Following the streamlining of biotechnology regulations in the fall of 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have launched the “Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation.” This website comes as part of the Trump Administration’s broader effort to streamline the regulation of biotechnology that was kicked … Read more
On January 10, the Department of Energy (DOE) released its fifth funding call under the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, and the second for its Biological Sciences program. The “Systems Biology Research to Advance Sustainable Bioenergy Crop Development” solicitation provides a total of $15 million in fiscal year (FY) 2020 and $75 million over … Read more
Dr. C. Robertson “Rob” McClung, who served as ASPB President from 2007 to 2008, has been named as the newest member of the National Science Foundation’s Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO) Advisory Committee (AC). Dr. McClung, currently a Professor of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College, was nominated by ASPB based on his expertise and leadership in … Read more
The Administration has announced its nomination of Dr. Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, Executive Vice President at Arizona State University, to be the next Director of NSF following the pending conclusion of Dr. France Córdova’s term this spring. By training, Dr. Panchanathan is an electrical and computer engineer. Among several possible changes, Dr. Panchanathan’s nomination brings with … Read more
October 2019 Washington Update – Prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC for the American Society of Plant Biologists Following their Town Halls in September, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Reintegrating Biology Initiative has announced the next phase of the process. Reintegrating Biology will convene four “Jumpstarts”, two and a half-day workshops to “develop new and innovative … Read more
October 2019 Washington Update – Prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC for the American Society of Plant Biologists Employees of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Economic Research Service (ERS) have begun work in Kansas City, with the first report-to-work date occurring on September 30. Although the agencies have begun to hire new … Read more
