NASA and the National Science Foundation are supporting the Trump administration’s plan to boost the country’s science, technology, engineering and math education.

The effort, named Charting a Course for Success: A Federal Strategy for STEM Education, encourages stakeholders, academia and industry to fortify the nation’s STEM education and workforce, NASA said Wednesday.

The strategy would work to promote STEM among citizens, establish a STEM workforce, and eliminate barriers hindering underrepresented groups from pursuing STEM education.

The STEM education task force of the NASA’s advisory council would gain status as a permanent standing committee to support the effort.

“In recognition of this, I am proud to announce a new permanent STEM committee that will provide guidance to the NASA Advisory Council on how NASA can promote STEM-learning initiatives.,” said Jim Bridenstine, co-chair for the Committee on STEM Education and NASA administrator.

Meanwhile, NSF’s two-year-old initiative supports the program by aiming to boost the STEM involvement of underrepresented groups and promote diversity.

Launched in 2016, the initiative is known as Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science or INCLUDES.

The foundation will also obligate $10M to provide local, state and national workforces with data science training under the Data Science Corps program.

The White House announced the strategy on its website on Tuesday.

The U.S. Marine Corps is making final touches on a new cloud strategy expected to receive approval before the end of 2018, C4ISR reported Wednesday.

William Williford, executive director of USMC’s Systems Command, told C4ISRNET at a recent defense summit that the strategy builds on the U.S. Navy‘s own version.

He also said the new strategy is likely to receive Deputy Commandant for Information Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds’ signature within the month, before the year’s conclusion.

Williford said the service is looking to involve contractors more in the operation of its cloud activities.

“Right now we’re looking at how we put funding in the budget in order to support that move of our applications to the cloud,” the executive director said.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a new regulation to standardize the control of pilots on emergency response drones.

The Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Used for Public Safety Operations features 10 aerial test procedures that measure drone system functionality and pilot competency in performing basic maneuvers, NIST said Tuesday.

These maneuvers include landing, vertical climbing, straight flying and level flying.

“The test methods are low-cost and easy to fabricate and use, so they can be replicated by any group interested in evaluating its aircraft and remote pilots,” said Adam Jacoff, NIST robotics engineer.

Jacoff leads the development of standards guiding the use of robots on land, air and sea.

The full standard can be accessed at the National Fire Protection Association’s website.
 

The Transportation Security Administration released its first Cybersecurity Roadmap containing guidelines on securing its critical transportation infrastructure, the TSA said Tuesday.

The roadmap covers the TSA’s main cybersecurity priorities such as identifying risks, reducing system vulnerabilities, mitigating consequences and fortifying system resilience. The TSA aims to align the roadmap with the Department of Homeland Security’s recently released Cybersecurity Strategy, which includes measures on securing cyber and physical transportation systems.

“Because the consequences of both physical and cyber attacks can be equally damaging, we must be prepared to respond to cyber threats with the same level of success as we do when faced with physical threats,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

The Cybersecurity Roadmap is part of the 2018-2026 TSA Strategy.

The Trump administration plans to release a revised version of the 2016 National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan in the spring, FCW.com reports.

Lynne Parker, assistant director of AI at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the plan will detail federal government procedures on tracking the progress of its AI programs, during an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation event Tuesday. Parker’s announcement follows the release of a Center for Data Innovation report called “Why the United States Needs a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and What It Should Look Like.”

The report, authored by the nonprofit research institute’s Senior Policy Analyst Joshua New, recommended the White House foster AI-focused efforts among federal and state-level chief information officers. New said the Department of Defense needs to leverage partnerships with the private sector, enhance collaboration among agencies and systematize agency-wide procurement processes for AI technologies. He added that while the U.S. has taken competitive steps, it still “lacks a comprehensive strategy to proactively spur the development and adoption of AI” unlike countries such as China, France and the U.K.

The report covers six primary goals and 40 recommendations to Congress on AI development and adoption.