WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) launched the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI), a bipartisan initiative co-led with Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC, to increase education research and development investments across the federal government. 

The alliance brings together a group of education nonprofits, practitioners, philanthropy, and the private sector to advocate for research-based innovations in education. As a coalition, ALI focuses on innovative solutions that build education R&D infrastructure, center students and practitioners, advance equitable outcomes for students, improve talent pathways, and expand the workforce needed in a globally competitive world. To that end, the alliance has developed a comprehensive multi-part agenda including the goal of dramatically increasing the federal investment in education R&D.

“It’s an ambitious goal, but it’s exactly what we need right now,” said FAS CEO, Dan Correa, at the launch event earlier this week at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. Michael L. Ledford, J.D., President of Lewis-Burke Associates LLC added “this is an important moment and I know the ALI coalition and many organizations in this room feel an incredible sense of urgency to act and continue to make progress.” 

Recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results suggest the urgent need for transformative new approaches to K-12 education and that requires greater investment in education R&D. The U.S. is experiencing the largest drop in reading scores since 1990 and the first-ever decline in math scores. This decrease is partly the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also of a system that was already not working for many students.

“The world is changing quickly. We need better tools to support student outcomes and we need to update the toolkit we use to support R&D in education,” said Dr. Mark Schneider, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. IES has recently been charged by Congress with using a portion of its fiscal year 2023 budget to support a new funding opportunity for quick turnaround, high-reward scalable solutions intended to significantly improve outcomes for students. Dr. Schneider is fueled with a sense of urgency to ensure this initial investment improves outcomes and builds a firm foundation for the future of a larger, more innovative federal R&D infrastructure in education.  

Dr. James Moore III, Assistant Director of the STEM Education Directorate (EDU) at the National Science Foundation built on what Dr. Schneider shared and reinforced that “we have to double-down on catalyzing opportunities throughout America, especially in places that have been traditionally under-resourced. Right now is an opportunity to think differently, to innovate on the current models, and figure out how to address the comprehensive needs of students at every juncture of education and beyond.”

Dr. Penny Schwinn, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education agreed and discussed what this has looked like in Tennessee. “Without evidence-based solutions driven by R&D, we won’t have strong outcomes for kids. We are utilizing education R&D with the goal of improving student outcomes, supporting educators, and building a better education system for all learners.” 

Denise Forte, President and CEO of the Education Trust added that, “getting education R&D right requires reaching into communities and working directly with students and parents. Better applying and scaling evidence-based approaches is essential to improving education equity.” 

“We need BOTH mindset and skill set shifts to make the changes we seek,” said Josh Edelman of Transcend Education on Monday. “The current system of schooling is out of date and we need to move to 21st century learning that is learner centered.”  Kimberly Smith, Digital Promise, added that “engaging students, families and educators is critically important if the R&D work is to be equitable and effective for all students.”  

“Gen Z is optimistic about what’s possible – from our society and from our schools,” said Romy Drucker, Education Program Director, Walton Family Foundation. “ALI will help realize the ambitious vision that youth have for education, reinventing learning to be more relevant and inspiring.”

For media inquiries, please contact press@fas.org

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is teaming up with Metaculus to kick off the Climate Tipping Points Tournament, a virtual forecasting tournament aimed at helping policymakers make better informed decisions about climate change policies. The concept of forecasting is familiar to anyone who has checked their phone’s weather app before heading out for the day. But the broader science of forecasting is increasingly being applied to policy-relevant topics from epidemiology, energy, technology progress, and even climate change.

Tournament participants will make forecasts on policy-relevant outcomes, including “conditional forecasts” that predict the tangible impacts of implementing or not implementing policies that focus on zero-emission vehicle adoption. Metaculus’s unique system will then aggregate and weight these forecasts by forecasters’ past accuracy, providing policymakers with a more informed picture of the potential success or failure of policies designed to mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

“Partnering with FAS on the Climate Tipping Points Tournament represents a new way for forecasters to contribute to the climate policy conversation. We’re very excited about the opportunity this represents for policy entrepreneurs who need empirically grounded analysis,” said Metaculus CEO, Gaia Dempsey.

Climate tipping points–originally introduced decades ago by the IPCC as thresholds for long-term and irreversible damage to the environment—can also be positive indicators of a more sustainable, cleaner and livable future. “This is not a utopian pipedream – a growing body of research suggests that positive tipping points, such as thresholds in electric vehicle adoption, or changes in food markets and consumption habits, could just as rapidly accelerate transitions to a more sustainable way of life,” said FAS’s Science Policy Director, Erica Goldman.

Participants don’t have to be data science experts; the tournament is open to the public and anyone is welcome to join. A team of Metaculus Pro Forecasters will also make predictions, separate from the public tournament. Those interested can go to Metaculus’s website and begin making predictions immediately for a shot at winning the $5,000 prize pool. 

For more information, press interviews or questions please reach out to press@fas.org or press@metaculus.com.

About the Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1945 to meet national security challenges with evidence-based, scientifically-driven, and nonpartisan policy, analysis, and research. 

About Metaculus 

Metaculus is an online forecasting platform and aggregation engine working to improve human reasoning and coordination on topics of global importance. By bringing together an international community and keeping score for thousands of forecasters, Metaculus is able to deliver machine learning-optimized aggregate predictions that help partners set priorities and make decisions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federation of American Scientists joined over 30 leaders in the scientific, medical, public health, research, and science policy fields in providing a set of recommendations regarding oversight of enhanced potential pandemic pathogen (ePPP) research and dual use research to the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity (NSABB). Research involving potential pandemic pathogens can provide significant benefits to society but, if done incorrectly, can also contribute to pandemic risk.

The recommendations aim to diminish the risk that U.S. science could inadvertently initiate epidemics or pandemics, clarify the scope and decision-making process associated with governance of ePPP research and dual-use science, increase transparency around U.S. policy and decision making on these issues, and minimize or eliminate disruption of science work that does not pose these risks.

“Without proper governance, dual use research can be as dangerous as it is illuminating. The U.S. government must revise its decision-making process to protect scientists and the public,” said FAS CEO Daniel Correa. “Bio innovation and pandemic prevention are not disparate aims, and finding the balance between them can enhance pathogen research responsibly and foster innovation.”

The letter highlights five primary recommendations to improve the guidance and implementation of governing research related to dual use and ePPP pathogens including:

• Modify and expand the scope of pathogens governed by the ePPP Framework to include criterion of research that could lead to another pandemic not currently accounted for in the framework – including modest virulence, enhanced virulence and transmissibility regardless of the starting pathogen, and oversight of sequencing viruses.
• Assess and detail risks and benefits to provide guidance on when benefits of research would outweigh the risks, including detailed risk and benefit factors.
• Clarify and restructure processes of review, communication, biosafety and biosecurity, and transparency to include involvement of more stakeholders, preventing conflicts of interest, and overall more transparent standards and guidelines.
• Expand the reach of the ePPP Framework to apply to non-federally funded research and be implemented by all U.S. government agencies, as well as to strengthen international outreach.
• Revise the policy for dual use research of concern (DURC) to include additional pathogens, types of experiments, and clarify risk assessment and mitigation plan requirements.

Read the full letter to the NSABB here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) calls upon Congress to reach a final agreement by the end of July on H.R. 4521, the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act, and S. 1260, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). 

“The need for this legislation is broadly recognized, and delay or failure should not be an option. We believe sensible bipartisan compromises can be reached on many of the outstanding issues and that a final agreement coupled with supplemental funding would bolster U.S. competitiveness, address supply chain issues, and enhance U.S. security,” the letter reads. 

Congress is at the cusp of making major policy improvements and much-needed investments that will enable the U.S. to remain the global leader in science and technology. Without these improvements, however, the U.S. stands to not only lose its status as global innovator, but lose scientific talent seeking opportunity elsewhere.

“American scientific excellence and technological leadership is not magically sustained – it is fostered by policy that nurtures and funds innovation. Congress should make a down payment on American competitiveness, sponsor a generation of world-class technological talent, and let the fruits of that talent make the case for America’s competitive edge,” says FAS CEO Dan Correa.

“The need for a new American investment in research and development is widely recognized, so what better moment for Congress to invest than now? The bipartisan bills before Congress share a similar goal – to supercharge American science. Congress should seize the moment and make the robust investments we need,” says FAS Associate Director of Research & Development and Advanced Industry Matt Hourihan. 

“Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass legislation that will strengthen our nation’s commitment to prioritizing science and technology, advancing American innovation and bolstering global leadership. We urge both chambers of Congress to support this bipartisan, bicameral legislation—investment in science and innovation is essential for America’s future,” says American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) CEO Sudip Parikh.

“After nearly three years of bipartisan efforts to craft this legislation, it’s time to finish strong and deliver a final agreement that helps propel American science, innovation, and competitiveness into the next decade and beyond,” says Association of American Universities (AAU) President Barbara R. Snyder.

“Congress is on the brink of passing legislation with the potential to bolster U.S. research and development investments to better support innovations that not only spark new discoveries, but also solve intractable challenges facing our country and world. APLU urges Congress to heed the recommendations of the research university community and pass this critical competitive legislation,” says Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson.

In addition to FAS, the letter is signed and endorsed by over 30 science societies. 

We have reproduced the letter below:

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Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders Schumer, McCarthy, and McConnell: 

Congress is poised to significantly strengthen our nation’s competitive advantage in science and innovation to the benefit of American economic competitiveness, security, and prosperity. As leading science, engineering, and higher education organizations – representing hundreds of thousands of American researchers and educators – we urge your concerted attention to reach a final enactment by the end of July on H.R. 4521, the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act, and S. 1260, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). 

Our global competitors are not sitting idle. The need for this legislation is broadly recognized, and delay or failure should not be an option. We believe sensible bipartisan compromises can be reached on many of the outstanding issues and that a final agreement coupled with supplemental funding would bolster U.S. competitiveness, address supply chain issues, and enhance U.S. security.

Key aspects of the House and Senate bills are quite consistent with each other. While it is routine in Washington to focus on differences, the most striking feature of the science and technology portions of the two bills is how similar they are in their goals and their policy approaches.  

For instance, both bills would:

• Authorize the creation of a flexible new Directorate at the National Science Foundation empowered to creatively  fund research aimed at meeting specific practical goals, including making the U.S. more competitive.
• Authorize significant and needed funding increases for all aspects of the National Science Foundation and for key innovation-oriented programs of the Department of Energy;
• Authorize the creation of a network of regional tech hubs to ensure that the benefits of research and innovation accrue to this nation’s diverse communities and geographies;
• Authorize the creation of a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative to build a diverse bio-workforce and advance innovation; 
• Expand the number and kinds of students and institutions involved in STEM research and education through a variety of measures, including new fellowships and traineeships, and programs to strengthen the success rate of institutions competing for NSF funding; 
• Require assessments of the U.S. position in science and technology globally to enable the development of a comprehensive national strategy for U.S. leadership in critical and emerging domains.

These and other similar measures would strengthen American science and innovation and make the U.S. more competitive and more secure for years to come. We recognize there are still important issues to be worked out, including the research security provisions, but we believe this can be achieved given the agreement on overall goals and approaches.  

It is also vital to ensure that the programs that are strengthened and created by the final bill are not just aspirations. Neither bill would provide the actual funding needed to implement the shared vision articulated in the legislation. We urge Congress to make a down payment on American competitiveness by adding $10 billion in supplemental appropriations for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of a final agreement. Making this initial investment would jumpstart our nation’s science and innovation enterprise as we seek to reclaim our competitive advantage.

Similarly, we support the bipartisan funding of $52 billion in appropriations for the domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry to ensure U.S. excellence in this crucial sector that is driven by continued advancements in science and engineering. We urge that the CHIPS package remain in the overall legislation and that it not be separated. Intel’s recent decision to delay breaking ground for the Ohio semiconductor manufacturing plant underscores the need to move quickly. Delay in passing a final conference agreement with CHIPS would waste valuable time that competitor nations will undoubtedly use to further challenge U.S. leadership in semiconductors and critical research areas such as quantum information science, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and advanced communications technologies. 

After several years of work, Congress is now on the cusp of making major policy improvements and needed investments that will enable the U.S. to remain the leader in science and technology. The creative, focused approaches in the legislation need to become law, along with the funding to make them a reality. We urge swift action and are committed to working with you to this end.  

Sincerely, 

American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research

American Association for the Advancement of Science 

American Astronomical Society

American Chemical Society 

American Geophysical Union 

American Geosciences Institute

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering

American Institute of Biological Sciences

American Mathematical Society

American Physical Society

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychological Association

American Society for Cell Biology

American Society of Agronomy

American Society of Plant Biologists

Association for Psychological Science

Association for Women in Science

Association of American Universities 

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities 

Association of Science and Technology Centers 

Biophysical Society

Coalition for the Life Sciences

Crop Science Society of America

Ecological Society of America

Federation of American Scientists 

Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Geological Society of America

Natural Science Collections Alliance

Optica (formerly OSA) Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide

Population Association of America

Research!America

Science and Technology Action Committee 

Soil Science Society of America

The Gerontological Society of America

The Oceanography Society

cc: All Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

All Members of the U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Day One contributor Dr. Geoffrey Ling will testify before the House Committee on Energy & Commerce on “ARPA-H: The Next Frontier of Biomedical Research.” 

Two years ago, Dr. Ling first called for the creation of an Advanced Research Project Agency for Health in a Day One Project memo. The memo,  “Creating the Health Advanced Research Projects Agency (HARPA)”,  enumerates how a HARPA or ARPA-H can directly address the massive market failures at the center of American healthcare enterprise. Establishing a new Health Advanced Research Projects Agency modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) can leverage existing basic science research programs supported by taxpayer dollars, and the efforts of the private sector, to develop new capabilities for disease prevention, detection, and treatment and overcome the bottlenecks that have historically limited progress, writes Dr. Ling and collaborator Dr. Michael Stebbins in the memo.

“​​The need for HARPA is twofold. First, developing treatments for disease is difficult and time consuming. HARPA will provide the sustained drive needed to push through challenges and achieve medical breakthroughs by building new platform technologies. Second, the U.S. healthcare system largely relies on the private sector to leverage national investments in basic research and develop commercially available treatments and cures,” the authors write in the memo.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – This evening, Federation of American Scientists CEO Dan Correa released the following statement on the resignation of Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Eric Lander following a White House investigation that confirmed allegations of misconduct:

“There is no place in our community for bullying, harassment, and abuse. It is unacceptable in any form, from anyone, and especially from a member of the President’s Cabinet and the Director of OSTP, which has been a beacon of scientific leadership and a source of inspiration for so many across the community.

At the Federation of American Scientists, we work every day with aspiring science and technology policy entrepreneurs who dream of the opportunity to contribute their ideas, hard work and passion through service at policymaking institutions like OSTP. Our community must stand together in our commitment to building inclusive workplaces that are deserving of their aspirations.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the Federation of American Scientists joined 35 organizations and individuals from the immigration and startup communities in an open letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to make procedural changes to International Entrepreneur Parole. “Over half of the billion-dollar startups launched in the United States were founded by immigrants—despite the incredibly challenging and outdated immigration system,” the authors wrote. “For the United States to stay competitive and remain attractive to talented individuals all over the world, it is vital that the IEP application process be as efficient and smooth as possible. It is currently our best option to bring innovative entrepreneurs to our country and allow those who are already here to stay.”

The letter recommends five changes to improve the efficacy of the International Entrepreneur Parole including developing feedback loops, creating avenues for premium processing, and refining the program through engagement with key stakeholders.

Read the full letter to Secretary Mayorkas below and here:

February 1, 2022

The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas

Secretary of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

RE: U.S. Innovation and Job Creation through International Entrepreneur Parole (IEP)

Dear Secretary Mayorkas:

As the U.S. recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that we take advantage of every opportunity for economic growth and job creation. One of the biggest untapped resources to create new opportunities for Americans is international entrepreneurs’ and students’ strong motivation to launch their startup businesses in the United States. Over half of the billion-dollar startups launched in the United States were founded by immigrants—despite the incredibly challenging and outdated immigration system.1 Immigrants also start businesses at higher rates than native-born Americans.2

We commend the Biden Administration for its recent actions reviving International Entrepreneur Parole (IEP).3 It is the last remaining action item of your predecessor, Secretary Jeh Johnson’s 2014 plan to support high skilled businesses and workers.4 This announcement strongly signaled to the world that the United States welcomes talented minds from around the globe and strives to lead the world in technological and scientific achievement.

For the United States to stay competitive and remain attractive to talented individuals all over the world, it is vital that the IEP application process be as efficient and smooth as possible. It is currently our best option to bring innovative entrepreneurs to our country and allow those who are already here to stay. Unlike many of our international rivals, the United States does not have a dedicated visa for startup entrepreneurs. There are limited pathways for international students transitioning from their student visas to start their own businesses. But, if it were functioning smoothly, IEP could fill this gap and has the potential to create a million jobs over ten years.5

Unfortunately, there are several procedural issues which make the IEP process volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. As currently situated, it is very difficult to actually use the program. Some of these barriers, such as the large backlogs at U.S. consulates, will lift as the COVID-19 crisis recedes, but others will continue to make the program ineffective.

As experienced immigration lawyers, venture capitalists, and policy experts, we have five key recommendations to improve the efficacy of IEP:

1. Immediately establish premium processing for IEP applications so qualified entrepreneurs can rapidly launch their businesses in the United States.
   1. USCIS has in the past agreed to adhere to a 14-day processing time for certain cases without premium processing (e.g. O and P visas).6 Additionally, a clear procedure was established to allow applicants to follow-up should processing times exceed that timeframe. We would encourage the USCIS to implement a similarly defined and prompt timeframe for the adjudication of these cases. 
   2. Establish and communicate suitable processing systems at the USCIS service centers. Currently, IEP applications are adjudicated at the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Office. We respectfully suggest that the agency consider whether IEP applications should be redirected to officers who routinely adjudicate and are familiar with L-1 and E-2 cases as IEP applications are more similar to E-2 and L-1 petitions. 
2. Incorporate the use of the Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises (VIBE) program to streamline the qualification process for investors. This program is already being used to validate information about companies petitioning to employ nonimmigrant and immigrant workers through Forms I-129 (for the H-1B, for example), I-140, I-360, and I-485.7
3. Modify USCIS guidance on the term “qualified investor” to ensure that investors with passive foreign limited partners are not unnecessarily excluded.
4. Restart the USCIS Entrepreneur in Residence initiative to develop routine feedback loops with stakeholders and consider a hybrid model with both virtual and in-person activities to improve entrepreneurs’ ability to participate and decrease the agency’s administrative and badging burdens.
5. Establish regular interaction with stakeholders in the academic, entrepreneur, legal, and investment communities to further refine the program. As the IEP program continues to develop, there will certainly be additional administrative or procedural hurdles that come to light, and the communities most impacted by these hurdles will be able to most readily and reliably recognize these hurdles ahead of time. Increased interaction can include more events hosted by the Public Engagement Division, or the creation of an entrepreneurship subcommittee for the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC).8

To build our economy back better than before, we need immigrant entrepreneurs and innovative startup founders. By making these changes, the United States will have the opportunity to maintain its reputation as the top destination for entrepreneurship and innovation in the world and continue to be able to create new jobs for our citizens.

Sincerely,

Coalition for International Entrepreneurship

Signatories

1. American Immigration Council
2. American Immigration Lawyers Association
3. Angel Capital Association
4. Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Student Assembly
5. Center for American Entrepreneurship
6. Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
7. Digital Irish Inc
8. Economic Innovation Group
9. Federation of American Scientists
10. FWD.us
11. Illinois Institute of Technology
12. Illinois Science & Technology Coalition
13. Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
14. Institute for Progress
15. National Immigration Forum
16. National Venture Capital Association
17. Niskanen Center
18. Nova Credit
19. Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
20. TechNet
21. Washington Technology Industry Association
22. Katie Allen, Senior Vice President, Center for American Entrepreneurship
23. John R. Dearie, President, Center for American Entrepreneurship
24. Brad Feld, Partner, Foundry Group
25. Kumar Garg, Vice President, Schmidt Futures
26. Elizabeth Goss, Esq., Goss Associates LLC
27. Troy Henikoff, Managing Director, MATH Venture Partners
28. Jaclyn Hester, Foundry Group
29. Billy Lawless
30. Brienne Maner, Executive Director of Startup Sioux Falls
31. Fiona McEntee, Managing Attorney of McEntee Law Group
32. Blake Patton, Founder and Managing Partner of Tech Square Ventures
33. Nik Rokop, Coleman Foundation Clinical Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology
34. Leslie Lynn Smith, National Director, GET Cities
35. Tahmina Watson, Immigration Attorney, Author of The Startup Visa; Watson Immigration Law
36. Stephen Yale-Loehr, Of Counsel, Miller Mayer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is excited to announce the expansion of its senior leadership team as the organization enters an ambitious new chapter of science and technology policymaking. 

Erica Goldman and Sara Schapiro have recently joined the FAS leadership team to advance science policy as well as education, workforce, and talent issues respectively:

Erica Goldman joins FAS as Director of Science Policy, after previously helping oversee the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE) in her capacity as Deputy Director. At GCSE, Erica directed a number of initiatives in collaboration with a network of policy and research institutions and diverse groups of scientists to improve the use and uptake of science in environmental decision-making. Erica will help steer FAS and the Day One Project’s strategic efforts to advance science policy across a number of domains. 

Sara Schapiro joins FAS as a Senior Fellow and its first Director of Education, Workforce & Talent. Sara joins FAS after serving as the Vice President of Education at PBS, where she worked to expand educational impact through free, classroom-ready digital resources. Sara brings a depth of expertise and experience to bolster FAS’s capacity to drive progress on innovative education and workforce policy solutions, while helping direct FAS Federal Talent initiatives. Prior to PBS, Sara helped launch “Digital Promise,” an independent, bipartisan nonprofit whose mission is to spur innovation and improve the opportunity to learn for all Americans. 

In addition, two current FAS team members are joining the FAS senior leadership team: 

Jordan Mixter is FAS Director of Operations and Strategy. In this role, Jordan also oversees communications and development, and has shepherded FAS’ operations and staff through its recent leadership transition.

Joshua Schoop is assuming the role of Principal Director for Technology and Innovation and Director for Day One Project. As Deputy Director of the Day One Project, Josh has played a vital role in the initiative’s leadership, strategy, and growth since its inception in 2019. In his new capacity, Josh will help oversee and drive FAS’ efforts across technology and innovation policy. Josh holds a PhD from Tulane University and has spent his career working on applying innovation and research to solve societal challenges. “I cannot imagine anyone better to lead the Day One Project than the person who has been most responsible for so much of its impact” said FAS Chief Executive Officer Daniel Correa.

“These four individuals bring both the vision and entrepreneurial spirit that will help FAS meet the most important challenges of our day with technical expertise and policy impact,” said Dan Correa, CEO.

The Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1945 to meet national security challenges with evidence-based, scientifically-driven policy and expertise. 

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WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) announced that the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Innovation Cohort is opening up ten years of data to engage in research to increase the rates of lifesaving organ donations every year.

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicate that improvements in organ recovery practices will lead to at least 7,000 additional lifesaving transplants every year.

Bipartisan Congressional leaders have highlighted the need for accelerated data-driven reforms given COVID-19’s ravaging effects on organs. According to a July 19, 2021 letter led by the Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the need for organs now and creating an urgent health equity issue, as communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the failures of the current organ donation system and the effects of COVID-19.” 

Historically, OPO accountability and data-driven improvement has been hindered by opacity coupled with self-interpreted and self-reported performance data. The OPO Innovation Cohort will make public a trove of data regarding OPO performance, operations, finances, and governance with the goal of informing ongoing federal policymaking toward improving OPO performance and addressing health inequities. The first tranche of data released will be shared with MIT’s Healthy ML Lab and Wilson Lab, and will include case-level performance data, including all unstructured case notes, allowing for never-before-possible analysis of the organ donation process. Detailed data to be shared as part of the OPO Innovation Cohort can be found here. A visualization of OPO performance can be found here.

MIT’s Healthy ML Lab, led by Dr. Marzyeh Ghassemi, will review the de-identified case notes of seven OPOs, representing one-sixth of the country, to better understand where and how potential donors are lost, including by race and ethnicity. Dr. Ghassemi’s groundbreaking work will include using natural language processing and sentiment analysis of case notes to better understand the ways variation in care, communication and context might impact organ procurement and utilization. The Wilson Lab, led by Dr. Ashia Wilson, will target estimation of risks and opportunities for organ placement by OPOs to improve utilization and fairness of the organ transplant system. Dr. Wilson’s work specializes in using optimization to improve the efficiency and fairness of machine learning systems, and will bring this expertise to look for opportunities to increase the availability of organs for all demographic groups.

“Working with this data is a first step towards making better decisions about how to save more lives through organ procurement and transplantation. We have an opportunity to use machine learning to understand potential issues and lead improvements in transparency and equity,” said Dr. Marzyeh Ghassemi.

“Patients deserve transparency, and this research is even more important given what we are learning about COVID-19’s effects on organs,” said Jennifer Erickson, Senior Fellow, Federation of American Scientists.

The seven organ procurement organizations who are leading in opening up their data include: Donor Network West, Life Connection of Ohio, LiveOn New York, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, Mid-America Transplant, OurLegacy, Southwest Transplant Alliance. They have publicly committed to:

• Transparency: public sharing of data/analysis in order to set a standard to which all OPOs can be held;
• Accountability: support for the OPO final rule, and any efforts to move up implementation date so all parts of the country can be served by high-performing OPOs as soon as possible in 2024; and
• Equity: commitment to analyzing/publishing data to ensure all parts of community served.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) announced the selection of Daniel Correa to serve as Chief Executive Officer of FAS. Since January, Dan has served as Acting President of FAS since former President Ali Nouri departed the organization to join the Biden-Harris Administration. 

“As we mark the 75th year of the Federation of American Scientists, we are thrilled to announce that Dan will step up to serve as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. We are enormously proud of the impact Dan has made in launching and leading the Day One Project at FAS over the past two years and are thrilled he will bring this leadership and commitment to advancing science and technology policy to build on the organization’s accomplishments over the past 75 years,” Gilman Louie and Rosina Bierbaum, Chair and Vice Chair of the Federation of American Scientists Board of Trustees, said in a joint statement.

“It is an immense privilege to step forward to lead the Federation of American Scientists in this new chapter. Seventy-five years ago, the scientists behind the Manhattan Project established FAS to ensure that the fruits of their labor benefited humankind. As we look ahead, FAS has the opportunity to both continue advancing this important work while evolving to meet a range of today’s pressing challenges — from biological and public health threats to the need to bolster a STEM workforce capable of competing in the 21st century economy, to the perils of a changing climate and more. FAS is the perfect home for this critical work where scientific and technical expertise is indispensable to any effective policy response. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the stellar team at FAS to advance this mission,” Dan Correa said.

Dan Correa joined FAS in 2019 to launch the Day One Project, a nonpartisan initiative focused on developing new ideas across science and technology policy. As Director of the Day One Project, Dan has built a team focused on developing and implementing new ideas in science and technology policy and supporting scientists and technologists that want to step up and serve in government. Prior to this work, Dan served as a Fellow and Director at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University and as Assistant Director for Innovation Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dan holds degrees in law and economics from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.

As CEO of FAS, Dan will be responsible for guiding the organization in a new era of science policymaking, shaping the organization’s vision and overseeing all management including operations, budget, administration, and communications.

“FAS has always been an ‘idea factory’ that helps generate solutions to pressing national problems,” said Steven Aftergood, Director of the FAS Project on Government Secrecy. “Under Dan Correa’s leadership, we know that the organization will extend and expand that problem-solving tradition.

The Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1945 to meet national security challenges with evidence-based, scientifically-driven policy and expertise. 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), in collaboration with Congressman Bill Foster (D, IL-11) and his office, has launched a new Science Council to:

• Scale up the capacity of Members of Congress and their teams for policy work on pressing science and technology (S&T) issues;
• Facilitate the contribution of nonpartisan, evidence-based information into the U.S. policymaking process; and
• Forge trusted, lasting relationships between policymakers and the S&T community.

The Science Council includes seven leading scientists and technologists, specializing in fields such as infectious diseases, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and social epidemiology. During the first FAS-convened meeting between the Science Council and Congressman Foster, the experts shared scientific knowledge on many pressing issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic and racial inequality, and the competitiveness of the U.S. research and development enterprise.

“I am a firm believer that policymakers must work with nonpartisan experts to inform comprehensive and effective policies,” said Congressman Foster. “I am grateful to FAS for launching the Science Council, a model where a team of experts in scientific and technological fields can provide members of Congress with the insights and data to underpin evidence-based policy. I am looking forward to all we will be able to accomplish.”

The Congressman’s Science Council is working to augment the Foster office’s S&T policy capacity by providing on-demand, nonpartisan, evidence-based information, research, and analysis on pressing issues the Foster team is addressing. The Council provides scientific information in plain language, in formats that are tailored to meet the moment (such as briefings, one-pagers, or suggested hearing questions) and suitable for sharing widely with congressional staff and Members of Congress. The experts on the Council can also connect congressional offices with other specialists throughout the S&T community, facilitating access to scientific knowledge on an expansive set of issues.

“The U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic would likely have been more effective if every Member of Congress had had a team of STEM experts on standby, with the ability to rapidly connect with them and their networks to get a true sense of potential scenarios the country could be facing, and learning what it would have taken to minimize deaths, infections, and economic impacts,” said Science Council member Nahid Bhadelia, M.D., M.A.L.D, infectious diseases physician, founding director of Boston University’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research, and associate director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories.

FAS modeled Congressman Foster’s Science Council, in part, on PCAST (the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology), and is happy to work with additional congressional offices to build councils tailored to the needs and priorities of individual Members of Congress and their staff. Depending on the preference of the office, council membership can include experts in diverse disciplines spanning the S&T landscape, or be composed of a team of experts focused on one or two core issues, such as infectious diseases, energy, or agricultural practices. FAS is intentional about working to include experts on the councils who are constituents of the Member of Congress, forging powerful connections since the council may be directly affected by pressing issues within the Member’s district or state. As noted in a Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center analysis of the Legislative Branch’s capability to address advancements in S&T, Members of Congress and their staff generally demonstrate a reliance on “regular ‘trusted’ sources in lieu of interrogating the credibility of individual pieces of information produced by that source,” and so establishing a greater number of trusted, lasting relationships between Members of Congress, their teams, and the S&T community can increase the use of science in the policymaking process, bolstering the effectiveness of U.S. public policies.

“Members of Congress have an opportunity to more fully incorporate science-derived information into policy decision-making, helping not only their own constituents, but people all across the U.S., and around the world,” said Michael A. Fisher, Ph.D., FAS senior fellow and director of the Congressional Science Policy Initiative. “Imagine a Congress in which every Senator and Representative is hardwired into the U.S. science community via strong ties with their science council, with on-demand access to evidence-based research and analysis, and how that would improve public policy outcomes.”

The experts serving on Congressman Foster’s Science Council are Danielle Tullman-Ercek, Ph.D., Andrew V. Papachristos, Ph.D., Kiarri N. Kershaw, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Mohanbir Sawhney, Ph.D., M.A. of Northwestern University; Michael V. Volin, Ph.D. of Midwestern University; Fei-Fei Li, Ph.D., M.S. of Stanford University; and Nahid Bhadelia, M.D., M.A.L.D. of Boston University.

For more information regarding FAS’ work to organize and staff science councils for Members of Congress, Dr. Fisher can be reached at sciencepolicy@fas.org.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Federation of American Scientists Acting President Dan Correa released the following statement on President Joe Biden’s proposed $6 trillion budget request to Congress:

“With a global pandemic disrupting the world and highlighting both the strengths and liabilities of the United States’ economy and infrastructure, the Federation of American Scientists commends President Biden on putting forward a budget that would address critical needs, from childcare and paid leave to investing in electric vehicle charging stations. Foundational investments in roads, water pipes, broadband internet, and advanced manufacturing are key to helping our nation rebuild, enhancing national security, and supporting all Americans. Included in the President’s budget request is $7.5 billion to launch Advanced Research Project Agencies for health and climate, representing a generational investment in advancing innovative research and development. Further, the budget includes a $500 million investment in the Technology Modernization Fund, $300 million for research and development in technologies of the future, and an additional $750 million devoted towards upgrading the security of IT, which represent opportunities for the federal government to deliver services more effectively to the American people. The budget request includes a critical $8.7 billion investment to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help prepare for emerging global threats, a necessary national security priority.”

The Federation of American Scientists is committed to ensuring that insights from scientists and technologists are included at policymaking tables. For further information on modernizing technology in government, you can read Scaling Proven IT Modernization Strategies Across the Federal Government, a Day One Proposal by Ann Dunkin and Greg Godbout. For further information on delivering high-speed internet to rural communities, clean infrastructure development, investing in health research, and building a competitive workforce, you can read the Day One Project proposals to Prioritize Funding for High-Speed Internet Connectivity that Rural Communities Can Afford to Adopt by Caroline Stratton, a proposal on Revitalizing the DOE Loan Program Office to Support Clean Infrastructure Development by David Foster, Michael Kearney, and Chris Knittel, a proposal on Creating the Health Advanced Research Projects Agency (HARPA) by Michael Stebbins and Geoff Ling, and a proposal on Responding to the COVID-19 Unemployment Crisis and Meeting the Future of Work Challenge by Marcus Courtney and Adam Bobrow.

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