House Approves Three Science Bills
BU IN DC
Roscoe Giles of the College of Engineering discussed workforce development issues facing the computer science field at a meeting of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee, which he chairs.
HOUSE APPROVES THREE SCIENCE BILLS
On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved three bipartisan bills to bolster the federal research enterprise.
- The STEM Education Act (H.R. 5031) would add computer science to the federal definition of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, expand the Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship program at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and authorize informal science education programs at NSF.
- The Research and Development Efficiency Act (H.R. 5056) would establish a National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) working group to issue recommendations on how to streamline federal research regulations.
- The International Science and Technology Cooperation Act (H.R. 5029) would create an NSTC entity to coordinate international research partnerships.
The bills were initially part of the larger Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Act, which would renew the NSF and other federal science agencies, but that measure stalled due to partisan disagreements regarding social science and other matters. The Senate may consider similar measures later this year as part of a comprehensive bill to renew science agencies. Learn more.
HOUSE COMMITTEE MAINTAINS HUMANITIES FUNDING
The House Appropriations Committee voted on Tuesday to maintain funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities at $146 million for fiscal year 2015, identical to its current funding level. This was a reversal from the initial draft of the bill, which would have slashed the agency’s budget by $8 million. The bill will next move to the full U.S. House of Representatives for a vote, and will need to be reconciled with a Senate version of the bill, which has not yet been introduced. Read more.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a solicitation for the Interdisciplinary Research in Hazards and Disasters (Hazards SEES), a program within the cross-foundational Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative supported by several NSF directorates and offices. Hazards SEES will fund projects that provide greater insight into the effects of natural and technological hazards on both society and individuals, and enhance prediction capabilities and recovery responses to hazards and natural disasters. NSF anticipates making between 10 and 20 awards within a total program budget of $20 million. Letters of intent are required and are due September 26, with full proposals due on November 28. Find out more.