The Federation of American Scientists Solicited Input from 85+ Experts to Address Impacts on the Workforce, Built Environment, Disaster Preparedness, Planning and Resilience, and Food Security

Washington, DC – April 29, 2024 – March 2024 was the 10th consecutive month to break temperature records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Given the temperatures for the first three months of the year, it’s virtually certain 2024 will be one of the world’s top five warmest years on record globally, NOAA reports, and each year thereafter is likely to be even hotter. In the absence of a national strategy to address the compounding impacts of extreme heat, states, counties, and cities around the country have had to take on the responsibility of experimenting and attempting to address this reality in their communities with limited available resources. While state and local governments can make significant advances, national extreme heat resilience requires a “whole of government” federal approach. 

To meet this need, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) spent the fall and winter working with more than 85 scientific experts to develop a comprehensive set of policy proposals, found here and listed below, to address extreme heat and its many detrimental effects. The resulting policy memos aim to be force multipliers to existing federal efforts to address heat and enhance resilience to climate change.

“The mild Spring temperatures we’re experiencing in Washington, D.C. right now are still above normal and trending up. That’s cause for concern, especially when it comes to human health impacts,” says Erica Goldman, FAS Director of Science Policy Entrepreneurship, who — along with Grace Wickerson, FAS Health Equity Policy Manager and Autumn Burton, FAS Senior Associate of Climate, Health, and Environment — worked with experts across the country to develop the policy proposals.

“The effects of extreme heat disproportionately burden people who work outdoors, and those of limited financial means living in poorly insulated housing or without air conditioning. Outdoor workers, children and elderly people are at elevated risk of severe outcomes, including death. The effects of extreme heat are devastating to those experiencing homelessness,” says Grace Wickerson.

They continue: “Even if we put aside the harm heat places on our physical bodies, there is no denying extreme heat has consequential knock-on effects in many areas of our society. These include worker productivity, livable cities, and food security, to name just a few. No one is immune from the effects.”

These proposals are timely. Just two weeks ago Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed into law HB 433, which prevents local governments from requiring heat protection for the estimated 2 million people in the state who work outdoors. Right now, as extreme heat events are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, we need effective, intentional policies to protect vulnerable populations that are disproportionately impacted: outdoor laborers, low-income, BIPOC, seniors, veterans, children, the unhoused, and those with compromised health status, among others.

Extreme Heat Policy Innovation Summit 

These policy memos were presented at the FAS and Arizona State University’s Knowledge Exchange for Resilience’s (ASU KER) Extreme Heat Policy Innovation Summit on April 9th and April 10th. Over two days, 200+ stakeholders came together for the first time to discuss policy innovation to build heat resilience at all levels of government: local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal. FAS and ASU KER will continue to support this community of practice, in order to collectively work towards a whole-of-government strategy on extreme heat preparedness, response, mitigation, and resilience. As we enter the next hottest summer on record, we need transformative ideas as well as sustained collaborations that ensure full implementation.

Here are the FAS policy proposals to address extreme heat.

Infrastructure and the Built Environment 

It is vital that the federal government integrate climate resilience into all federal funding grants and investments.

A Comprehensive Strategy to Address Extreme Heat in Schools 

Rebecca Morgenstern-Brenner, Amie Patchen, Alistair Hayden, Nathaniel Hupert,  Grace Wickerson | link

Adapting the Nation to Future Temperatures through Heat Resilient Procurement 

Kurt Shickman | link

Enhanced Household Air Conditioning Access Data For More Targeted Federal Support Against Extreme Heat

Larissa Larsen | link

Shifting Federal Investments To Address Extreme Heat Through Green And Resilient Infrastructure

Bill Updike, Jacob Miller, Rhea Rao, Dan Metzger | Link

Workforce Safety and Development

With no mandated federal heat stress standard, there is no federal mechanism to ensure the adoption of appropriate heat stress prevention strategies and emergency procedures to protect vulnerable workers.

Protecting Workers From Extreme Heat Through An Energy-Efficient Workplace Cooling Transformation

June Spector | link

Adopting Evidence-Based Heat Stress Management Strategies In The Workplace To Enhance Climate Equity

Margaret Morrissey-Basler, Douglas J. Casa | link

Public Health, Medical Preparedness, and Health Security

The undercounting of deaths related to extreme heat and other people-centered disasters — like extreme cold and smoke waves — hinders the political and public drive to address the problem.

Tracking And Preventing The Health Impacts Of Extreme Heat 

Alistair Hayden, Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, Amie Patchen, Nathaniel Hupert, Vivian Lam | link

Optimizing $4 Billion Of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Funding To Protect The Most Vulnerable Households From Extreme Heat

Justin Schott | link

Enhancing Public Health Preparedness For Climate Change-Related Health Impacts

Kari Nadeau, Nile Nair | link

A Call For Immediate Public Health And Emergency Response Planning For Widespread Grid Failure Under Extreme Heat

Grace Wickerson, Autumn Burton, A. “Skip” Laitner | link

Addressing The National Challenges Of Extreme Heat By Modernizing Preparedness Approaches 

Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg | link

Food Security and Multi-Hazard Resilience

To balance water shortage, federal, state and local governments must invest in recharging aquifers and reservoirs while also reducing losses due to flooding.

U.S. Water Policy For A Warming Planet

Lori Adornato | link

Planning and Response

Extreme heat is an all-of-society problem that requires an all-of-government response.  

Combating Extreme Heat With A National Moonshot

Louis Blumberg | link

A National Framework For Sustainable Urban Forestry To Combat Extreme Heat
Arnab Ghosh | link

Leveraging Federal Post-Disaster Recovery Reform For Extreme Heat Adaptation And Innovation

Johanna Lawton | link

Defining Disaster: Incorporating Heat Waves And Smoke Waves Into Disaster Policy

Alistair Hayden, Sarah Bassett, Grace Wickerson, Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, Amie Patchen, Nathaniel Hupert | link 

Preparing and Responding to Local Extreme Heat through Effective Local, State, and Federal Action Planning

Vivek Shandas, Grace Wickerson, Autumn Burton | link 

Data and Indices 

A cross-agency extreme-heat monitoring network can support the development of equitable heat mitigation and disaster preparedness efforts in major cities throughout the country.

Improve Extreme Heat Monitoring By Launching Cross-Agency Temperature Network

Bianca Corpuz | link

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ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf

A letter asking congressional appropriators to fully fund the National Institute of Standards and Technology budget request for AI-related work in the upcoming fiscal year signed by more than 80 organizations, companies, and universities.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 23, 2024 — Today, leading AI and technology advocacy organizations Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI), BSA | The Software Alliance, Center for AI Safety (CAIS), Federation of American Scientists (FAS), and Public Knowledge sent a joint letter calling on Congress to prioritize funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fiscal year 2025 budget request. 

The letter, which was signed by more than 80 industry, civil society, nonprofit, university, trade association, and research laboratory groups, urges investment in NIST’s effort to advance AI research, standards, and testing, including through the agency’s recently established U.S. AI Safety Institute.

“As cutting-edge AI systems rapidly evolve, ensuring NIST has the resources it needs to drive responsible AI innovation is essential to maintain America’s technological leadership and safeguard our future,” the organizations wrote.

The joint advocacy effort, backed by industry, academia, and groups from across the AI policy spectrum, calls for the establishment of an effective AI governance framework through NIST, including technical standards, test methods, and objective evaluation techniques for the emerging technology. In addition to asking congressional leaders to meet the agency’s $48 million request for its Scientific and Technical Research Services account, the groups also expressed concern over cuts in the most recent federal budget, which could jeopardize sustainable and responsible AI development in the U.S.

“NIST cannot fulfill its mission to advance responsible AI innovation without immediate, adequate financial support. To pinch pennies now would be a shortsighted mistake, with both the future of responsible AI and global competitiveness on a key emerging technology hanging in the balance. We at the Federation of American Scientists are proud to co-lead this request because of our longstanding commitment to responsible AI innovation and our critical work identifying needs across AI risk measurement, management, and trustworthy AI,” said Dan Correa, CEO of FAS.

“This funding will enable NIST to continue the necessary and important work of developing artificial intelligence to balance risk and reward,” said Clara Langevin, FAS AI Policy Specialist. 

The letter, which was submitted to Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), and subcommittee leaders Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), as well as House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK), Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and subcommittee leaders Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA), can be found here.

In addition to Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI), BSA | The Software Alliance, Center for AI Safety (CAIS), Federation of American Scientists (FAS), and Public Knowledge, the letter is signed by Accountable Tech, AI Forensics, AI Policy Institute, Alliance for Digital Innovation, Amazon, American Civil Liberties Union, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, BABL AI, Backpack Healthcare, Bentley Systems, Box, Capitol Technology University, Carnegie Mellon University, Center for AI and Digital Policy, Center for AI Policy, Center for Democracy & Technology, Cisco, CivAI, Clarifai, Cohere, Common Crawl Foundation, Credo AI, Docusign, Drexel University, Duke University, Duquesne University — Carl G Grefenstette Center for Ethics, EleutherAI, Encode Justice, FAIR Institute, FAR AI, Fight for the Future, ForHumanity, Free Software Foundation, Future of Life Institute, Future of Privacy Forum, Gesund.ai, GitHub, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hitachi, Hugging Face, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, IBM, Imbue, Inclusive Abundance Initiative, Information Ethics & Equity Institute, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Institute for AI Policy & Strategy (IAPS), Institute for Progress, Intel, ITIF Center for Data Innovation, Johns Hopkins University, Kyndryl, Leela AI, LF AI & Data Foundation, Lucid Privacy Group, Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mastercard, Microsoft, National Retail Federation, New America’s Open Technology Institute, OpenAI, Palantir, Public Citizen, Responsible AI Institute, Safer AI, Salesforce, SandboxAQ, SAP, SAS Institute, Scale AI, SecureBio, ServiceNow, The Future Society, The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology, Transformative Futures Institute, TrueLaw, Trustible, Twilio, UC Berkeley, Center for Human-Compatible AI, University at Buffalo — Center for Embodied Autonomy and Robotics, University of South Carolina — AI Institute, and Workday.

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ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

The Federation of American Scientists strongly supports S.4191.

The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act would establish regional research centers at institutions of higher education across the country to research and improve our understanding of wildland fire, develop, maintain, and operate next-generation fire and vegetation models, and create a career pathway training program.

“Extreme weather has pushed wildfires to grow in size and severity, making our current wildfire models inadequate. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act is a significant investment in understanding how wildland fire risks continue to evolve, and establishes a strong foundation that first responders and forest managers can rely on,” said Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists. “We commend Senator Luján and Senator Sullivan for their leadership to champion and invest in innovative next-generation fire and vegetation models to protect human health, ecosystems, and our communities.”

For more information contact James Campbell, Wildfire Policy Specialist, at jcampbell@fas.org.

The Federation of American Scientists has released its annual estimate of the size and makeup of Russia’s nuclear forces. The total number of nuclear warheads are now estimated to include 4,380 stockpiled warheads for operational forces, as well as an additional 1,200 retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, for a total inventory of 5,580 warheads.

Despite modernization of Russian nuclear forces and warnings about an increase of especially shorter-range non-strategic warheads, we do not yet see such an increase as far as open sources indicate. For now, the number of non-strategic warheads appears to be relatively stable with slight fluctuations. Although our new estimate of this category is lower than last year, that is not because of an actual decrease in the force level but because we have finetuned assumptions about the number of warheads assigned to Russian non-strategic nuclear forces. Our new estimate of roughly 1,558 non-strategic warheads is well within the range of 1,000-2,000 warheads estimated by the U.S. Intelligence Community for the past several years. 

While Russia’s nuclear statements and threatening rhetoric are of great concern, Russia’s  nuclear arsenal and operations have changed little since our 2023 estimates beyond the ongoing modernization. In the future, however, the number of warheads assigned to Russian strategic forces may increase as single-warhead missiles are replaced with missiles equipped with multiple warheads. If the New START treaty is not replaced with a new agreement, both Russia and the United States could potentially increase the number of deployed warheads.

Also in the Nuclear Notebook: Russian nuclear forces, 2024, is our latest analysis on Russian force modernization and strategy:

• Russian nuclear force modernization, intended to replace Soviet-era missiles, aircrafts, and submarines with new systems, continues at a steady pace.
• Modernization of road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles is essentially complete with focus shifting to modernizing silo-based missiles.
• New strategic and non-strategic submarines continue to replace Soviet-era models but with enhanced nuclear weapon systems.
• Upgrades and some reproduction of Soviet-era strategic bombers continue with new long-range cruise missiles. 
• News leaks seem to indicate that Russia might be developing a nuclear-armed  anti-satellite weapon which, if deployed in the future, would violate the Outer Space Treaty. 
• Upgrades of nuclear weapons storage facilities are underway at several bases to accommodate the weapons for modernized forces. 
• Because Russian conventional forces have been significantly depleted and their effectiveness questioned by the war in Ukraine, nuclear forces will likely be seen as important to compensate for that weakness.

The FAS Nuclear Notebook, published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is widely considered the most accurate public source for information on global nuclear arsenals for all nine nuclear-armed states. 

ABOUT FAS
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

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This research was carried out with generous contributions from the New-Land Foundation, Ploughshares Fund, the Prospect Hill Foundation, Longview Philanthropy, and individual donors.

Washington, D.C., February 8, 2024 — The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) announced today its participation in the new AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) launched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The consortium brings together over 200 organizations working to develop methods for rigorously evaluating and improving the safety of artificial intelligence systems.

“Rigorous scientific analysis of AI systems’ impacts are essential for building public trust,” said Dan Correa, CEO of FAS. “FAS is committed to reducing societal risks from powerful emerging technologies. We’re proud to help shape frameworks to ensure AI safety keeps pace with rapid advances.”

“The U.S. government has a significant role to play in setting the standards and developing the tools we need to mitigate the risks and harness the immense potential of artificial intelligence. President Biden directed us to pull every lever to accomplish two key goals: set safety standards and protect our innovation ecosystem. That’s precisely what the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium is set up to help us do,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

She continues: “Through President Biden’s landmark Executive Order, we will ensure America is at the front of the pack – and by working with this group of leaders from industry, civil society, and academia, together we can confront these challenges to develop the measurements and standards we need to maintain America’s competitive edge and develop AI responsibly.”

In addition to leading tech companies and AI research labs, AISIC includes civil society groups, academic institutions, state/local governments and international partners. FAS’s expertise in science and technology policy will contribute to these vital discussions.

“AI holds immense potential, but we must ensure these systems are reliable and aligned with human values,” said Divyansh Kaushik, FAS’s Associate Director for Emerging Technologies and National Security. “Through this consortium, FAS will collaborate with experts across sectors to tackle the complex challenges in measuring AI safety and mitigating risks.”

FAS has advocated for science and technology policies benefiting society since 1945. The organization continues to contribute scientific expertise to a variety of initiatives.

ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

For more information about the organizations contributing to AISIC, click here.

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Makes Five Policy Recommendations to Maximize Opportunity and Minimize Risk at the Intersection of Biology and Artificial Intelligence

Washington, DC – December 12, 2023 – Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) released federal policy recommendations to address potential threats AI poses to bioscience and the surging bioeconomy. The five recommendations presented by experts are detailed in these memos:

• Develop a Screening Framework Guidance for AI-Enabled Automated Labs by Tessa Alexanian

• An Evidence-Based Approach to Identifying and Mitigating Biological Risks From AI-Enabled Biological Tools by Richard Moulange and Sophie Rose

• A Path to Self-governance of AI-Enabled Biology by Oliver Crook

• A Global Compute Cloud to Advance Safe Science and Innovation by Samuel Curtis

• Establish Collaboration Between Developers of Gene Synthesis Screening Tools and AI Tools Trained on Biological Data by Shrestha Rath

Read each of these recommendations, plus an introduction from Nazish Jeffery at this link.

ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

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These experienced policymakers will shape the Federation’s work supporting a more innovative federal government with the capacity to deliver.

Washington, DC – November 2, 2023 – The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) today announced a collaboration with four exceptional senior scientific policy fellows: Cristin Dorgelo, Jennifer Pahlka, Kathy Stack, and Peter Bonner.  The fellows will bring combined 60+ years of technology innovation and government service. They will help grow FAS’ government capacity and innovation portfolio. 

Building federal capacity, with particular focus on financial mechanisms, evidence and data, talent and hiring, and culture, will equip the US government to solve the most pressing challenges facing our nation. FAS supports the federal government through scoping and diagnosing research, convening key stakeholders to identify opportunities and build community and momentum, and partnering with agencies to address bottlenecks and identify promising pathways for progress. 

FAS is in a unique position to support the federal government in building federal capacity. Since delivering 100 implementation-ready policy proposals for the 2020 presidential transition, FAS has grown, expanding capabilities as an organization. Since the outset of the current administration, FAS has focused on building internal organizational infrastructure to support a variety of federal initiatives. 

“Each of these fellows bring tremendous expertise and government service experience to FAS, and a perspective that how government works is as important as what it works on. Their perspectives will guide our work on enhancing government capacity to meet our biggest science and technology challenges” says Dan Correa, CEO of FAS.

Cristin Dorgelo is an independent consultant with more than 25 years of executive leadership experience. She was most recently the senior advisor for management at the White House Office of Management and Budget in the Biden-Harris Administration, and she served as team lead for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Agency Review Team for the Biden-Harris Transition. She was President and CEO of the Association of Science and Technology Centers from 2018-2020. She served in the Obama-Biden Administration’s OSTP from 2012-2017. There, she was the agency’s Chief of Staff and also led the White House “Grand Challenges” and open innovation initiatives, aiming to catalyze breakthroughs towards national priorities.

“An effective and responsive government is essential to addressing urgent problems such as climate change and delivering on priorities such as our national infrastructure,” says Dorgelo. “I appreciate that FAS values a research-driven approach to understand the root causes of barriers and bottlenecks and evaluate new ideas rapidly, and then propose those solutions to agency leaders and policymakers who can put them into practice.”  

Jennifer Pahlka is author of the book, Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better.  She is the founder and former Executive Director of Code for America. She served as U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer from June 2013 to June 2014 and helped found the United States Digital Service. Forbes recognized her as among “America’s Top 50 Women in Tech”, among other accolades. 

“As I detail in my book, Americans need to reexamine how we build the systems that give ordinary citizens access to government services. In short, we need to modernize so that we reduce our threat surface and provide better services. I see my work at FAS as a continuation of this important need, making sure that Americans have the digital infrastructure they deserve,” says Pahlka.

Kathy Stack is an independent consultant who advises non-profit organizations, foundations, research organizations, and government officials on strategies to advance cross-program innovation and evidence-based decision-making in health, human services, education, and other social programs. She spent nearly three decades in government service in the White House Office of Management and Budget. She is also a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. 

“Too many promising policy initiatives have stumbled in recent decades because policymakers haven’t anticipated the bureaucratic and cultural barriers that stand in their way.  To succeed, bold and necessary policy reforms require creative collaboration between policymakers and savvy civil servants who know how government rules and processes can become enablers, not blockers, of innovation,” says Stack.

Peter Bonner is a public, non-profit, and private sector innovator. He led federal agencies tasked with hiring the technical, management, and staff talent to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act from his role as the Associate Director, HR Solutions at Office of Personnel Management. This resulted in hiring, in less than two years, more than 5,500 specialists to help build roads, bridges, cell towers, water treatment facilities, and semiconductor plants. As OPM’s HR Solutions team executive, Peter led customer experience innovation that helped federal agencies recruit, hire, train, and manage the performance of the federal workforce.

“Federal workers are the heroes of our society. The work they do every day keeps us safe, helps us get to where we want to go, keeps our economy moving forward, provides us safe food, pharmaceuticals and drinking water, and combats the threats of climate change. The quality of our lives is better because of them. It is an honor to support them in everything they do,” says Bonner.

ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

The Federation will spotlight filmmaker Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, Senators Schumer and Young for passage of the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act, and other established and emerging science policy leaders.

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) today announced they will host their awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 15th – reviving a decades-long tradition that first started in 1971. This year, honorees include filmmaker Christopher Nolan for his cinematic portrait of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Todd Young (R-IN) for their work in Congress making the CHIPS & Science Act a reality.

“Nolan’s film depicts the scientists who formed FAS in the fall of 1945 as the ‘Federation of Atomic Scientists’ to communicate the dangers of nuclear weapons to the public. We continue to pursue their vision of a safer world, especially as current events remind us that those dangers are real and resurgent,” FAS CEO Daniel Correa said. “FAS also believes that science, technology, and innovation have vast potential to solve the biggest challenges of our time. To that end, we’re also recognizing Senators Schumer and Young, because the CHIPS & Science Act represents an historic investment in this country’s future. It is an honor to present these awards to director Nolan and Senators Schumer and Young.” 

FAS will also honor former OSTP acting director Dr. Alondra Nelson, for her leadership on both A.I. regulation and advancing equity in STEM fields, and Alexa White, who will receive FAS’ first ever “Policy Entrepreneurship” award – aimed at honoring an emerging leader in the world of science policy.

The FAS Public Service Awards honors the contributions of a diverse group of scientists, policymakers, and tastemakers in pursuit of advancements in science and technology. Previous winners of the award include: Senators Ted Kennedy, Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar and Secretaries Henry Kissinger, George Schultz and William Perry, and author Carl Sagan, editor Ruth Adams, and activist Sally Lillenthal. 

ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

The Federation of American Scientists is excited to welcome Jon B. Wolfsthal as the organization’s new Director of Global Risk. The Global Risk will encompass nuclear policy, FAS’ longstanding Nuclear Information Project, along with other emerging global threats.

“We could not be more thrilled to be bringing on a leader with Jon’s dedication, knowledge and experience,” FAS CEO Dan Correa said. “We take FAS’ legacy of leadership in nuclear policy and transparency extremely seriously, especially at a time when the threat to the world seems to be resurgent. Our Nuclear Information Project continues to be a globally-renowned source of information on nuclear weapons for both world governments and the public, and Jon will help take the work even further. His track record as a leading thinker on global threats will also help FAS tackle emerging policy challenges as well.”

Hans Kristensen, Director of FAS’ Nuclear Information Project, added, “I have long admired Jon’s insights and intellect when it comes to nuclear policy and arms control. His resume speaks for itself – we can’t wait to start working with him at FAS.”

Jon B. Wolfsthal most recently served as a senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security in the Transatlantic Security Program.  He is also a member of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a member of the US Department of State’s International Security Advisory Board.  He served previously as senior advisor to Global Zero in Washington, DC.

Before 2017, Mr. Wolfsthal served as Special Assistant to President of the United States Barack Obama for National Security Affairs and is a former senior director at the National Security Council for arms control and nonproliferation.  He also served from 2009-2012 as Special Advisor to Vice President Joseph R. Biden for nuclear security and nonproliferation and as a director for nonproliferation on the National Security Council.  

During his government service, Mr. Wolfsthal has been involved in almost every aspect of U.S. nuclear weapons, deterrence, arms control, nonproliferation policy.  He helped negotiate and secure the ratification of the New START arms reduction agreement with the Russian Federation, helped develop nuclear policy including through the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review.  He has worked on efforts to secure vulnerable nuclear materials, helped guide U.S. nuclear weapons targeting and deterrent policies, and supported efforts to prevent the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons by North Korea and Iran.  He also served as a career civil servant at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1995-1999 in a variety of capacities, including the on-site nuclear monitor at Yongbyon, North Korea during 1995-96.

Aside from his government work, Wolfsthal has served as Deputy Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey.  He has also been a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and was deputy director for nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  

With Joseph Cirincione, he is the author of Deadly Arsenals: Tracking Weapons of Mass Destruction and a leading authority on nuclear weapons policy, regional proliferation, arms control and nuclear deterrence.  He is author of the Trillion Dollar Nuclear Triad, and the editor of the Nuclear Status Report.  He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles, reports and scores of op-eds and published thought pieces, and has appeared on or been quoted in most leading domestic and international news media outlets (New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, CNN, NPR. BBC, CBC, VOA, etc). 

Wolfsthal officially joins FAS in October 2023.

FROs focus efforts on technology challenges that require coordinated and cross-disciplinary pursuits at the boundary of research and engineering

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), one of the oldest science think tanks in Washington, and Metaculus, a forecasting and modeling platform, today announced the opening of the ‘FRO-casting’ tournament to test a new approach for evaluating scientific proposals. 

This pilot program applies an expected value the forecasting methodology developed by FAS and Metaculus to proposals for Focused Research Organizations (FROs) in the life sciences, sourced by Convergent Research. FROs are envisioned as standalone, time-limited non-profit organizations organized like a startup to solve well-defined technical challenges that are neither profitable nor publishable. Their goal is to produce vital public goods: processes, tools, and datasets that are actively translated into use by others, to enable new methods and accelerate the pace of scientific research. 

This is a public tournament in which forecasts will be produced by the Metaculus community and subject-matter experts identified by FAS. 

The ‘FRO-casting’ challenge is open to subject matter experts, scientists, forecasters, decision makers, and the public. It is free to participate.

This effort aims to provide (a) quantitative assessments of the risk-reward profile of each FRO proposal that can inform agency decision-making, (b) actionable insight to proposal authors regarding their approach, and (c) new metascientific understanding of forecasting in scientific review.

“It is difficult to balance science agencies’ dual mission of protecting government funding from being spent on overly risky investments while also being ambitious in funding proposals that will push the frontiers of science,” writes FAS Senior Associate Alice Wu, “We at FAS are exploring innovative approaches to peer review to help tackle this challenge.” Ms. Wu is one of the leaders of this challenge, along with FAS colleague Jordan Dworkin, Metascience Program Lead.

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is excited to announce that John Bailey has joined the organization’s board of directors.

John’s background includes roles in government, philanthropic institutions, and venture capital, where he has focused on critical issues including innovation policy, artificial intelligence, immigration, behavioral health, climate technology, and the future of work. 

He currently serves as a fellow at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He served as a domestic policy advisor in the Bush White House, and the nation’s second Director of Educational Technology in the U.S. Department of Education. As Deputy Policy Director to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, he contributed to the development of the first National Pandemic Strategy and the President’s immigration reform package.

“John’s wisdom and wide range of experience across government and the private sector will be invaluable to FAS as we continue the work of making sure the best science leads to sound public policy,” FAS CEO Dan Correa said. “We feel fortunate to have someone as respected and skilled in the world of policy innovation contributing to FAS’ mission.”

“In an era where technology and science are evolving at an unprecedented pace, it is more important than ever to have entities like FAS leading the way in formulating policies that not only support research but also guide emerging domains such as AI for the greater good.” Bailey said. “I’m excited by the work, and more importantly, the people driving FAS forward at this transformative moment. It’s one of the most exciting science policy organizations, and I look forward to being more deeply involved in advancing its larger mission.”

Bailey’s term on the FAS board began earlier this month.

Fellows will focus on the development and implementation of innovative approaches to improve competition in the nation’s food supply chain

Washington, D.C. – The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) today announced a call for applications to the Food Supply Chain Impact Fellowship, designed to improve the nation’s small- and mid-size food businesses. The FAS Impact Fellowship program provides a pathway for diverse food systems and supply chain experts to participate in an impactful, short-term “tour of service” in the federal government.

The Food Supply Chain Impact Fellowship is a new fellowship opportunity administered by the FAS Talent Hub. FAS will place two cohorts of fellows at USDA to work on critical food supply chain issues. Fellows will develop and implement plans to support the Regional Rood Business Centers, the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, and other food system transformation priorities.

At FAS fellows will participate in deep-dives into executive and legislative systems and unique USDA-specific sessions led by food system experts. Fellows will also receive training on how to lead change as a partner with the Federal government that includes an introduction of government programs and innovative practices.

Impact Fellows help ensure that on-the-ground skills and experience are inextricably linked with policymaking as our nation confronts unprecedented challenges and pursues ambitious opportunities.

Interested parties are encouraged to apply at https://fas.org/talent-hub/fscfi/

ABOUT FAS

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1946 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.

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