Chief of Department of Energy’s Science Wing Envisions It as an Engine of Change
When President Joe Biden nominated Asmeret Asefaw Berhe as the seventh director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science in April 2021, many scientists were surprised. Physicists have most often been tapped to lead the office, which is the United States’s single largest funder of the physical sciences and the premier builder of large scientific machines such as x-ray sources. In contrast, Berhe is a soil biogeochemist who studies dirt’s ability to soak up carbon. Born and raised in Eritrea, she is also the first person of color to lead the agency, which has a $7.5 billion annual budget. She has followed the Biden administration’s lead in pushing to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion both at the Office of Science’s 10 national laboratories and in the research sponsored by its six research programs, such as advance scientific computing research, basic energy sciences, and nuclear physics. ( Science Magazine - Oct. 27, 2022)
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Republican Senate Staff Tout Lab-leak Theory of the Pandemic’s Origin
The mysterious origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, like so many aspects of the response to it, has created deep divides along party lines in the United States. Today, the Republican minority staff of a bipartisan Senate committee set up to probe the origin of SARS-CoV-2 issued an “interim report” arguing for the narrative that the virus entered humans because of a lab-related incident and not a natural jump from animals to humans. “Based on the analysis of the publicly available information, it appears reasonable to conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident,” the minority staff concludes in its 35-page report. Senator Richard Burr (R–NC), the ranking member of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), wrote in a forward to the report that the minority oversight staff spent 15 months reviewing scientific studies and interviewing experts. ( Science Magazine - Oct. 27, 2022)
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US Updates Stance on Nuclear Weapons, Missile DefenseThe Department of Defense released an 80-page National Defense Strategy last week that includes the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the Missile Defense Review (MDR), which formally outline the Biden administration’s stance toward the development and use of nuclear weapons and missile defenses. Together, the documents continue the Trump administration’s focus on nation-state competition with China and Russia while placing a greater emphasis on nuclear arms control and transnational threats such as climate change. The NPR mostly endorses the current comprehensive modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile, drawing criticism from arms control advocates. It also states the National Nuclear Security Administration will establish a “Science and Technology Innovation Initiative” that aims to “reduce the time and cost required to design and produce weapons with the most modern technologies that are most responsive to potential threats.” The MDR . . . generally identifies a need to develop missile defense technologies that are “more mobile, flexible, survivable, and affordable.” ( American Institue of Physics - Oct. 31, 2022)
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Export Curbs on China Expected to Expand to New Tech AreasAlan Estevez, head of the Commerce Department’s export control bureau, said last week the U.S. is likely to implement further curbs on exports of critical technologies to China, adding to the expansive restrictions just placed on the semiconductor industry. Estevez listed artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and biotechnology as candidates, citing priority technologies mentioned in a recent speech by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.Estevez also reiterated Sullivan’s announcement that the U.S. will seek to use export controls to “maintain as large of a lead as possible,” rather than use a “sliding scale” approach that eases restrictions on earlier generations of technology over time. He insisted the U.S. does not intend to bring about the “economic destruction of China” and that the new controls are “purely about national security,” adding they would not be lifted unless the Chinese government stopped threatening behaviors such as economic coercion, intellectual property theft, and human rights abuses. ( American Institute of Physics - Oct. 31, 2022)
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Coalition for National Science Funding Urges Increased Investments in the National Science Foundation
Yesterday, the Coalition for National Science Funding[, of which Vanderbilt University and AAU are members,] sent letters to lawmakers and government officials urging them to prioritize increased funding for the National Science Foundation in FY23 and FY24. CNSF sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees urging them to complete FY23 appropriations before the end of the year and to fund NSF at the highest level possible, which is $11.9 billion as authorized in the recently passed bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. The coalition sent another letter to OMB Director Shalanda Young and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar asking them to ensure that the administration requests “$15.65 billion in NSF research and education investments in FY24 as authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act.” ( Association of American Universities - Oct. 28, 2022)
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Borrower-defense Rules FinalizedThe Education Department is planning to make the process for debt relief easier for borrowers who were misled or manipulated by an institution of higher education. The new regulations announced Monday for the borrower defense to repayment and other debt-relief options expand eligibility, remove barriers and provide for automatic discharges in some cases. The new rules will go into effect July 1, 2023. Under the new regulations, the department will be able to discharge loans for an individual or for an entire group. The department will have two years to respond to a group claim. Decisions about whether to grant relief will be based on one of five circumstances, including substantial misrepresentation or substantial omission of fact, breach of contract, and aggressive and deceptive recruitment, according to a news release. Department officials will approve a claim if they find that it’s more likely than not that the act or omission occurred and harmed a borrower. ( Inside Higher Ed - Nov. 1, 2022)
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New Federal Higher Ed Data Released
The National Center for Education Statistics released new data on graduation rates, student outcomes, financial aid and admissions Tuesday, according to a press release from the Institute of Educational Sciences. The findings are from the winter collection of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or IPEDS, including data from the 2020–21 academic year. The data show that about 22 percent of first-time, full-time students who enrolled in two-year institutions in 2017 graduated within two years. However, 40 percent of these students graduated within four years. About 65 percent of full-time, first-time students enrolled in four-year institutions in 2015 graduated within six years at the college where they started. Of the full-time, first-time students who received federal Pell Grants in their first year of college, 46 percent earned a certificate or degree, while 63 percent of students who received Direct Subsidized Loans that year did, according to the data. ( Inside Higher Ed - Oct. 26, 2022)
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Office HoursStarting this fall, the Office of Federal Relations will begin offering general inquiry sessions, or “Office Hours,” several times per month for the Vanderbilt community via Zoom. If you have a question for our office or want to learn more about how we can collaborate, please schedule a time with us. Either Associate Vice Chancellor Christina West or Associate Director Heather Bloemhard will join the virtual meeting.
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