DOE Science Committee Draws Concerns Over Limited Expertise

[Marlin]

DOE Science Committee Draws Concerns Over Limited Expertise

https://www.aip.org/fyi/doe-science-committee-draws-concerns-over-limited-expertise

[Core Content]

The Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, DC.

The Department of Energy consolidated six field-specific advisory panels into a single Office of Science Advisory Committee. Former advisors warn that the new 22-member panel lacks the specialized expertise required to draft rigorous long-range plans for complex physics fields.

The restructuring impacts research priorities across seventeen national laboratories and numerous scientific user facilities. Without dedicated representation for nuclear science and other disciplines, industry observers question how effectively the pared-down committee can guide funding decisions and long-term project development for the agency.

DOE's smaller scientific advisory committee may not be equipped to plan the future of the physical sciences, scientists say.

Former Energy Department scientific advisors fear the agency's pared-down advisory panel lacks the specialized expertise to effectively plan for the future of physics fields.

Last year, the six field-specific advisory committees for the Office of Science — ranging from the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel to the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee — were replaced by one smaller, overarching "Office of Science Advisory Committee" (SCAC).

Read the full article at AIP:
https://www.aip.org/fyi/doe-science-committee-draws-concerns-over-limited-expertise