November 20, 2019
Science Funding Remains Frozen
Nearly two months into fiscal year (FY) 2020, the appropriations process to fund the federal government continues. On Tuesday, 19 November, the House passed another continuing resolution (CR), keeping the government funded at FY2019 levels, ahead of the 21 November deadline granted by a recent CR signed into law in September. The Senate is expected to approve the legislation on Thursday, 21 November. The new CR will keep the government funded for another four weeks …
November 19, 2019
The Changing Face of Air and Space
Even with a façade that is currently under renovation (and will continue to be for the next seven years), the inside of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is as inspiring as ever. Many young people are moved to pursue science thanks to a visit to the museum, but walking past rockets, moon landers, and photos from the final frontier can be just as exhilarating for adults. The museum served …
November 4, 2019
Deep Carbon, Deep Insights into Research Funding
These days, most researchers know very well that in order to get funding, it’s helpful to already have funding. The solemn reality of the grant cycle is that solid preliminary results and immediate applications are what beget federally funded projects. Rarely can you get money for just a neat idea or mysterious question. Seed funding from the government in the form of high-risk grants from agencies like the Department …
October 10, 2019
National Science Board highlights Skilled Technical Workforce shortage in new report
On 12 September, the National Science Board (NSB) released its latest report during a well-attended briefing on Capitol Hill. As the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) governing body, the NSB plays a critical role in looking broadly at trends in the science and technology (S&T) enterprise and provides recommendations to NSF on how to invest its portfolio. The NSB’s latest set of recommendations are presented in The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting …
October 8, 2019
AGU welcomes new Congressional Science Fellow, Dr. Kate Voss
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is pleased to announce its newest Congressional Science Fellow, Dr. Katalyn Voss. Now in its 42nd year, AGU’s Congressional Science Fellow program places highly qualified and accomplished scientists, engineers, and other professionals in the office of an individual member of Congress or on a committee for a one-year assignment. Dr. Voss, who started her fellowship in September, has been placed within the office of Sen. …
October 3, 2019
Senate Rejects Proposed Cuts, Expands Science Funding – Part 2
Just before the 2019 fiscal year ended on 30 September, the Senate Committee on Appropriations marked up and advanced ten of its twelve fiscal 2020 bills. We did a deep dive into one of the major science funding bills in Part 1 of our Senate appropriations breakdown. In this post, we’ll take a closer look into the spending bills that fund the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection …
Senate Rejects Proposed Cuts, Expands Science Funding – Part 1
Just before the 2019 fiscal year ended on 30 September, the Senate Committee on Appropriations considered and advanced ten of its twelve fiscal 2020 bills, including spending bills that fund the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Over the next two posts, we’ll detail the Senate’s spending and programmatic highlights for federal Earth and space science …
October 2, 2019
Funding Update: Continuing Resolution keeps government open, appropriations continue
On Friday, 27 September, President Trump signed into law a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the government funded through 21 November 2019. The CR extends 2019 funding levels into the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, which began on 1 October. Although this means that science agencies will remain operational, while under a CR agencies cannot award new grants, plan new programs, or budget appropriately. Additionally, the CR can …
September 30, 2019
More Than Just a Scientist: My Journey Weaving Science and Politics
Dina Abdel-Fattah is a natural resources and sustainability PhD candidate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Though she currently calls Alaska home, she has lived in Egypt, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Nepal, and Sweden. When she’s not in work mode, you can find her trail running and cross-country skiing. Follow her work on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/dinaabdelfattah/) and Twitter (@Gruene_Partei). This article was originally published by Sister in partnership with Science Rising …
September 26, 2019
Realizing Your Knowledge is Powerful: A Recap of Geosciences Congressional Visit Day 2019
Molly Anderson earned a BA in English Writing, a BS in Geosciences, and an MS in Geoscience at Boise State University before pursuing a PhD in Geology as a Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Florida. She is studying the chemistry of lavas from sub marine volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean to better understand Earth’s mantle. Molly participated in AGU’s 2019 Congressional Visits Day. Having grown up in a …
