U-M Faculty Member Testifies Before Congress
Professor Imperiale speaks with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12)
On Wednesday, February 1st, Michael Imperiale, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at U-M’s Medical School, testified before the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. The hearing, titled “Challenges and Opportunities to Investigating the Origins of Pandemics and Other Biological Events,” examined what structures, technologies, and capacities are needed to more quickly investigate the origins of disease outbreaks in the future, which can improve the efficacy of government responses to future pandemics.
During his testimony, Professor Imperiale emphasized the need to maintain and invest in a strong life sciences research program to tackle future pandemics and determine their origin. Imperiale referenced the recommendations put forth in Vannevar Bush’s report, “Science The Endless Frontier,” first published in 1945. Bush’s key recommendation was that federal investment in scientific research at universities would lead to an amplification of the return on the investment because not only would cutting edge research be conducted, but students and other trainees would be involved, and they would go on to become the next generation of scientists. This was illustrated in 2020 when hundreds of university laboratories shifted their efforts to address COVID-19 – working from the extremely strong foundation laid by decades-long investments in basic research, largely by the US government, tremendous progress was made toward developing and testing a vaccine in a short period of time.
A copy of Professor Imperiale’s testimony is available here, and a recording of the hearing is available here.
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Request For Information and Public Comment Opportunities
Government agencies and other organizations issue Requests for Information (RFIs) that allow stakeholders to provide input, shaping the decisions that the federal government makes. The below RFIs have been issued and are currently accepting input. If you are planning to submit a response, we would love to know! Please email us at UM.FedRel@umich.edu.
Department of Education RFI on the Higher Education Act Pooled Evaluation
The U.S. Department of Education issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding its implementation of the new authority provided to the Department in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 to reserve funding from certain programs authorized by the Higher Education Act (HEA) for the Department to carry out rigorous evaluations and to conduct data collection and analysis of such HEA programs. The Department of Education would like written comments focused on ways to improve the administration of these programs and improve student outcomes in these programs. The Department also noted it is particularly interested in activities that are aligned to the Biden Administration’s higher education priorities, including promoting postsecondary retention and completion; strengthening alignment across postsecondary institutions, K-12 schools, and the public workforce system; strengthening community college capacity; and holistic student supports. Comments are due on or before February 17th, 2023.
Department of Education Comment Period on Proposed Regulations Impacting Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment Program
This month, the Department of Education proposed regulations to simplify the income-driven repayment program and make it easier for borrowers to repay student loans through the income-driven repayment program. The program currently allows individuals to make payments that are calculated based on their discretionary income and family size for 20 to 25 years, before their remaining balance is forgiven. The proposed changes would cut payments in half for those in the program, meaning undergraduate borrowers would have to pay 5 percent of their discretionary income each month and graduate student borrowers would have to pay 10 percent. Borrowers with incomes below 225 percent of the federal poverty line would not have to make monthly payments. The regulations also propose to stop unpaid interest accumulation for borrowers who are making monthly payments and would lower the monthly payments required to receive loan forgiveness for borrowers with smaller loan balances. For example, under the proposed regulations, a borrower’s remaining balance would be forgiven after 10 years for borrowers whose original loan balances were $12,000 or less. Every additional $1,000 borrowed would add 1 year of monthly payments to the required time a borrower must pay before receiving forgiveness. No borrower would be required to make payments for more than 20 years for undergraduate loans and no more than 25 years for graduate loans.
The proposed regulations are open for public comment until February 10th, 2023. A press release from the Department of Education is available here.
Department of Energy Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory RFI
On January 24th, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) on the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). FNAL is a single-purpose laboratory that leads the nation in the construction and operation of world-leading accelerator and detector facilities and in the underlying technology for particle physics research. The RFI solicits information from interested parties during the acquisition planning phase for a contractor to manage and operate FNAL. The RFI seeks information regarding perceived barriers to competition associated with this acquisition.
Comments should be submitted no later than February 23rd, 2023. Comments can be submitted here.
OSTP Digital Assets Research and Development RFI
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has issued a Request for Information regarding the national digital assets research and development agenda. OSTP is requesting public comments to help identify priorities for research and development related to digital assets, including various underlying technologies such as blockchain, distributed ledgers, decentralized finance, smart contracts, and related issues such as cybersecurity and privacy, programmability, and sustainability. OSTP is seeking information on the following areas: goals and sectors that could be improved with digital assets; goals and sectors where digital assets introduce risks; federal research opportunities that could support efforts to mitigate risks from digital assets; research and development that should be prioritized for digital assets; opportunities to advance responsible innovation in the digital assets ecosystem; and other information that should inform the research and development agenda.
Comments should be submitted no later than March 3rd, 2023. Comments can be submitted in the form of an email to this address.
DOE National Laboratories as Catalysts of Regional Innovation RFI
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Information regarding opportunities to strengthen place-based innovation activities leveraging the DOE National Laboratories and Sites. The objective of this RFI is to identify both opportunities and challenges for developing place-based innovation ecosystems anchored by the DOE National Laboratories and Sites, and what ongoing activities would benefit from additional support. The DOE is seeking information related to regional characteristics, descriptions of existing place-based innovation activity in the region, and descriptions of potential new or expanded place-based innovation activities in the region.
Responses to the RFI must be received by March 28th, 2023. Comments can be submitted here.
IES/NCER RFI on Research Topics for NCER R&D Centers
The National Center for Education Research (NCER), a center within the U.S Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), is charged with sponsoring sustained research on pressing topics in education. NCER is required to support not less than 8 Research and Development Centers (R&D Centers) focused on one or more of 11 specified topics set by Congress in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA). In addition to producing and disseminating research and best practices on educational issues within the United States, NCER is also responsible for setting research areas within the 11 topics specified in ESRA. In this RFI, NCER is soliciting comments from the public as it works to identify pressing questions within each of these broad topic areas.
Comments are due March 6th, 2023, and can be submitted here.
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Congressional Calendar
Committee rosters continue to be set for the 118th Congress. Late last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) shared all Democratic committee memberships. This week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) unveiled Republican committee assignments. On Thursday, the Senate passed two resolutions approving both the Democratic and Republican committee assignments. Therefore, starting next week, Senate Committees will be able to hold hearings and start to conduct committee business.
Senator Peters (D-MI) was named to the Senate Appropriation Committee, and he continues to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Senator Stabenow (D-MI) remains the Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. She also serves as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Senate Finance Committee.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) shared Democratic committee assignments for all standing committees in the House of Representatives earlier this week.
On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced that the President’s FY24 budget request, which highlights the Administration’s funding priorities, would be submitted to Congress on March 9th, 2023.
Next week, President Biden will deliver his State of the Union address the evening of Tuesday, February 7th.
Committee Hearings
Wednesday, February 8th, 2023
House Committee on Natural Resources
Full Committee Hearing: Unleashing America’s Energy and Mineral Potential
10:00 AM, 1324 Longworth
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Full Committee Business Meeting: Adoption of Committee Rules and Approval of Authorization and Oversight Plan
10:00 AM, 2318 Rayburn
House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Full Committee Hearing: American Education in Crisis
10:15 AM, 2175 Rayburn
Thursday February 9th, 2023
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Full Committee Hearing: Committee Rules and Funding Resolution
10:00 AM, 439 Dirksen
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Full Committee Hearing: Rules Governing the Committee and Budget Resolution for the Committee
10:00 AM, 253 Russell
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AAAS S&T Fellowship Opportunity
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) this year, and will highlight the program during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. from March 2nd to 5th. AAAS will host a conversation on Friday, March 3rd, from 9:00 A.M. to 9:45 A.M. ET intended for 2023 applicants. The session will focus on the nuts and bolts of eligibility, application components, interview process, and review criteria for the fellowship.
Registration for the AAAS Annual Meeting is available here, with early bird registration rates available through February 7th.
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U-M Faculty Engaged in Public Service: Tamas Gombosi
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We are proud to feature U-M faculty who volunteer their personal time in service to the nation. These engaged scholars serve on Federal Advisory Committees (FACs), Intergovernmental Personnel Agreements (IPAs), or on National Academy committees. These faculty and staff live out U-M’s mission to serve the state, nation, and world by applying their knowledge and expertise to help shape and inform national policy. If you are currently serving on a FAC, IPA, or National Academy committee, or have recently been selected to serve in one of these roles, please email us and let us know.
This month, we are featuring a Q&A with Tamas Gombosi, Konstantin I. Gringauz Distinguished University Professor of Space Science, Rollin M Gerstacker Professor of Engineering, and Director of the Center for Space Environment Modeling. Professor Gombosi serves on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Advisory Committee.
Could you tell us how you personally got appointed to the committee, and what your term of service is? Were you familiar with the role of the advisory committee before you joined?
The Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow (PROSWIFT) Act created a new national advisory structure for space weather. In 2021 I was appointed to be a member of the Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG), a Federal Advisory Committee for the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Interagency Working Group (IWG), National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the President. My term lasts until 2024.
How did you learn about this opportunity and what factors made you decide to serve?
Over the last decade I was involved in the effort to pass the PROSWIFT act through Congress. As a leading space weather scientist I was offered this position and I happily accepted.
Please explain your role and/or a specific issue that you worked on.
I am one of the founders of what is called space weather science. Space weather refers to phenomena and technological impacts of solar eruptions that influence conditions in space and on the ground. Such phenomena include radiation in space, GPS errors and accuracy, power grid outages, radio and satellite communications, astronaut and airline crew/passenger safety, among others.
As one of the newer members on the committee, having joined in September of 2021, does your experience on the committee differ from your colleagues who have been on the committee for a greater length of time?
This is a brand new committee and the present membership is the first generation of members. We are establishing the way this Committee operates.
How has COVID-19 affected your experience on the committee?
There have been no face-to-face meetings so far.
What is the time commitment to serving on the committee? Is your experience on the committee what you expected?
The commitment is slowly growing as we figure out how to operate. Yes, the experience is pretty much what I expected.
How has your research experience and expertise brought value to the committee?
As I said, I am a founder of this science discipline. The Committee values my opinion.
Would you recommend that your colleagues seek out similar opportunities? How do you think this experience will strengthen your career or ability to be successful in the future?
Since I am way beyond retirement age, my future career is not a relevant question for me. However, It is important to participate in National activities if you want your science to be relevant.
To learn more about Tamas Gombosi’s background and research areas, please click here. |
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