March 14, 2014 - This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
First Step for FIRST Bill Exposes Party Differences
March 13, 2014 | Science Insider
A research panel from the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology marked up a bill called Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) Act that would shape key research, education, and policy programs at NSF. The bill includes changes to the peer review process and a 40 percent cut to funding for social science research.
U.S. Senate Approves France Cordova to Lead Science Agency
March 12, 2014 | Nature
The U.S. Senate confirmed France Cordova to be director of NSF on March 12.
Animal Rights Extremists Increasingly Targeting Individuals
March 12, 2014 | Science Insider
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) released a report saying that animal rights activists have dramatically shifted their tactics over the last decade, targeting individual researchers and the businesses that support them, instead of going after their universities.
China Goes Back to Basics on Research Funding
March 11, 2014 | Nature
Premier Li Keqiang released his first budget and confirmed China's commitment to their investment in basic research. The appropriation for basic research will increase by 12.5 percent to $6.6 billion.
- Find out more about global advocacy efforts at SfN.org/advocacy.
Up to 1000 NIH Investigators Dropped Out Last Year
March 7, 2014 | Science Insider
Following the 5 percent cut as a result of sequestration last year, new data shows that the number of investigators with National Institutes of Health funding dropped sharply last year by at least 500 researchers and as many as 1,000.
- Act now! Make your case in support of biomedical research funding to members of Congress using SfN's simple tools.
Policy
H.R. 4176: To Establish a Position of Science Laureate of the United States
March 6, 2014 | Govtrack.us
This bill was introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and would create a position to recruit a member from the scientific community to travel around the country promoting science and research to students and the general public. It has 19 cosponsors (as of March 13, 2014).
Articles of Interest
Biomarkers Could Predict Alzheimer's Before it Starts
March 9, 2014 | Nature
A simple blood test has the potential to predict whether a healthy person will develop symptoms of dementia within two or three years. If larger studies uphold the results, the test could fill a major gap in strategies to combat brain degeneration, which is thought to show symptoms only at a stage when it is too late to treat effectively.
- Find more information for the public with an interest in the science behind Alzheimer’s disease at BrainFacts.org.
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