This month marks three years since the COVID pandemic took hold of nearly every aspect of American life. In a few more months (May 2023) the coronavirus public health emergency is set to conclude officially, following the Administration’s announcement to wind down the declarations. As the nation grapples with the tragedies and lasting effects of the pandemic, […]
There’s more work to be done to build a healthier future for all Americans, but here are some ideas for starters.
The Biden-Harris Administration should issue an executive order to embed Radical Participatory Design (RPD) into the design and development of all government policies, products, and services, and to require all federally-funded research to use Radical Participatory Research (RPR).
Law enforcement agencies in the US regularly deploy surveillance tactics to monitor the online activity of individuals and organizations, leaving the public in the dark about how this data is used and stored. Korica Simon offers a set of actions that federal agencies and Congress should implement to preserve the public’s constitutional rights.
Algorithmic systems are inescapable in modern life. The DOJ should modernize the enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to guide effective corrective action for algorithmic systems that produce discriminatory outcomes with regard to federal benefits.
Reliable internet access is a key tool for connecting communities and coordinating disaster preparation and relief, yet 21 million Americans lack connectivity. Congress and the Biden administration can adopt a framework for digital justice that focuses on improving digital and climate literacy.
To strengthen the U.S. lead in the bioeconomy, Congress recently passed the CHIPS & Science Act of 2022. While the main body of this bill is related to semiconductors, this bill also lays out a solid base for the bioeconomy. Shortly after the passing of the CHIPS & Science Act, the White House also published an Executive Order that […]
Over the past year, there have been significant policy advances related to the US bioeconomy—the part of the economy driven by the life sciences and biotech, and enabled by engineering, computing, and information science.1 The bioeconomy includes a wide range of products and processes, from mRNA vaccines and drought-resistant crops to microbial fertilizers and bioindustrial fermentation. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential importance of biomanufacturing capabilities—extending to the geopolitical level—as well as the fragility of many supply chains and processes.
The U.S. government should create a Bio for America Program Office (BAPO) at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to house a suite of initiatives that would lead to the creation of more well-paying U.S.-based biomanufacturing jobs and more.
Streamlined funding of open and cross-disciplinary research, prize and challenge mechanisms, and market shaping through innovative procurement have all proven highly effective in the face of market failures and applied technology gaps like those seen in our bioindustry.
We don’t know if Congress does New Year’s Resolutions like the rest of us, but it seems like at least one of their goals is to continue ‘Building Regional Innovation Economies.’ We can guess that much from that title – given to a House of Representatives Subcommittee on Research and Technology hearing at the end of December. […]