The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has decided to discontinue the National Children's Study (NCS). At the December 12 meeting of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), a working group charged by NIH director Francis Collins to evaluate whether the NCS "as currently outlined is feasible, especially in light of increasing and significant budget constraints," concluded that the NCS as currently designed is not. The working group further recommended "that the NIH champion and support new study designs, informed by advances in technology and basic and applied research, that could make the original goals of the NCS more achievable, feasible, and affordable."

In the statement released announcing the NIH's decision, Collins said that he was "disappointed that this study failed to achieve its goals. Yet I am optimistic that other approaches will provide answers to these important research questions." He concurred "with the report's conclusions that research addressing the links between the environment and child health and development is much needed, and that the specific research in this area should be initiated within the scientific community, use mechanisms that can evolve with the science, employ the use of a growing number of clinical research networks, and capitalize on research and technology advances that have developed since the inception of the study."

Read on for details.

COSSA IN ACTION

COSSA Urges Census to Maintain Field of Degree, Marriage Questions in ACS

On December 9, COSSA submitted public comment to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging the decision to remove several questions from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) be reversed. As previously reported, the ACS recently underwent a comprehensive review of its current 72 questions, which resulted in a proposal to remove questions deemed of "low benefit." COSSA's comments outline the importance of Person Question No. 12-Undergraduate Field of Degree-and Person Questions No. 21-23, relating to marital history, to the social science research community. The Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), a COSSA sister organization, also submitted public comment.

More information on the questions identified for removal and the call for public comment can be found in the Federal Register Notice. Comments are due December 30, 2014.

Congressional News

Congress passes FY 2015 Spending Bill, Adjourns for the Year

Congress adjourned this week for the remainder of 2014 after a busy, and often contentious, lame duck legislative session. Among its post-election activities was passage of a spending package for 11 of the 12 outstanding fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bills. The "cromnibus," as it is being called inside the Beltway, was signed into law by President Obama on December 16.

COSSA has prepared a full analysis of the spending package outlining its impact on social and behavioral science research programs funded across the federal government. Read on for full details.

FEderal Agency & Administration News

NSF Seeks Social Science Communications Specialist

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking candidates for a new position within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). The Communications Specialist will "develop and implement a strategy to communicate information about the Directorate's support of research, education, and training in the social, behavioral and economic sciences." Among the required qualifications includes "experience with a science organization developing and implementing integrated communications strategies to promote research about social, behavioral, and economic sciences to a variety of audiences and stakeholders." The announcement closes on January 16, 2015.

SMRB Accepts Working Group Report on Pre-college Engagement in Biomedical Science

On December 15, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Management Review Board (SMRB) unanimously approved the Report of the SMRB Working Group on Pre-college Engagement in Biomedical Science. Chaired by Clyde Yancy, Northwestern University, the working group was charged by NIH director Francis Collins "to recommend ways to optimize NIH's pre-college programs and initiatives that both align with the NIH mission and ensure a continued pipeline of biomedical science students and professionals." The Working Group's report included an overarching recommendation: the NIH should establish "a transformative body with strong galvanizing leadership and with representation of all relevant NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices and similarly committed non-NIH stakeholders."

Read on for more details.

NSF Updates Transparency and Accountability Practices

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced revisions to its guidelines for program officers and principle investigators (PIs) intended to better communicate the value of the research it funds. According to an NSF press release, language added to the guidelines for program officers require that non-technical project descriptions "serve as a public justification for NSF funding by articulating how the project serves the national interest, as stated by NSF's mission: to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; or to secure the national defense." Training and guidelines will also assist program staff in writing award abstracts and titles that better reflect the significance of funded projects.

On December 26, NSF will update its Policies and Procedures Guide for PIs to explain that staff may contact successful applicants for assistance with preparing the award abstract and title, "an NSF document that describes the project and justifies the expenditure of Federal funds." NSF will also provide regular updates on its Transparency and Accountability webpage. In a statement, House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), who has been a vocal critic of NSF's funding decisions, said he was "encouraged" by NSF's actions, calling them a "step in the right direction."

New Releases from NCHS: Health Insurance Coverage, Contraception, Nut Consumption

The National Center for Health Statistics has released several new reports covering a variety of health-related topics:

Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-June 2014 - In the first six months of 2014, the uninsured rate dropped from 26.5 percent in 2013 to 20.4 percent, with a larger drop among young adults aged 19-25.
Current Contraceptive Status Among Women Aged 15-44: United States, 2011-2013 - During the survey period, 61.7 percent of women were currently using contraception, with the pill, female sterilization, condoms, and long-acting reversible contraceptives being the most common methods.
Nut Consumption Among U.S. Adults, 2009-2010 - Nearly 40 percent of adults consume nuts in a given day. Nuts are significantly more popular among non-Hispanic white adults than among Hispanic or black adults.

PUblications & Community events

Gilbert White Lecture Focuses on Reducing Losses from Natural Hazards

The National Academies' Board on Earth Sciences and Resources held its annual Gilbert F. White Lecture in the Geographical Sciences on December 4. Susan Cutter, Distinguished Carolina Professor at the University of South Carolina (and a past president of COSSA), delivered the lecture, which focused on "Why More Knowledge Is Not Reducing Natural Hazard Losses." She explained that despite huge increases in our knowledge of the physical processes and social forces that interact during natural disasters, losses from such events have only grown.

Read on for more from the lecture.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NIH: Cancer Institute Releases Series of Funding Announcements

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently released a series of funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) designed to enhance the diversity of the NCI-funded cancer research workforce. The awards support individuals from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in the biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical sciences.

Read on for more information.

NIJ: Social Science Research on Forensic Science

In a recently issued Dear Colleague letter, Acting National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Director William Sabol emphasized NIJ's interested in receiving proposals "that examine the social science questions related to the effective use of forensic evidence to identify and process criminal offenders and to explore the impact of these advances on the criminal justice system." Particular areas of interest for fiscal year 2015 include digital forensics, ballistics forensics, and crime scene scanning technology. See the full letter for more details.

EVENTS CALENDAR

American Historical Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, January 2-5, 2015

Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, January 2-5, 2015

American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, January 3-5, 2015

Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, January 8-11, 2015

COSSA Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, Washington, DC, March 9-10, 2015

A list of COSSA member annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSA web page.

Next COSSA Washington Update

In observance of upcoming holidays, the next COSSA Washington Update will be published on Tuesday, January 13 and biweekly thereafter. The COSSA office will be closed from December 24 through January 1. Happy Holidays to all and we will see you in 2015!

Consortium of Social Science Associations

Members

Governing Members

American Anthropological Association

American Association for Public Opinion Research

American Economic Association

American Educational Research Association

American Historical Association

American Political Science Association

American Psychological Association

American Society of Criminology

American Sociological Association

American Statistical Association

Association of American Geographers

Association of American Law Schools

Law and Society Association

Linguistic Society of America

Midwest Political Science Association

National Communication Association

Population Association of America

Society for Research in Child Development

Membership Organizations

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

American Evaluation Association

American Finance Association

American Psychosomatic Society

Association for Asian Studies
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations
Association of Research Libraries
Council on Social Work Education

Economic History Association

History of Science Society
Justice Research and Statistics Association
Midwest Sociological Society
National Association of Social Workers
North American Regional Science Council
North Central Sociological Association
Rural Sociological Society

Social Science History Association

Society for Anthropological Sciences
Society for Empirical Legal Studies

Society for Research on Adolescence

Society for Social Work and Research

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

Society of Behavioral Medicine

Southern Political Science Association
Southern Sociological Society
Southwestern Social Science Association

Centers and Institutes

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Political and Social Sciences

American Council of Learned Societies

American Institutes for Research

The Brookings Institution

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research

Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

Institute for Social Science Research, University of Massachusetts

Institute for Women's Policy Research

NORC at the University of Chicago

Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia

Population Reference Bureau

RTI International

Social Science Research Council

Vera Institute of Justice

Colleges and Universities

Arizona State University

Boston University

Brown University

Carnegie-Mellon University

Clark University

Columbia University

Cornell University

Duke University

George Mason University

Georgetown University

Harvard University

Howard University

Indiana University

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Johns Hopkins University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Michigan State University

New York University

North Dakota State University

Northwestern University

Pennsylvania State University

Princeton University

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Stanford University

State University of New York, Stony Brook

Texas A & M University

The George Washington University

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University of California, Los Angeles

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University of Chicago

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University of Iowa

University of Maryland

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

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University of Nebraska, Lincoln

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

University of Oklahoma

University of Pennsylvania

University of South Carolina

University of Texas, Austin

University of Texas, San Antonio

University of Virginia

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin, Madison

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Washington University in St. Louis

West Virginia University

Yale University

COSSA

Executive Director: Wendy A. Naus
Deputy Director: Angela L. Sharpe

Assistant Director for Public Affairs: Julia Milton

President: James S. Jackson

Address all inquiries to COSSA at newsletter@cossa.org. Telephone: (202) 842-3525

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) is an advocacy organization promoting attention to and federal support for the social and behavioral sciences.

ISSN 0749-4394.