAR-19-343) funding opportunity announcements of an upcoming webinar on planning submissions to this program. Participation in the webinar, although encouraged, is optional and is not required for application submission.
NIH Notice, July 31, 2020
The purpose of this Notice is to alert the community that NIH plans to publish a set of FOAs as part of the Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM Initiative to support research project sites, a Data Coordinating Center, and a Consortium Administrative Core for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study.
NIH Notice, August 5, 2020
The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit public comment to assist and guide the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in identifying new, and updating ongoing, efforts to implement the NLM Strategic Plan 2017-2027: A Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health.
NIH Notice, August 5, 2020
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is intended to promote multidisciplinary research to clarify sex and gender differences in the risk, development, progression, diagnosis, and clinical presentation of AD/ADRD.
NIH Notice, August 5, 2020
The purpose of this NOSI is to announce [National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) participation in the NINDS IGNITE program. For this NOSI, NCCIH is interested in supporting research geared toward development of robust, validated analgesic assays suitable for medium- to high-throughput screening of natural product libraries. For the purposes of this NOSI, natural products are defined as extracts, chromatographic fractions, or isolated constituents derived from herbal, botanical, marine, microbial, or animal sources. For this NOSI, NCCIH is prioritizing analgesic targets relevant to musculoskeletal, neuropathic, and inflammatory pain conditions.
COVID-19 – MISC.
MCCONNELL PREDICTS CORONAVIRUS RELIEF DEAL 'IN THE NEAR FUTURE'
By Alexander Bolton, The Hill, July 6, 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday predicted that White House negotiators, Democratic leaders and Senate Republicans will reach a deal “in the near future” to approve another round of federal coronavirus relief.
NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE OVER NEXT COVID-19 STIMULUS
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Policy Alert, August 4, 2020
Congress has continued tough negotiations over the next stimulus package, with the House already canceling its August recess to focus on the issue. Last week, Senate Republicans unveiled their own trillion-dollar package, which included $15.5 billion for the NIH, $3.4 billion for the CDC, and $20 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Included in the Senate stimulus package is the Safeguarding American Innovation Act (S. 3997), which passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and would tighten oversight of federally funded research and ties to foreign governments. Attaching the legislation to a possible stimulus bill could increase the odds that it becomes law — if both chambers come to an agreement on the stimulus. As a reminder, higher education organizations sent a letter to the Senate committee expressing their concerns about the legislation.
* This is the complete news article.
EDUCATION POLICY
By Mark Schneider, From the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), August 6, 2020
Since the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, IES leadership has done soul searching as we continue to grapple with the educational (and societal) conditions that established present-day patterns of inequities.
AGENCY INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES; COMMENT REQUEST; CARES ACT MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT (MOE)
Federal Register, August 6, 2020
This is a request for approval of a new emergency information collection that would solicit from States, Outlying Areas, and State educational agencies (SEAs) MOE data under section 18008 of the CARES Act. Under four programs—the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and two formula grant programs to the Outlying Areas authorized under Section 18001(a)(1), Education Stabilization Fund-State Educational Agencies and Education Stabilization Fund-Governors —States are required to maintain fiscal effort on behalf of elementary, secondary and postsecondary education.
INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES & IMMIGRATION
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT EASES GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL ADVISORY
By Alana Wise, NPR, August 6, 2020
The State Department has lifted its Level 4 global travel advisory, the highest warning against U.S. citizens traveling internationally, citing changing conditions in the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal Register, July 31, 2020
This final rule adjusts certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It also removes certain fee exemptions, changes fee waiver requirements, alters premium processing time limits, and modifies intercountry adoption processing. USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the full cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. Therefore, the Department of Homeland Security is adjusting USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20 percent, adding new fees for certain immigration benefit requests, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and limiting the number of beneficiaries for certain forms. This final rule is intended to ensure that USCIS has the resources it needs to provide adequate service to applicants and petitioners.
CONGRESS DEMANDS US UNIVERSITIES HAND OVER ALL RECORDS OF FOREIGN DONATIONS
By Ebony Bowden, New York Post, August 3, 2020
Congress wrote to the nation’s top universities on Monday demanding they hand over all records of donations they have accepted from foreign governments and rogue regimes, citing concerns that the multimillion-dollar gifts are a growing national security threat, The Post can reveal. The letters obtained by The Post were sent to the presidents of six of the country’s leading colleges — including Harvard, NYU and Yale — after a Department of Education investigation this year found American universities had accepted $6.4 billion of hidden foreign donations. The University of Chicago, the University of Delaware, Harvard University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University now have one week to produce all unredacted records of gifts, contracts and agreements with foreign governments since January 2015. The letters were sent by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and James Comer (R-Ky.), the ranking members of the powerful House Judiciary, House Oversight and Reform and House Education and Labor committees, respectively.
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT: RETHINKING RISK IN THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE
By Glenn Tiffert, The Hoover Institution Report, July 30, 2020
Neither the US government nor the universities and national laboratories in the US research enterprise are adequately managing the risks posed by research engagements with foreign entities. The task is quite simply falling through the cracks. Data with which to assess the performance of current frameworks for managing foreign engagement risk, to identify their defects, and to devise proportionate fixes is consequently in short supply. Dueling narratives have filled this evidentiary vacuum, pitting some who propose incremental adjustments against others who call for far-reaching change. Without a common set of facts to anchor the debate, consensus has proven elusive. This report offers a way forward.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
ARMY SELECTS 54 GRAD STUDENTS FOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
By U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs, U.S. Army News Release, August 3, 2020
The U.S. Army selected 54 students pursuing doctorate in military relevant research topics to receive three-year National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate fellowships. [MSU graduate students Patrick Cook, Daniel Griffin, Katherine Skocelas and Ajay Somaraju are recipients of these awards.]
National Science Foundation (NSF) Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), August 3, 2020
Through this DCL, the NSF’s Arctic Sciences Section in the Office of Polar Programs is encouraging submissions of proposals for projects that will enrich interactions and improve collaboration between Arctic residents and NSF-funded researchers. Proposals in response to this DCL should be directed to the Arctic Research Opportunities solicitation (NSF 16-595) and must follow the guidelines in the solicitation and the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.
RESEARCH POLICY
HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE REQUESTS STUDY ON RACISM IN STEM
AAAS Policy Alert, August 4, 2020
On July 29, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chairwoman Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, requesting that the academies conduct a study on the impact of systemic racism on science, engineering and medical education and the workforce.
* This is the complete news article.
PCAST DELIVERS ROADMAP TO SPUR ‘INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE’
By Adria Schwarber, FYI: Science Policy News from AIP, August 5, 2020
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a report last month recommending ways to accelerate progress in “Industries of the Future,” a term the White House uses that encompasses quantum information science, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, advanced communications, and biotechnology. The recommendations focus on targeted funding increases and an array of new mechanisms for facilitating the translation of research into scaled-up applications, bolstering the U.S. STEM workforce, and strengthening federal laboratories’ engagement in the R&D enterprise.
SOCIAL SCIENCES, THE ARTS & HUMANITIES
Smithsonian Institution News Release, August 3, 2020
The Smithsonian, Library of Congress and the National Archives have launched #19SuffrageStories, a 19-day social media campaign that will share stories about the long fight for women’s voting rights in the U.S. Every weekday from Aug. 3 to Aug. 26, the three institutions will share one of 19 stories related to women’s suffrage, counting down to Women’s Equality Day Aug. 26. The institutions have also released a set of social media stickers and GIFs to encourage the public to join the conversation.
NIH Notice, August 3, 2020
This Notice of Special Interest is intended to underscore [the National Institute on Aging] NIA’s continued commitment to psychological and neuroscientific research on affective, motivational, and social functions in midlife and aging.
STUDENT AID
TRUMP TEES UP STUDENT LOAN EXECUTIVE ACTION
By Michael Stratford, Politico, July 6, 2020
President Donald Trump said he is preparing executive action as soon as Friday on student loan payments, as emergency relief for nearly 40 million federal student loan borrowers is set to expire in eight weeks.
2020 ELECTION
BIDEN LINKS LOAN FORGIVENESS TO RACIAL EQUITY
By Kery Murakami, Inside Higher Ed, July 31 2020
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, linked the forgiving of student debt on Thursday to dealing with racial inequities in the country. At the virtual convention of the American Federation of Teachers, Biden was asked by Marguerite Ruff, a Philadelphia classroom assistant for special needs children, what he planned to do to reduce disparities. Biden reiterated his campaign pledge to eliminate large portions of student debt.