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APA Comments on Draft NIH Reauthorization In July, Chairman
Joe Barton (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,
finally released a "discussion draft" of his plan to reorganize
the National Institutes of Health that he believes will help the agency
achieve more efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The draft bill
seeks not only to expand the NIH Director's budgetary authority, but also
to create a new Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic
Initiatives within the Office of the Director to oversee strategic
planning for trans-institute initiatives.
In initial comments on the draft, APA requested a more explicit
commitment to behavioral research, basic research, as well as the
continuation of the statutory authority for the Office of Behavioral and
Social Sciences and the elimination of separate grant-making authority for
the new division. A second draft, which incorporated some of APA's
requested changes, was released in August. APA will continue to work with
Chairman Barton's office to advocate for stronger support for behavioral
research at NIH.  Read
the new NIH reauthorization draft [PDF 130K]
Read
APA's initial comments on the draft bill [PDF
60K]
Behavioral Researchers Defend Peer Review and Their
Research
Congress returned this month from its August recess with
action still pending on the FY2006 Labor Health and Human Services and
Education Appropriations Bill. The legislation, which funds the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and other HHS and Education agencies, passed
the House with an amendment attached that would prohibit the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from funding two psychological research
projects that had been awarded to Ed Wasserman at the University of Iowa
and Sandra Murray at the University at Buffalo of the State University of
New York. In July, Murray and Wasserman joined APA staff member Karen
Studwell on visits with congressional offices of both their states, as
well as staff of the appropriations subcommittees that would be involved
in the conference negotiations between the House and Senate. Congressional
members and staff alike were supportive of both the scientists and the NIH
peer review process and provided some assurances that they would work to
remove the language from the final legislation.
Read
the full article
[back to top]
Psychologists Denise Park and Anthony Pratkanis
Testify in Senate
Two eminent psychologists were invited to testify on July
27 before the Senate Special Committee on Aging about elderly victims of
consumer fraud schemes. Denise Park, PhD (University of
Illinois-Urbana-Champaign) described results of her research on cognitive
changes in older adults that may make them particularly vulnerable to
consumer fraud. Social psychologist Anthony Pratkanis, PhD (University of
California-Santa Cruz) described his work as a member of a team including
staff from the American Association of the Advancement of Retired Persons
and the WISE senior center, surveying victims of consumer fraud. Senator
Gordon Smith (R-OR) chaired the hearing and at least ten members of the
committee heard all or part of the testimony.
Read
the hearing testimony
View
photos from the hearing
Behavioral Science LEADs in Homeland Security
Curriculum Workshop
During the second week of August, APA hosted a two day
Department of Homeland Security Strategic Studies (DHS) Curriculum
Development Workshop in coordination with staff of the United States Coast
Guard Academy (USCG). The workshop, part of the DHS Learning, Education and
Development (LEAD) program, was an extension of previous APA Science
Directorate efforts to help identify core competencies that would be
necessary for effective DHS leadership.
Read
the full article [back to top]
IES Board Approves Education Research Priorities
In September, the National Board for Education Sciences
approved a broad statement of the research priorities for the Institute of
Education Sciences (IES). According to the statement, the long-term goals
associated with the Institute’s priorities are fourfold: First, to
develop or identify a substantial number of programs, practices, policies,
and approaches that enhance academic achievement and that can be widely
deployed; second, to identify what does not work and what is problematic
or inefficient, and thereby encourage innovation and further research;
third, to gain fundamental understanding of the processes that underlie
variations in the effectiveness of education programs, practices,
policies, and approaches; and fourth, to develop delivery systems for the
results of education research that will be routinely used by policymakers,
educators, and the general public when making education decisions.
Read
the full statement [PDF 19K]
Subscribe to IES' new listserv, IESNEWS,by
sending an email to: listserv@listserv.ed.gov.
Write in the message's body: subscribe iesnews your name
NSF Accepts Quick-Turnaround Grant Proposals Related to
Hurricane Katrina
The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Human and Social
Dynamics priority area (HSD) will accept Small Grants for Exploratory
Research (SGER) proposals for research related to hurricane Katrina. SGERs
are small in scale and reviewed quickly, and often are designed to support
research within unusual contexts such as the aftermath of natural
disasters, in which availability of and access to data are accompanied by
urgent time and physical constraints. Psychological researchers interested
in submitting SGER proposals to HSD should contact Robert O'Connor,
program director in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
Directorate, prior to submission to discuss their ideas. Dr. O'Connor may
be reached by email at roconnor@nsf.gov and by phone at 703-292-7263. For
additional information about SGER proposals, see the Grant Proposal Guide,
Section II.D.1.
For
additional information about SGER proposals, see the Grant Proposal Guide,
Section II.D.1. [back to top]
Changes in NIH Rules to Help Grantees Affected by
Hurricane Katrina - APA Considering Actions to Help
Noting the need for flexibility as NIH grantees along the
Gulf Coast assess damage to their research labs or populations, NIH has
announced the following steps:
1. NIH encourages grantees to discuss any damage to
their research program with their NIH program officer as soon as
possible.
2. NIH will consider requests for administrative supplements for
extensions in time that include personnel costs; and replacement of
equipment, supplies and unique resources damaged or lost as a result of
the storm. Instructions
are on the NIH Grants web page.
APA is currently considering actions to help members whose
research has been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Please check the APA
website for updates and announcements.
NSF Announces Position Opening for Director of
Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Division
NSF is looking to hire a Division Director for Behavioral
and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) within its Social, Behavioral and Economic
Sciences (SBE) Directorate. The announcement is for a one to three year
limited term appointment, with the possibility of hire at the Senior
Executive Service (SES) level on a permanent or temporary basis, or
through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). The NSF announcement
notes that the BCS Division Director "provides leadership and
direction to the NSF Division responsible for funding research and
education activities, both nationally and internationally, to develop and
advance scientific knowledge focusing on human cognition, language, social
behavior and culture, as well as research on the interactions between
human societies and the physical societies and the physical
environment." Annual salary range for SES positions is $107,550 to
$149,200. The application deadline is October 14, 2005 and the NSF human
resources contact is Hugh Sullivan (hsulliva@nsf.gov or
703.292.4376).
Read
the full announcement
APA Invites Psychological Researcher to Participate in
Capitol Hill Lobby Day on Behalf of NSF
The Public Policy Office invited Abby Baird, PhD, a
psychological researcher from Dartmouth, to represent psychological
science at the September Capitol Hill Lobby Day sponsored by the Coalition
of National Science Funding (CNSF), of which APA is an active member.
Baird was part of a multidisciplinary group of scientists who visited
their New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations to advocate for
increased funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Negotiations
currently are underway between the House and Senate to bridge the gap
between the NSF appropriation levels in their two FY06 funding bills, and
despite the challenges of an extremely tight budget climate (especially in
light of Hurricane Katrina), Baird and her colleagues made an impressive
case for strengthening federal support for basic research.
Any questions?
If you have any questions regarding SPIN or specific
science policy issues, please feel free to contact any of APA’s Science
PPO staff.
Geoff
Mumford, Ph.D., Director of Science Policy
Pat
Kobor, Senior Science Policy Analyst
Heather
O'Beirne Kelly, Ph.D., Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer
Karen
Studwell, J.D., Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer
Sara
Robinson, Legislative Assistant
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