Dec. 5, 2014 – This Week's Consolidation of Advocacy News
News
Deal to Avert a Shutdown?
Dec. 3, 2014 | Politico
House Republican leaders are supporting a plan to fund most of the government through September 2015 while funding immigration enforcement agencies on a short-term basis.
House Could Consider Omnibus Next Week
Dec. 1, 2014 | The Hill
A spending bill that would fund the government through September 2015 is expected to make it to the House floor next week.
- Watch SfN’s webinar From Congress to Your Lab to learn more about how congressional action impacts science in the U.S.
E.U. Commission Wants to Divert Horizon 2020 Money Into New Investment Fund
Nov. 27, 2014 | ScienceInsider
A new leader of the European Commission is being criticized for plans to divert funds from Horizon 2020, a 7-year research funding program, into a new “Investment Plan for Europe.” The plan’s goal is to boost Europe’s economy and create new jobs.
National Science Foundation Updates Transparency and Accountability Practices
Dec. 3, 2014 | National Science Foundation
NSF has outlined new guidelines for enhancing transparency and accountability of the agency and its funded research.
Articles of Interest
Football Head Impacts Can Cause Brain Changes Even Without Concussion
Dec. 1, 2014 | Time
A new study shows that head impacts in high school athletes can result in brain changes even when there aren’t any symptoms of a concussion.
- Read more about concussions at BrainFacts.org.
Pain and Itch Neurons Grown in a Dish
Nov. 25, 2014 | Nature
Researchers have converted mouse and human fibroblasts into neurons capable of detecting pain, itch, or temperature which may help identify new painkilling drugs.
- Learn more about chronic pain at BrainFacts.org.
Speech Science: Tongue Twisters and Valley Girls
Dec. 6, 2014 | Science Friday
Researchers discuss tongue twisters and the “Valley Girl” dialect as they relate to speech planning patterns.
- Find out more about language at BrainFacts.org.
What Do Young Scientists Want?
Dec. 1, 2014 | Science Careers
A recent gathering of Boston-area postdocs produced a document that broadly describes “what the postdocs are worried about.”
Opinion
How Science Suffers During Government Shutdown
Dec. 3, 2014 | Scientific American
A government shutdown is unlikely, but science will suffer if a funding plan doesn’t get passed by the December 11 deadline. This article outlines effects of the last shutdown on science.
Memo to Congress: Stop Fighting Scientific Research
Dec. 2, 2014 | Roll Call
This commentary piece discusses an increase in criticism of NIH-supported research during the 2014 election season and why Congress should trust the peer review process of NIH grants.
Opinion: On “Funding Research in Africa”
Nov. 28, 2014 | The Scientist
Francis Collins and Jeremy Farrar respond to an editorial that voiced concerns over basic research funding in Africa.
