AAAS Report on U.S. R&D and Innovation
The Bipartisan Innovation Act Conference Committee Meets
On Thursday, May 12, the Joint House-Senate Conference Committee began negotiations on the Bipartisan Innovation Act. During the conference committee meeting, conferees from both parties stress the need to reestablish domestic production of semiconductor chips and the theft of intellectual property by foreign actors, such as China. Read more.
National Security Experts Address Need to Ease Immigration for Foreign Science Talent
A group of national security experts sent a letter to House and Senate leadership this week requesting a fix to bottlenecks in the U.S. immigration system. The letter is in response to the conference committee on the Bipartisan Innovation Act. Read more.
Congress Strengthens NIH’s Ability to Address Harassment in Funded Activities
Earlier this week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a press release on the agency’s efforts to end sexual harassment in the biomedical workforce. In 2018, a National Academies report found “no evidence that current policies, procedures, and approaches have significantly reduced sexual harassment in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine.” Read more.
Department of Energy Office of Science Director Confirmed by Senate
This week the Senate confirmed Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe as the Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. Dr. Berhe is a Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry; the Ted and Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology; and Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Education at the University of California, Merced. Read more.