Celebrating 25 Years of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

National Institutes of Health
OBSSR Updates
June 30, 2020

On the date of the formation of OBSSR 25 years ago, James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, provides a perspective of OBSSR from NIH leadership. 

On July 1, 1995, the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) was formed with Norman Anderson as its first Director. That year, the Digital Video Disc (DVD) was introduced. JavaScript was developed and web browsers like Netscape were making the Internet accessible to the general public. Amazon sold its first book and eBay was launched. In the medical sciences, Hemophilus influenzae became the first free living organism to have its complete genome sequenced. The first protease inhibitor was approved by the FDA for combination treatment of HIV/AIDS. Clearly, much has changed in medicine, technology, and the world in the 25 years since OBSSR was formed.

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New Director Takes Helm at National Science Foundation

NSF Public Affairs
June 23, 2020

Following in the footsteps of many great science and engineering leaders before him, Sethuraman Panchanathan has been officially appointed and begins work today as the National Science Foundation's 15th director, sharing his vision for his six-year term and promising a continued push for inclusiveness in science and engineering.

"Right now, the world faces significant scientific challenges – most obviously a pandemic." Panchanathan said. "But in addition to providing creative solutions to address current problems, our eyes are on the future, leveraging partnerships at every level and encouraging diversity that breeds new ideas for a robust pipeline of young scientists. It is only through that expansive perspective on the scientific and engineering enterprise that we can recognize the brightest ideas and nurture them into tomorrow's world-class technological innovations."

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As Coronavirus Spreads, Universities Stall Their Research to Keep Human Subjects Safe

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Marc Parry
March 18, 2020

A basic calculation governs research on human beings: How do the benefits stack up against the risks?

The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t much alter that calculation for studies that can directly improve the health of seriously ill participants, such as trials of new cancer treatments.

But the pandemic could stall other researchers: neuroscientists who put people in MRI scanners to study normal brain functions, business professors who gather them for focus groups, oral historians who take their testimonies, criminal-justice scholars who interview people coming out of prisons. Those kinds of studies, which didn’t previously expose the participants to any risk, could now sicken them with Covid-19.

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NSF Creates New Research Security Chief Position

National Science Foundation
March 2, 2020


Rebecca Spyke Keiser, expert in international research issues, named as first chief of research security strategy and policy

The National Science Foundation has appointed Rebecca Spyke Keiser to the newly created position of chief of research security strategy and policy as part of its continuing effort to ensure the security of federally funded research while maintaining an open international collaboration.

In this role, Keiser will be tasked with providing the NSF director with policy advice on all aspects of research security strategy. She will also lead NSF’s efforts to develop and implement strategies to improve research security and the agency’s coordination with other federal agencies and the White House.

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Elsevier and Carnegie Mellon Reach Transformative Open-Access Agreement as Research Universities Seek Major Change

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Lindsay Ellis 
November 22, 2019

The impact of the University of California system’s decision in February to walk away from negotiations with Elsevier over journal subscriptions has rippled out to Pittsburgh, where Carnegie Mellon University’s libraries have struck a deal with the company that marks a significant stride in open-access publishing.

Under the agreement, Carnegie Mellon researchers will be able to read all Elsevier academic journals and, next year, can publish their articles in front of a paywall without having to pay an extra fee. The company and the university on Thursday said it was the first contract of its kind between Elsevier and an American university.

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NIH Annual Snapshot – FY 2018 By the Numbers

NIH Open Mike Blog
Mike Lauer
March 13, 2019

We recently released our annual web reports and success rate data with updated numbers for fiscal year (FY) 2018. These web products represent annual snapshots of NIH research investments, which are highlighted in this post.

Before delving into the numbers, we want to draw your attention to the new and modernized NIH Data Book recently released. This easy to navigate tool enables users to access and interact with a wealth of data ranging from NIH funding, research grant types, success rates, and much more (see this NIH Open Mike post for more).

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NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Research on Sexual Harassment and Other Forms of Harassment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Contexts

NSF Dear Colleague Letter 19-053
March 29, 2019

Dear Colleagues:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has publicly communicated its commitment to promoting safe, productive research and education environments for current and future scientists and engineers, including efforts to help reduce sexual harassment and other forms of harassment in STEM contexts.

Recently, to learn about the challenges related to sexual harassment in STEM settings, NSF and other organizations funded the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to conduct a study on the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment in science and engineering departments and programs. The results of the study are available in the report, Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine. As the most comprehensive examination to date of sexual harassment in academic science, engineering, and medicine, the report brings together behavioral and social research on types of sexual harassment and prevalence, data on legal and policy mechanisms, and new approaches for changing the climate and culture in higher education to prevent and effectively respond to sexual harassment.

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