NASA has launched a competition for computer programmers to modify the agency’s design software to speed up operations by 10,000 times on NASA’s Pleiades supercomputer.

The High Performance Fast Computing Challenge calls on participants to reduce the computational time of the FUN3D software without affecting accuracy in an effort to boost NASA’s aviation research, the space agency said Tuesday.

“This challenge is specifically targeted to speed up the [computational fluid dynamics] portion of our aerospace research,” said Michael Hetle, program executive of NASA’s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.

“Some concepts are just so complex, it’s difficult for even the fastest supercomputers to analyze these models in real time,” Hetle added.

HPFCC is open for U.S. citizens over 18 years old who can download the FUN3D code, analyze performance issues and identify ways to speed up the software.

The program offers two opportunities to compete as well as cash prizes of up to $55,000 in total for the first and second placers under the two categories.

HPFCC is supported by open prize platform provider HeroX and programming competition administrator TopCoder.

The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Energy Department adopt data analytics tools and develop invoice review procedures and policies in order to manage improper payments and fraud risks associated with contracts.

GAO said in a report released Monday that DOE should also require contractors to keep detailed cost information that can be correlated with the amounts billed to the department.

GAO made the recommendations after it found that DOE lacks invoice review policies and processes at five of six locations that have oversight on invoice assessments and discovered time restrictions that appear to affect the effectiveness of such reviews.

DOE does not implement leading practices as part of its fraud risk management approach such as the development of an anti-fraud organization to oversee efforts to manage fraud risks and implementation of fraud risk reviews, according to the report.

Officials at DOE told the congressional watchdog that they intend to comply with the provisions of the Fraud Reduction and Data Analytics Act of 2015, which requires agencies to implement procedures and use data analytics platforms to assess and mitigate fraud risks.

DOE officers added that they “should not be expected to implement private industry leading practices prior to the issuance of [an Office of Management and Budget] guidance.”

Barbara Sido, a Certified Association Executive and former vice president of knowledge and professional practice at the American Institute for Architects, has been appointed to serve as executive director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association beginning May 15.

Alexandria, Virginia-based NARFE represents approximately five million former and current U.S. federal government employees globally.

Sido is a more than 20-year association management veteran who will be responsible for operational and strategic activities of NARFE, the nonprofit said said Thursday.

She previously served as deputy executive director and interim executive director of the Business Professional Women’s Foundation and director and chief knowledge officer of the American School Food Service Association.

She also held the executive director role four times at various local, state and national organizations as well as worked for the Labor Department‘s Employment and Training Administration agency.

President Donald Trump has established a new White House office to upgrade the federal government’s information technology systems and change the way the government delivers digital services to citizens, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

Jason Miller writes Chris Liddell, director of strategic initiatives at the White House, will lead the American Technology Council created through an executive order that Trump signed over the weekend.

ATC will coordinate the direction and strategy for the government’s use of IT and service delivery, relay suggestions to the president on policy decisions on federal IT systems and align decisions with the established policies, according to the executive order.

The new council will also be composed of the assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives, Office of Management and Budget chief and commissioner of the General Services Administration’s technology transformation service, among several executives.

The establishment of the new council comes a month after Trump announced the creation of the Office of American Innovation at the White House.

The Government Accountability Office has identified challenges in accounting, financial management systems and information technology security pose risks to agencies’ compliance with the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, the GAO said Friday

The legislation requires agencies to make federal spending data publicly available through USASpending.gov by May 2017.

Auditors identified vulnerabilities in government-wide financial management systems used for DATA Act reporting.

GAO also found challenges involving agencies’ efforts to report intragovernmental transactions, to reconcile recipient address information,and align required DATA Act files with missing data.

The government watchdog added that the Office of Management and Budget should give agencies additional guidance to address data quality issues.

OMB and the Treasury Department said they do not to expect to mitigate the issues before the DATA Act reporting deadline.

GAO also identified concerns regarding data quality assurance processes, which OMB plans to address by finalizing the assurance process ahead of the deadline.

OMB established the Data Standards Committee in November 2016 to help clarify data element definitions and identify needs for new standards.

The committee is required to publicly reveal the topics and outcomes of its proceedings to promote transparency, but OMB has not kept records of the committee’s meetings, according to GAO.

GAO called on the OMB director to make sure that the Data Standards Committee releases public information on the topics and outcomes of its meetings.