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November 28, 2014
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CONGRESS AND THE BUDGET
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LATEST FUNDING GAMBIT: A 'CROMNIBUS'
This
would combine a big appropriations measure funding most of the
government through the end of fiscal 2015 -- the so-called
Omnibus -- with a shortterm continuing resolution for selected
agencies. According to various press accounts, the idea appeals to some
conservatives as a way to defund President Obama's deportation relief
order while not causing an unpopular government-wide shutdown when
current funding runs out Dec. 11. The CROmnibus gained added momentum
this week with an analysis by the Congressional Research Service (CRS)
that says Congress can block government spending even if the money
comes from fees -- as is the case with the visas that are part of the
Obama initiative -- and not taxes. But House Democratic  Leader
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has signaled that the GOP will have to pass the
CROmnibus without her party's support. If Senate Democrats agree, that
could doom this particular tactic.
CONTEST FOR SENATE BUDGET CHAIR:
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), left, who requested the report from CRS, is
currently ranking Republican on the Budget Committee. But he has a
fight on his hands to assume the chair once the GOP assumes control of
the Senate in January. The Washington Post reports
that Mike Enzy of Wyoming has support from party leaders in his bid to
lead the panel and outranks Sessions in seniority. (Both have been in
the Senate the same length of time, but Enzy came out ahead when names
were pulled from a hat.). Enzy, recall, fended off a primary challenge
from Liz Cheney. Sessions is a "strident" opponent of Obama's
immigration initiative and hoped to use the budget process to block it.
HAVING IT ALL:"Too
much of a good thing can be wonderful," Mae West quipped, and that
seems to be the approach of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) when it
comes to energy. Murkowski, right, is due for an "oversize role" in
energy
policy as chair of both Energy and Natural Resources and the
Appropriations Interior-Environment Subcommittee, CQ reports. If the
Obama administration's preference is "all of the above," hers is that
and more -- including drilling offshore and on the coastal plain of an
Alaska wildlife refuge, the Keystone pipeline, coal, nuclear, fracking,
alternative fuels, and clean energy. Her 123-page manifesto, Energy 2020
says longterm basic research "provides the basis upon which future
innovation is built. The epicenter of this effort should be in
America's universities, in the national laboratories, and then in some
form for private industries . . . By 2020, the federal government
should significantly increase many of its basic research budgets." The
report shows particular interest in the intersection of energy and
water. Climate change needs to be faced, she says, but "[w]hat is
certain is that we can best address environmental challenges if we are
prosperous and secure."
NEW HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS: They include
Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)
Agriculture and Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies; John Culberson
(R-Tex.) Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies;
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) Defense; Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; and Tom Cole
(R-Okla.) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related
Agencies.
'secret science':
This is what critics of the Environmental Protection Agency say is used
too often in developing regulations. The Secret Science Reform Act
passed the House "along largely partisan lines," AAAS's Policy
Alert reports. It would prevent the EPA from issuing new regs
without making all scientific and technical information public "in a
manner that is sufficient for independent analysis and substantial
reproduction of research results," according to the Congressional
Budget Office. In practice, it means EPA would spend more per
regulation or rely on fewer studies. In the latter case, CBO says, EPA
would have to consider concerns that the quality of the agency's work
"could be compromised."
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DATA
POINTS
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breakdown of u.S. defense and non-defense r&d
This
week's resignation of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel casts a shadow over
his planned innovation initiative. But at least one of those mentioned
as a possible successor, physicist and current Harvard professor Ashton
Carter, has a keen interest in R&D. Herewith a picture of where
Defense R&D stands -- both within the Pentagon and in comparison
with other research agencies -- from a new report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.
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THE ADMINISTRATION AND RESEARCH AGENCIES
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RESEARCH 'ETHICAL FABRIC' may be AT RISK -- NSF I.G.
Dishonest practices are not confined to researchers who plagiarize proposals and falsify findings, according to the latest semi-annual report by
the office of National Science Foundation Inspector General Allison Lerner, right. In fact, they
reach into the heart of program management. Case in point: The general
counsel recommended that a rotator be fired for conflicts of interest
and that someone outside the division review her award recommendations.
Instead, the rotator's supervisor took charge of the review. A memo
ensued "falsely stating that the program officer who reviewed the
awards had not found any bias." Further, the supervisor "lied to NSF
management and then lied to OIG investigators."
 As
for researchers, the OIG reports a "dramatic increase" in allegations
of plagiarism and data fabrication "especially as it relates to junior
faculty members and graduate students," and a rise in allegations of
peer-review confidentiiality violations, false representations in CVs
and accounts of publications, and fraudulent or improper use of grant
funds. "The number and variety of ethical issues . . . strongly
suggests that the general ethical fabric of the research enterprise may
be at risk -- not only at the student level but at the faculty level as
well." Extrapolation of the number of allegations OIG gets across all
proposals suggests that 1,300 proposals a year could contain plagiarism
and 450-900 could have falsified data.
Some of the harshest warnings involve NSF's management of research
infrastructure. The $344 million construction budget for the Daniel K.
Inouye Solar Telescope "could not be affirmed as an acceptable basis
for a for a fair and reasonable price." The $467 million Large Synoptic
Survey Telescope likewise had inadequate cost information.
scouting new frontierS: The National Science Foundation's Emerging Frontiers in Research
and Innovation (EFRI) is seeking ideas for interdisciplinary topics not
currently supported by NSF that could "potentially lead to
transformative results that address national needs or a grand
challenge." They will be considered by the Engineering Directorate in
choosing topics for the 2016 EFRI solicitation. Ten submitters will be
invited to NSF to discuss their topics. To submit ideas, click on the
following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/efritopicideas.
HELP WANTED:
NSF's Engineering Directorate has three current openings: Director of the
Engineering Education and Centers division; director of the
Broadening Participation in Engineering program (within the EEC
division); and director
of the Engineering Education program (also within EEC).
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NATIONAL ACADEMIES
FEW MINORITIES GETTING ARMY RESEARCH FUNDS: A National Academies report finds
that the Army Research Laboratory's "has used its very limited -- and
currently declining -- financial resources to have a positive impact"
on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority
institutions, which continue to enroll a disproportionate share of
minority students. "Overall, the ARL programs supporting HBCUs are
strong, well run, and commendable." But: it's "disconcerting"
that the majority of principal investigators (PIs) have not
been underrepresented minorities. Of the 220 PIs funded by ARL at
HBCUs/MIs over the past 10 years, 102 (46 percent) have been
Caucasions, 14 (6 percent) African Americans, 11 (5 percent) Hispanics,
47 (21 percent) Middle Easterners and South Asians, 46 (21 percent)
East Asians, and 0 Native Americans.
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PUBLIC
POLICY
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GROWTH OF RENEWABLES: Falling
prices and subsidies -- estimated at $120 billion in 2013 -- have helped
renewable energy technologies "gain found rapidly," the International Energy Agency
says. In 2040, when world energy demand will be 37 percent higher than
today, world energy supply will be divided "into four almost equal
parts: low-carbon sources (nuclear and renewables), oil, natural gas,
and coal." Without projected efficiency measures, demand for oil, gas,
and coal would be 15-22 percent higher.
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ASEE
& COMMUNITY NEWS
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ATTENTION, DEANS AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
 Please
help ASEE provide high-quality professional development to engineering
and engineering technology faculty by answering a few questions about how much you would be
willing to pay for faculty professional development and what areas of
professional development you are most interested in for your faculty.
Click the link below to access the survey.
ETLI 2014 VIDEOS: A playlist of videos
from the Engineering Technology Leadership Institute includes a short
testimonial video, two panels, and Greg Pearson of the National Acadmy
of Engineering.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS:
Leaders at NSF and the Navy Discuss the Future of
Engineering
Watch interviews with NSF Assistant Director for
Engineering Pramod Khargonekar, who talks
about exciting
NSF projects and opportunities for ASEE members, and Rear Admiral David Johnson, who discusses
the
importance of technology to the U.S. Navy and where naval research is
headed. The videos are part of
ASEE’s Advanced
Research Monitor Interview Series.
deadline for wepan: The
Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) is holding its 2015 Change Leader Forum
- Roadmap to Inclusion: Engineering Excellence for the 21st Century
next June 9-11 in Broomfield Col., outside Denver.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The
Seventh International Conference
on Engineering Education for Sustainable Development
(EESD15) "will
explore current and future ways of thinking in the emerging field" and
the groundbreaking worth since 2002. It will be held June 9-12, 2015 at
the University of British
Columbia’s (UBC) Point Grey campus. 7 of EESD and
will celebrate the ground-breaking work accomplishing in EESD since
2002.
The conference will be held from June 9-12, 2015 at the University of
British
Columbia’s (UBC) Point Grey campus in Vancouver. See the conference
themes.
ON-LINE STEM
SUSTAINABILITY LIBRARY: This on-line library of
over 1700 juried articles and 300 videos was developed at James Madison
University with NSF funding. The site provides resources for those
researching or teaching sustainability across contexts.
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE - STORIFY VERSION: ASEE's
Engineering Libraries Division has put together a lively collection of
photos and tweets that captures the collaboration and camaraderie
of the Indy conference. Check it out here.
STAY
UP TO DATE
on ASEE's Retention Project by
clicking here
for updates.
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EDITOR: Mark Matthews;
CONTRIBUTORS:
William E. Kelly, Nathan Kahl; MASTHEAD DESIGN by Francis Igot,
incorporating the new ASEE logo.
To read previous issues of Capitol Shorts, click here.
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