Because It Is in the National Interest, Both in Interdisciplinary Work and on Its Own

March 28, 2017 by Wendy Naus

As a scientist, it is easy to become absorbed in the field or even subfield you are studying and simply focus on the value of your own research within that area of study. Looking back at my time as a political scientist, I understand how easy it is to have that narrow focus and not look at the broader impacts. But today, as the value of federal funding for scientific research is being challenged in Congress, scientists can no longer afford to do this. This is especially true for social scientists.

I serve on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and for more than eight years I have been Chairman or Ranking Member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee which has oversight over the National Science Foundation (NSF). I authored the last long-term reauthorization of the NSF and continually fight for increased funding for this top-notch agency, which is emulated around the globe and has helped the U.S. lead the world in scientific research. While NSF funding for all sciences has slowed greatly since 2011, social science research has been specifically targeted for cuts. In the House, we have seen attempts to defund social sciences by eliminating funding for the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate at the NSF. All of my colleagues on the Science Committee can attest to the fact that I have consistently and passionately made the case for the value of social science research by laying out numerous examples of how it has benefitted our nation.

COSSA Releases State Funding Fact Sheets for 2017

January 10, 2017 by Wendy Naus

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) has released the 2017 edition of its state funding fact sheets with a new look. These one-pagers showcase the amount of federal social science research funding that goes to each state, and includes information on the leading recipient institutions and sources of funding. The fact sheets are helpful for articulating to policy makers the local economic impact of social science research funding. The fact sheets are available on the COSSA website at http://www.cossa.org/resources/state-fact-sheets.

This article was originally published in the January 10, 2017 issue of the COSSA Washington Update. Click here to subscribe and receive this newsletter every two weeks.

Why Study China's Dairy Industry? A Conversation with Dr. Megan Tracy

November 28, 2016 by Wendy Naus

This series provides researchers in the social and behavioral sciences whose work has been mischaracterized by lawmakers the opportunity to set the record straight about the value and potential of their work-- and confront misconceptions about social science research funded by the federal government.

COSSA: Describe your research project in your own words.

MEGAN TRACY: The project analyzed how regulatory practices continue to be negotiated, modeled and reproduced long after an initial food safety scandal, focusing on the post-2008 melamine adulteration scandal in China's domestic dairy industry. Specifically, we documented how transparency demands are located within global regulatory processes and technoscientific systems and examined how food safety regulations and best practices, motivated by global scandals and pressure to prevent future incidents, move through various technical practices. Modelled after the extensive food chains that create global networks for the production and distribution of our food, food safety regulations and best practices were traced across the chain of actors involved in producing and monitoring food safety.

Social and Behavioral Scientists Among New National Academy of Medicine Inductees

November 02, 2016 by Wendy Naus

The National Academy of Medicine announced the election of 79 new members, including 70 regular members and nine international members. The newly elected cohort includes several members who work in the social and behavioral sciences. They include Anita Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania; Cheryl Ann Marie Anderson, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health, at the University of California, San Diego; Peter Brian Bach, Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Laura L. Carstensen, Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor in Public Policy, Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity at Stanford University; Martin Gaynor, E.J. Barone Professor of Economics and Health Policy at Carnegie Mellon University; Maureen Lichtveld, Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences at Tulane University; Bernice A. Pescosolido, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington; and Prabhat Jha, Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.

COSSA congratulates all of the newly elected members of the Academy.

This article was originally published in the November 1, 2016 issue of the COSSA Washington Update. Click here to subscribe and receive this newsletter every two weeks.

Monkeys on a Treadmill? A Conversation with Dr. Kimberley Phillips

September 22, 2016 by Wendy Naus

COSSA: Describe your research project in your own words.

KIMBERLEY PHILLIPS: My scientific goals include understanding how exercise may alleviate the terrible burdens of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Burgeoning research indicates that persons suffering from such diseases might benefit from exercise, and understanding the ways in which exercise affects these diseases could lead to improved treatments. Research into the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of exercise has been hampered by the inability to directly measure how specific exercise regimens affect the molecules, chemicals and brain cells in humans. We therefore undertook the research in question, reported in the article Take the Monkey and Run, which developed a paradigm for safely and effectively engaging marmoset monkeys in exercise.

Federal "Match.com" for Seniors? A Conversation with Dr. Lisa Neff

August 26, 2016 by Wendy Naus

COSSA: Describe your research project in your own words.

LISA NEFF: Our project compares the relationship coping strategies of older and younger couples, both married and dating, to examine potential age-related changes in how we approach relationship conflicts, as well as the implications of different coping strategies for emotional and physical well-being. We are particularly interested in the relationship experiences of older (age 60+) dating couples. Recent decades have seen a dramatic rise in the prevalence of dating in later life. Despite these societal trends, our understanding of how older adults maintain satisfying dating relationships is limited. Although research on marriage and dating has much to say regarding the coping behaviors that create happier, healthier relationships, this research has focused overwhelmingly on the relationships of young adults. Thus, we don't know how well these findings generalize to an older population. Our project hopes to fill this gap and provide a better understanding of the factors that promote healthy relationships in later life.

Love at First Swipe? A Conversation with Dr. Stephanie Tong

July 22, 2016 by Wendy Naus

Setting the Record Straight on "Wasteful Research"

COSSA: Describe your research project in your own words.

STEPHANIE TONG: Our project examines how people perceive and react to the technology embedded in online dating websites. Online and mobile dating systems are changing the ways in which people form romantic connections, either by giving them access to a large pool of potential partners, or by making recommendations on whom to date. With over 30 million people using online or mobile dating in their search for love, these systems have an immense potential to affect the process of romantic relationship formation. Online and mobile dating platforms are silently altering people’s attention, changing expectations about potential partners, and subtly influencing their decisions about which partners to pursue. If a culture is dependent on its social bonds, then we must know more about how these systems are changing the ways that people are forming those bonds—and whether or not the users of these systems are aware of the effects on their own relational behavior.