FASEB Washington Update - Feb. 2, 2010
FASEB REPORT HIGHLIGHTS EXPERIENCES OF ARRA-FUNDED NIH SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
On February 16th, FASEB released a report highlighting the outcomes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) summer research program, which enabled agency-funded investigators to provide hands-on research opportunities to over 3,000 students and science teachers in 2009. “Stimulating Science Education: NIH Summer Research Program Engages Students and Teachers in Science,” provides a snapshot of the experiences of over 600 program participants.
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INSIDE (THE BELTWAY) SCOOP – JENNIFER ZEITZER
The Congressional leadership’s plan to cross a few more items off the legislative “to do” list in February was complicated by a major storm and the previously scheduled President’s Day recess. A record snowfall the week after the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget was released, closed the federal government for four days, cancelled dozens of Congressional hearings, and prevented most lawmakers from flying to Washington to cast votes. Despite the weather delays, the Senate passed a $15 billion job creation bill that now goes to the other chamber for consideration.
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FASEB Thanks Champions of Science for Their Contributions
FASEB recently sent letters expressing gratitude to Dr. Arden Bement, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Raynard Kington, Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) for their public service. Dr. Bement has accepted a position at Purdue University’s Global Policy Research Institute. Grinnell College will welcome Dr. Kington as its new President in July. Congressman Ehlers is retiring after serving in the House of Representatives for 17 years. As the first Ph.D. physicist elected to Congress, Representative Ehlers highlighted the importance of federal investment in science and technology.
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AGENCY HEADS DEFEND OBAMA BUDGET REQUESTS
The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Presidential Science Advisor were just three of the Obama Administration officials who recently made the rounds on Capitol Hill to discuss the President’s FY 2011 budget. Additional hearings about the budget request are expected to take place over the next few weeks.
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HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE HEARINGS EXPLORE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE, FY 2011 BUDGET, AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ISSUES
The House Science and Technology Committee continued its already busy schedule this month, holding multiple hearings the week of February 22nd. The state of research infrastructure at U.S. universities was the subject of a session on Tuesday afternoon. The hearing was held as part of the Committee’s effort to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act. Members of the committee in attendance and witnesses focused on academic research facilities, cyberinfrastructure capabilities, and the appropriate role of the federal government in sustaining such infrastructure.
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FROM MIICROSCOPE TO MARKET: NIH AND FDA ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE REGULARTORY SCIENCE
On Wednesday, February 24th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a partnership to promote regulatory science, an area of research aimed at developing new tools, standards, and approaches to efficiently develop and effectively evaluate the safety, efficacy, and quality of medical products. The partnership, which will capitalize on NIH’s strengths in basic and applied research and FDA’s regulatory experience, is expected to speed the translation of promising discoveries from “microscope to market,” said Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius.
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FASEB’s Washington Update is brought to you bi-monthly by the FASEB Office of Public Affairs. We welcome your questions and comments – please contact Carrie Wolinetz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-634-7650. For more information about how to get involved in research advocacy, visit: http://capwiz.com/faseb/home/