Former Madison police detective Gloria Reyes stepped into her new role as an assistant to the mayor on Dec. 4, bringing her community connections and passion for the city.

Born in Wautoma as the third child of migrant farm workers, Reyes and her family settled in Madison when she was in third grade. She graduated from East High School and attended Madison Area Technical College before transferring to UW-Madiso n, where she received a bachelors degree in behavioral science and criminal justice in 1997.

Id always known I wanted to get into law enforcement, even as a kid, Reyes said.

As a patrol officer on the South Side, Reyes started Amigos en Azul, an outreach program to Madisons Latino community. She also worked as a community policing officer for the Badger Road and Cypress Way area, increasing her involvement with Centro Hispano.

That was the best position I had within the department because we were able to work together with other agencies and really focus on what the underlying issues are in our community.

In her new position, Reyes will work with the police and fire departments, public health and community services, and with the city attorneys office. She also will act as a liaison to city commissions and committees.

What piqued your interest in behavioral science and criminal justice?

I grew up around Darbo and North Side neighborhoods, and I just remember there was no relationship between law enforcement and our community. ... The only time we saw law enforcement was when there was a serious incident that had happened in the neighborhood, or they were coming to arrest somebody or take them away. Even back then, I was thinking, It shouldnt be like that, its unfair.

But just being a Latina female, that really wasnt a career you could get into. It wasnt until years later, when I saw another Latina detective, it was then that I was like, I can do this.

What is your involvement with Centro Hispano?

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Know Your Madisonian: Gloria Reyes

There was considerable discussion this year about the National Science Foundations grant practices. There were three developments in December of note:

On December 3, NSF issued a press release entitledNational Science Foundation Updates Transparency and Accountability Practices. The release described a meeting of the National Science Board and a briefing by NSF Director France Cordova in which she discussed new approaches to enhancing transparency and accountability. The release quotes Cordova:"Good stewardship of public resources requires ongoing examination of our processes and continuous improvement. We will continue to convey the significance of our science and engineering research in supporting the national interest. To do this we must clearly communicate our funding rationale publicly."

The release explains:

The guidelines for program officers in the Proposal and Award Manual now state that a nontechnical project description must explain the project's significance and importance and serve as a public justification for NSF funding by articulating how the project serves the national interest, as stated by NSF's mission: to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; or to secure the national defense. The titles and abstracts of NSF's awards are made public on NSF.gov.

This Friday, the foundationsNSFs Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guidewill be amended to include the following:

"Should a proposal be recommended for award, the PI may be contacted by the NSF Program Officer for assistance in preparation of the public award abstract and its title. An NSF award abstract, with its title, is an NSF document that describes the project and justifies the expenditure of Federal funds."

On December 10, House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) issued astatementciting the above NSF release. Smith has criticized the foundations grant practices. Smith stated:

I am encouraged by the NSFs announcement that it will increase transparency and accountability for taxpayer-supported scientific research. For more than a year, I have been calling for the NSF to provide public explanations for how NSF research grants are in the national interest and worthy of taxpayers hard-earned dollars. The NSFs new policy is a step in the right direction. Congress and taxpayers will be eager to see how the new NSF national interest criterion is implemented.

On December 16 the President signed the FY 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act. The bill was silent on this matter. There is no mention of grant practices in the overall NSF language or in the section on its Research and Related Activities except for language supportive of neuroscience research.

In mid-May, the House report accompanying the FY 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill commented on awards made by the foundations Social, Behavioral, and Economic Directorate. Some of the Directorates awards had been criticized by prominent House leaders, including Science Committee Chairman Smith. Note that this language remains operable:

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AIP FYI: Update on NSF Grant Practices