After Three-Day Government Shutdown, Congress Passes Three-Week Funding Bill
Almost four months into the fiscal year, Congress has not found a path forward to fund the government for the entire year. Instead, after a three-day closure and a weekend of negotiations on policy issues such as immigration, border security, and children’s health insurance, the Senate passed a bill on January 22 that funded the government for three weeks, which was approved by the House hours later and signed into law by the President. The continuing resolution allows the government to stay open through February 8 but does not provide agencies with the certainty they need to make funding decisions and start new programs.  This is the third continuing resolution passed this year.

For more on the shutdown and science, read U.S. scientists breathe a sigh of relief as government shutdown to end.

NSB Releases 2018 Science and Engineering Indicators
The National Science Board has released the 2018 Science and Engineering Indicators, a congressionally mandated report that provides data on the science and engineering enterprise in the U.S. and around the world. The report is published every other year and includes information on science and engineering education, the workforce, R&D, public understanding of science, and the global marketplace. 

The report presents the data; it does not offer any policy recommendations based on the information. Other organizations and individuals use the data to spot trends over time and develop an understanding of science related issues important to them. 

One interesting fact being reported by Scientific American based on the 2018 Science and Engineering Indicators is that China has surpassed the U.S. for the first time in scientific publications (China Declared World’s Largest Producer of Scientific Articles).

 To access the full report, visit the National Science Board’s interactive website.

National Academies Launches Study of Research Reproducibility and Replicability
In response to a Congressional request, the National Science Foundation has asked the National Academies to undertake a study on Reproducibility and Replicability in Science.  The Academies launched the project in December and has put together an ad hoc committee of fifteen experts to “assess research and data reproducibility and replicability issues, with a focus on topics that cross disciplines. The committee will provide definitions of "reproducibility" and "replication" accounting for the diversity of fields in science and engineering. They will assess what is known and, if necessary, identify areas that may need more information to ascertain the extent of the issues of replication and reproducibility in scientific and engineering research.”

The committee is expected to develop a report that will offer provide a review of the state of reproducibility in science and offer policy recommendations based on these findings. The committee’s next meeting is February 22nd in Washington, DC.

BPS participates in March for Science Twitter Chat
On January 18, BPS incoming BPS President-Elect David Piston and BPS Director of Policy and Communications Ellen Weiss participated in a Twitter chat about basic research.  The focus of the chat was what basic research is, why it’s important, and how we can effectively protect and champion it as science advocates. To read the conversation, search for #scisocial on Twitter.

Recent Science Policy Related Reads from Around the Web
India’s education minister assails evolutionary theory, calls for curricula overhaul
A Warning from Florida 
Make replication studies ‘a normal and essential part of science,’ Dutch science academy says
The Return of Earmarks