DC Digest - January 13, 2012



In Today's Issue:
  • Chairman of Joint Chiefs Praises New Defense Strategy During Talk at Duke
  • NEW: Dukies on the Move
  • AAU Comments on OSTP Public Access Request for Information
  • National Science Board Releases Report on NSF Merit Review
  • NIH Requests Information on Biomedical Workforce Diversity and Data Management


CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS PRAISES NEW DEFENSE STRATEGY DURING TALK AT DUKE
The national defense strategy announced by President Obama earlier this month will position the United States to respond effectively to military challenges while reshaping the Pentagon budget to better reflect fiscal constraints, General Martin Dempsey, the nation's highest ranking military officer, told a packed audience at Duke University Thursday evening.

Dempsey, who received a master's degree in English from Duke in 1984, delivered the 2011 Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Family International Lecture in Page Auditorium. The speech capped a day-long campus visit during which he toured research laboratories and interacted with faculty and students.  He also met in the Bryan Center with approximately 400 ROTC students from Duke and other local universities.

Read More:
Chairman of Joint Chiefs Praises New Defense Strategy (duke.edu)


NEW: DUKIES ON THE MOVE
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) has named Troy Clair (T '03) his new Chief of Staff. Troy most recently served as an Obama Administration appointee in the U.S. Department of Treasury, where he advised the Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability.

Robert M. Fisher (T '76) has been named a Deputy Director in the Security and Exchange Commission's Office of International Affairs. Dr. Fisher has worked with the SEC since 2002.

Know of any Duke alumni who have recently taken a new post on the Hill, in the Administration or elsewhere in Washington? Let us know about it! Send Dukies on the Move tips to landy.elliott@duke.edu.


AAU COMMENTS ON OSTP PUBLIC ACCESS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
AAU submitted comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on January 12 in response to its Request for Information (RFI) regarding public access to peer-reviewed scholarly publications resulting from federally funded research. 

The AAU comments have drawn heavily from the recommendations of the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable, which the association has endorsed. The comments argue for expanding public access to the results of federally funded research in ways that accommodate the needs and interest of the diverse stakeholders within the scholarly publishing community.  They add that sustainable open-access publishing is a desirable end-point, where feasible, and that public-private partnerships are a promising way to expand access to scientific information by interconnecting governmental and non-governmental databases. 

Read More:
AAU Comments on OSTP Public Access RFI (pdf)


NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD RELEASES REPORT ON NSF MERIT REVIEW
The National Science Board on January 10 released a report on the merit review process at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the federal agency that the Board oversees.  The Board found that the NSF merit review criteria remain appropriate for evaluating proposals for NSF funding, but recommended that the agency better define the two criteria of intellectual merit and broader impacts.

Read More:
National Science Board Releases Report on NSF Merit Review Criteria (nsf.gov)


NIH REQUESTS INFORMATION ON BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AND DATA MANAGEMENT
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on January 10 issued two Requests for Information (RFIs) on diversity in the biomedical research workforce and on the management of research and administrative data.

The diversity RFI was issued by the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce, which is seeking advice on actions NIH can take to increase the diversity of the biomedical research workforce.  Among the issues the working group has identified are the transition points in the biomedical research workforce pipeline where NIH programs might most effectively encourage diversity—such as entry into graduate programs and entry into post-doctoral positions—and factors that influence the grant review process, such as the role of institutional affiliation and academic pedigree.  Responses to the diversity RFI are due by February 24, 2012.
 
The data management RFI was issued by the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director Working Group on Data and Informatics, which is seeking advice on policies regarding “the management, integration, and analysis of research data and administrative data."  Among the issues the working group has identified are challenges in data collection, standards development, data accessibility, incentives for data sharing, and support for tool development, maintenance, and support.  Responses to the data management RFI are due by March 12, 2012.

Read More:
Diversity RFI (nih.gov)
Data and Informatics RFI (nih.gov)