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H.R. 204, the STEM Opportunities Act
Summary
This bill requires more comprehensive demographic data collection on the recipients of federal research awards and on STEM faculty at U.S. universities; the development of consistent federal policies, such as no-cost award extensions, for recipients of federal research awards who have caregiving responsibilities; consistent federal guidance to grant reviewers and program officers on best practices to minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of federal research grants; requires OSTP to develop guidance for universities and Federal laboratories to aid them in identifying any cultural and institutional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, and achievement of women, minorities, rural students, and other underrepresented groups in academic and government STEM research careers and in developing and implementing current best practices for reducing such barriers; and authorizes NSF to award grants to universities to implement or expand research-based practices targeted specifically at increasing the recruitment and retention of minority students and faculty.
Endorsements
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Biochemsitry and Molecular Biology
American Physiological Society
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Astronomical Society
American Chemical Society
American Geophysical Union
American Mathematical Society
American Physical Society
American Political Science Association
American Society for Engineering Education
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
AnitaB.org
Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Student Assembly
Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences
“The Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) strongly supports the need for increased behavioral and cognitive science research, interagency cooperation, and other federal steps and policies for identifying and countering implicit and explicit bias and other psychological factors and structural inequities that hinder the advancement of women, minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups in STEM.” - Philip Rubin, Ph.D., President-elect, Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
IEEE-USA
MIT Graduate Student Council
State University System of Florida
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Society of Women Engineers
Status
Follow the bill's progress HERE.