FABBS News Highlights Feb 15 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
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Posted by: Psychonomic Society
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Deal
Reached to Keep Government Open; Administration FY 2020 Budget Request Delayed
At press time, a budget deal to avoid another partial shutdown awaited the President’s signature. The conference report provides budgets for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2019 to nine departments and dozens of agencies, including
the National Science Foundation (NSF). The bill would give $8.075 billion to NSF, a $308 million increase from FY 2018, reflecting $6.52 billion for research and related activities and $910 million for the Education and Human Resources Directorate.
During the uncertainty leading up to the budget deal, FABBS joined nobel laureates and science community leaders on
a letter to Members of Congress and the President. The letter explained how the shutdown harmed the American scientific enterprise.
Congress will turn their attention to the FY 2020 budget and will once again be facing budget caps, according to a 2011 deficit reduction law. Since the Budget Control Act of 2011, Congress has waited until the very last minute
before coming to bipartisan agreements to raise the caps. In the absence of an agreement, Congress will face spending cuts of $126 billion from this year’s levels.
Read
more »
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 The
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health has issued a
request for information to gather broad public input on a revised definition of behavioral and social science research. The definition is used to assess and monitor NIH support of the behavioral and social sciences across all NIH Institutes and Centers.
Comments must be submitted through
IdeaScale by February 22, 2019.
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 NSF
Announces Substantial Funding Opportunities Relevant to SBE Scientists
There are new funding opportunities at NSF for behavioral and brain sciences. They are called the “Big Ideas” and they focus on critical issues in science and society. The purpose of each Big Idea is to motivate dynamic and innovative
scholars to create and implement new and potentially transformative interdisciplinary approaches to some very large societal challenges. See letter from NSF Associate Director of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arthur “Skip” Lupia
here.
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 Joanne
Tornow to Lead Biological Sciences Directorate
Dr. Tornow has served with NSF for nearly two decades, including two years as deputy assistant director for NSF’s Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate (SBE); and a year as acting head of SBE. This past year she
led BIO in an acting capacity Her work at NSF has included supporting cross-disciplinary, convergent research that draws on the strengths of scientists and engineers across multiple fields to solve problems.
Read the news release from NSF
here.
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 FABBS
joins community sign-on letter urging the Education Department to use research and evidence to inform Title IX Sexual Harassment Regulations
Led by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA), FABBS joined 72 scientific societies to submit
comments to the U.S. Department of Education’s
proposed changes to Title IX regulations.
Title IX is the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive federal funding. In November, the Education Department issued draft changes to Title IX
that would narrowly redefine sexual harassment and restrict the processes at U.S. schools and colleges for reporting and responding to charges of sexual harassment.
FABBS President, Nora Newcombe, said "The potential rollback of Title IX protections for women has serious implications for science and is of concern to us all. These comments are based on evidence and aim to create safe and productive
environments for scientific discovery. FABBS appreciates the opportunity to take a stand to support our female colleagues and the women who we teach and train."
The comments submitted by the scientific societies today emphasize three major concerns and cite relevant research:
- The Definition of Harassment Has Been Narrowed at Odds with the Intent of Title IX
- The Circumstances Under Which Title IX Applies Are Too Restrictive
- The Notice Requirements Are Too Restrictive
Read more about
Agency Activities »
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EARLY CAREER: Leslie Blaha, PhD, Society for Mathematical Psychology
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New
Frontiers with Smart, Adaptive Interfaces: Building Machines That Know About People
What if your car knew when you were too tired to drive?
Dr. Leslie Blaha’s research tackles questions like this. Her innovations center the idea that applying knowledge of how the mind works can transform people’s relationships with technology.
Thus, the places people interact with machines – interfaces – are a key target of Blaha’s work. Effective technology takes into account psychological principles, such as what people will notice and remember. Could behavioral science
be more explicitly and deeply integrated into the design of machines?
Blaha pursues smart, adaptive interfaces that do just this, bringing the knowledge that cognitive scientists have accumulated to building machines that better support and anticipate people. Her work requires that she move between
basic science and applied fields in interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers, a unique position in the brain and behavioral sciences.
“Applied problems can drive basic science, and basic science advances can change the way we deal with applied problems. But across the board, we’ve got to work in these cross-disciplinary teams.”
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UPCOMING FABBS MEMBER SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETINGS
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FABBS News Highlights is a monthly electronic newsletter published by the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences with the goals of keeping scientists updated on funding and policy issues affecting the sciences
of mind, brain and behavior; recognizing the research contributions of leading scientists; and sharing research findings to inform policies and programs.
Editor: Juliane Baron
Contributors: Juliane Baron, Diana Liao
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FABBS Mission
FABBS promotes human potential and well-being by advancing the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior; promoting
scientific research and training in these fields; educating the public about the contributions of research to the health and well-being of individuals and society;
fostering communication among scientists; and recognizing scientists who have made significant contributions to building knowledge.
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