COSSA's full analysis of the Senate bill is available here.

As previously reported, a discussion draft of the bill was released for public input last month. The bill as introduced does not differ significantly from the earlier draft. Read COSSA's earlier analysis for more details.

OBSSR is a very important office for social and behavioral research at the NIH. The Office is congressionally-mandated to serve as the coordinating entity for the advancement of behavioral and social sciences research across all of the 27 NIH institutes and centers (ICs). William T. Riley, Ph.D., Chief of the Science of Research and Technology Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute, is currently serving as the Acting Director of OBSSR. In 2015, OBSSR will celebrate its 20^th anniversary. Additional information on the position is available on the NIH's website. Applications are due October 1.

NIMHD's mission is to lead scientific research to improve minority health and eliminate health disparities. The NIMHD Director also plans, reviews, coordinates, and evaluates all minority health and health disparities research and activities of the NIH; conducts and supports research in minority health and health disparities; promotes and supports the training of a diverse research workforce; translates and disseminates research information; and fosters innovative collaborations and partnerships. To carry out its mission, the NIMHD has a staff of approximately 56 employees and an annual budget of more than $250 million. 

Applicants for the NIMHD director position must possess an M.D. and/or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in the biomedical sciences, and have senior-level research experience and knowledge of research programs in minority health and health disparities. Applications are due September 15. Additional information is available on the NIH's website. 

Weber described four of the areas in which research into the local impacts of oil and gas production is being conducted: negative associated impacts ("disamenities"), local economy, public finances, and agriculture. In the first category, Weber included consequences like increased truck traffic, groundwater and air quality concerns, negative health impacts, and housing price fluctuations. Studies looking at high-production counties have shown increases in automobile accidents and lower scores on tests of newborn health. Studies looking at housing values have shown mixed impacts. Regarding local economies, Weber discussed research showing that extraction creates jobs, but not as many as some have predicted (each mining-sector job creates a little more than one job outside that sector). Extraction is associated with increases in wages, but these effects are moderated by the influx of workers from elsewhere.

In the area of public finance, Weber observed that oil and gas production expands counties' revenue base, but also increases the government's liabilities. So far, the new sources of revenue (impact fees, taxation of mineral rights, and nonresidential taxes) appear to outweigh local governments' liabilities. Lastly, Weber discussed the impacts of oil and gas production on agriculture. In some sectors, particularly water and labor, energy production competes with agricultural operations. However, the two industries may also complement each other, as farmers collecting royalty payments for use of their land reinvest the money into their farms. Weber concluded by pointing out that by all estimates, U.S. oil and natural gas production will continue to rise in the decades to come, so the impacts of increased extraction on local communities will only become more pronounced.

The 2014 Abelson Prize will be presented at the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Jose, CA in February 2015. Nominations are due September 1.

HRS is considered the premier source of data on population aging in the U.S. It is a nationally representative, population-based sample of individuals aged 50 and older, beginning in 1992, and contains multidisciplinary information covering many research areas including health and socioeconomic status, administrative data linkages, and objective health measures. NIA has encouraged the development of longitudinal studies of aging comparable to the HRS in other countries. This has led to a system of multidisciplinary data collections in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Ongoing collaboration among studies to produce comparable data sources is organized via the NIH-supported Network on Harmonization of Cross-National Studies of Aging.

The announcement seeks applications to develop comparable measures in the HRS-family of studies in the areas of cognition and dementia assessment, personality and non-cognitive-character-skills, social isolation and loneliness, physical activity, and life histories. NIA intends to commit up to $2.5 million in FY 2015 to fund three to four awards. Additional funds, at least $1 million, have been set aside to support projects focusing on cognition/dementia assessment. Applications are due November 7. For more information and to apply, click here.

The program has enjoyed tremendous support from Congress and the current funding opportunity announcement (FOA) responds to Congressional concerns. The Senate FY 2015 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill would provide $275.4 million to "fully replace the sequester cut" to the program and directs the HHS Secretary to dedicate the increase above the FY 2014 enacted level toward new COBRE awards. In the report accompanying the bill, the Committee also emphasizes that the program's focus "should continue to be on improving the necessary infrastructure and strengthening the biomedical research capacity and capability of research institutions within the IDeA States." It further notes that there are institutions in States that qualify for Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) that could benefit from the IDeA program that are ineligible for funding. The IDeA director is instructed to "develop a plan, including legislative language, to update eligibility criteria, and specifically evaluate whether EPSCoR participation should be a factor in a State's eligibility for the IDeA program."

To support the development of infrastructure and other resources required to conduct Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) in these states, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) which runs the program has issued an FOA, Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (Idea-CTR), (PAR-14-303). In addition to supporting the development of infrastructure and human resources required to conduct clinical and translational research in IDeA-eligible states, the objectives also include enhancing the ability of these institutions and investigators to develop competitive research programs, and fostering and sustaining collaboration and coordination of clinical and translational activities within and across these institutions and organizations.

The FOA provides the funding via the cooperative agreement mechanisms which will involve participation of the NIGMS IDeA program staff in the planning and execution of the proposed activities. Applications are due October 8, 2014, September 2015, and September 30, 2016.

Nominations and applications should be submitted by Friday, August 15, 2014. Click here for more information and instructions.

The American Statistical Association (ASA) released a statement calling on the Senate to ratify the Convention:

"ASA supports the people with disabilities who engage in the profession or practice of statistics and the study of disability as a topic of research. Through activities of promoting the education of statistics in schools, increasing the public awareness of statistics, and supporting the use of statistics in making sound public policy, the ASA seeks to help make education, employment, and other opportunities available to all people regardless of disability status."

The Council of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) adopted a resolution urging the Senate to ratify the treaty:

The resolution reflects AERA's "longstanding commitment to access of persons with disabilities in the field of education research, in other scientific fields, and in education across the life span." 

The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) adopted a statement in support of ratification:

"As an organization that studies all human languages and advocates for the language rights of all human beings, the LSA is rightfully concerned with the well-being of deaf and hard-of-hearing people, particularly with respect to access to education, medicine, employment, and full participation in civil and personal life. Likewise, the LSA is concerned with the well-being of all people who have a disorder that impacts language ability and use with respect to the same range of rights." 

We will continue to provide updates on COSSA's and members' efforts to advance ratification on COSSA's Science and Human Rights page.