The March 2023 FASEB Board Meeting was held in conjunction with our first in-person Capitol Hill Day since 2019.
Key policy actions taken at the meeting included approval of responses to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) regarding environmental enrichment for regulated species, and updates to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Race and Ethnicity Standards.
Other key decisions made included approving implementation of the Howard Garrison Advocacy Program and the creation of a charter for the program's selection and oversight committee and adopting a policy on when to adopt statements on social justice issues.
President Kevin Kregel updated the Board on the work of the Future Focus Task force. Board members spent substantial time providing feedback on concepts in development by the Task Force. These discussions culminated in the approval of funding of up to $100,000 for advisory, legal, and development support for the task force.
FASEB's Director of Publications / Open Science and Research Integrity, Darla Henderson, briefed the Board on emerging federal agency plans in response to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (WHOSTP) Memorandum Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research. Henderson Board also reported on recent U.S. government documents and declarations that explore open science more broadly, and engaged the Board to gather their feedback on opportunities for FASEB across open science, including engaging with the WHOSTP Year of Open Science.
The meeting wrapped up on Friday, March 17, following a presentation by the ARPA-H Deputy Director, Susan Monarez. Monarez shared a presentation on APRA-H's mission, structure, and opportunities for engagement with the agency.