The Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS), a standing body of the National Academies, was established in 1997 with five principal goals: (1) to engage academic and other researchers in these sciences in the consideration of major national policy issues; (2) to promote and advance cross-disciplinary inquiry into complex scientific and policy questions; (3) to provide a forum for objective, independent, and rigorous deliberation among researchers, the public, the media, Congress, professional associations, the NSF and other federal agencies; (4) to draw attention to the significance of the behavioral, cognitive, and sensory sciences to national policy; and (5) to link these sciences to the diverse policy issues addressed by the National Academies. The Board convenes meetings for planning and other purposes, develops workshops and consensus studies that are separately funded and conducted by committees of experts, suggests appropriate experts for other National Academies studies, participates in the review of study activities and reports, and widely disseminates study results. It also regularly grapples with broad issues such as future directions and emerging trends of the behavioral sciences, with an emphasis on policy implications. Members of the Board serve as volunteers.
