National Science Foundation Advisory Panel Meetings 

Federal agencies funding the behavioral and brain sciences hold advisory meetings open to the public. FABBS regularly attends these meetings to benefit from informative presentations and engaged deliberation on policy and practice, as well as to interact with members and staff. In December, both the Social, Behavioral, and Economic (SBE) Directorate Advisory Committee (AC) and the National Science Board (NSB) held two-day meetings. 

Social, Behavioral, and Economic Directorate Advisory Committee Meeting

Dr. Kaye Husbands Fealing, Assistant Director (AD) of SBE, welcomed members and staff for the meeting on December 12th and 13th. At the start of the first day, she provided an update on SBE for AC members. The two-day meeting featured several presentations and panels, including: 

• Amplifying Opportunities to Advance our Understanding of the SBE Science Communities: Updates from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) by Ms. Emilda B. Rivers, Division Director of the NCSES, SBE. 

• Current and Future SBE Contributions to the Bioeconomy by Dr. Susan Marqusee, AD, Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), along with several colleagues from BIO and SBE. A goal of this session was to explore opportunities to increase collaboration and interdisciplinary work in order to anticipate and address the ethical and societal implications of the bioeconomy. 

• The Role of the Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Nation’s Health: A Window of Opportunity by Dr. Jane Simoni, SBE AC Member (ex-officio) and Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health. 

• Science of Science: Demonstrating SBE Value, led by Dr. David Barker, Division Director, Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES), SBE. This panel focused on science communication and how to best convey the value of SBE science within NSF and to broader audiences.  

This was the last meeting for AC member and former FABBS Board member Sandra Graham, UCLA.  

National Science Board Meeting

The NSB met on December 4th and 5th, swearing in eight new members (see previous article) and receiving updates from the NSB chair NSF Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan. The meeting also featured three panels on the future of the U.S. science and technology enterprise.  

FABBS members might be particularly interested in the presentation by members of the recently formed Vision for American Science & Technology (VAST) task force. Led by Sudip S. Parikh, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the task force is working to create a new social contract with science, explaining that the science approaches and innovation that ‘got us here isn’t going to be able to get us there.’ France Cordova, PhD, President of the Science Philanthropy Alliance and former NSF Director, identified several key changes, including new players, increased understanding of the interplay of basic and applied research, and new fields. Dr. Cordova specifically called out the evolution of social and behavioral sciences and the profound opportunity for public benefit. Marcia McNutt, PhD, President of the National Academy of Science, outlined three action areas: Reducing inefficiencies and breaking down barriers, empowering people, and committing to critical infrastructure. A final speaker, Monica Dus, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, outlined the challenges and opportunities for the U.S. Science and Technology workforce. 

In closed sessions, the Board received the final recommendations from the NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review and held a session on Strategic-Level Thinking and Discussion about the NSF Budget.  

In case members are wondering about the leadership of the NSF in the next administration, Dr. Panchanathan was appointed by then-President Trump during his first administration for a six-year term that ends in June 2026. The 24 members of the Board serve staggered six-year terms.