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Proposals Sought for New Batch of NSF Regional Innovation Engines
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Proposals Sought for New Batch of NSF Regional Innovation Engines

The National Science Foundation is soliciting new proposals for the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, which seeks to fund the establishment innovation ecosystems, dubbed NSF Engines, that would stimulate and sustain economic activity and technological development within the geographic region that the Engine is intended to impact.

Successful proposers would receive up to $160 million in funding over 10 years, the NSF said Tuesday.

Unlike the previous funding round, which has already resulted in the establishment of 10 inaugural NSF Engines, the current round allows tribal nations and state and local government agencies to submit a proposal as the lead organization. The current round will also only accept proposals for full NSF Engines.

Interested parties have until June 18 to submit letters of intent and Aug. 6 to submit a preliminary proposal. Full proposals are due Feb. 11, 2025.

The NSF Engines program was launched in 2022 under the authorization of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

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DMI’s Gary Wang Outlines Effective Cloud Migration Practices
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DMI’s Gary Wang Outlines Effective Cloud Migration Practices

Gary Wang, chief technology officer at DMI, said implementing a human-centered approach and adopting a zero trust architecture are key to ensuring the success of an organization’s transition to the cloud.

An effective cloud migration initiative requires holistic and strategic organizational change management to bridge knowledge gaps on cloud migration best practices and address concerns about job security and cultural resistance to changes, Wang wrote in an opinion article American City and County published Friday.

According to Wang, state and local government agencies must focus on culture changes, workforce development and business process optimization throughout the migration process to ensure “a successful shift to cloud-based operations.”

A zero trust architecture is also a crucial component of an efficient cloud migration effort to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of cloud environments.

“Cloud service providers and their public sector partners have a shared responsibility to adhere to the major pillars of zero trust, including full visibility in the cloud and least privilege access policies,” Wang said.

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NASA Seeks Feedback on Space Technology Needs; Kurt Vogel Quoted
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NASA Seeks Feedback on Space Technology Needs; Kurt Vogel Quoted

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate is soliciting feedback from the U.S. aerospace community on nearly 190 space technology shortfalls or needs for future space exploration and science missions as it works to refine its strategy for prioritizing tech development investments.

“STMD is developing many critical technologies, but shifting to a more open and collaborative approach allows us to better prioritize our efforts and align with key stakeholder needs while ensuring we all get the most bang out of our investments,” Kurt Vogel, associate administrator for space technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement published Tuesday.

The space agency is seeking feedback on critical tech shortfalls, including cryogenic fluid management, additive manufacturing, advanced propulsion, in-situ resource utilization and thermal management systems.

NASA will gather data from industry, academia, government and other stakeholders through virtual meetings over the next month and create a final list of shortfall priorities.

The agency will assess its ongoing tech development initiatives against the priorities to determine new investments and identify potential adjustments within its portfolio.

Insights are due May 13.

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DAF Officials Highlight FY2025 Priorities to Support National Defense Strategy Implementation
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DAF Officials Highlight FY2025 Priorities to Support National Defense Strategy Implementation

Top officials from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force have outlined their fiscal year 2025 budget priorities to support the continued implementation of the 2022 National Defense Strategy and optimize operations to meet challenges posed by competition with China.

In a joint statement, the officials reaffirmed the Department of the Air Force’s commitment to supporting the NDS’ four key priorities: defending the homeland, deterring strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies, deterring aggression and building a resilient joint force.

To deter aggression from rivals including China, the DAF will take full advantage of the Quick Start initiative authorized by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to save costs and time.

“Our effort to Reoptimize for Great Power Competition is intended in large part to create institutions with the mission of ensuring continuous competitiveness against our pacing challenge,” the statement reads.

The DAF’s efforts also center around its seven operational imperatives that aim to build its capability to deter and defeat modern-day adversaries.

The DAF’s total budget request for FY2025 is $217.5 billion, which includes $188.1 billion for the Air Force and $29.4 billion for the Space Force and represents a 1.5 percent increase from the enacted budget level in FY2024.

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Gina Raimondo Unveils New US AI Safety Institute Leaders
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Gina Raimondo Unveils New US AI Safety Institute Leaders

Gina Raimondo, secretary of the Department of Commerce, has appointed new leaders to the U.S. AI Safety Institute — dubbed AISI — at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to support the development and responsible use of trustworthy artificial intelligence systems across the federal government.

Paul Christiano, the founder of the non-profit organization Alignment Research Center, has been named head of AI safety at AISI, responsible for overseeing the evaluation of AI models designed to address national security concerns, the department said Tuesday.

The AISI executive leadership team also includes Adam Russell, director of the Information Sciences Institute’s AI Division at the University of Southern California, as chief vision officer; Mara Quintero Campbell, former deputy chief operating officer at the Economic Development Administration, as acting chief operating officer and chief of staff; and Rob Reich, professor of political science at Stanford University, as senior adviser.

Mark Latonero, former deputy director of the National AI Initiative Office at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, joins AISI as head of international engagement to help align U.S. guidance on AI development with global standards.

“Developing guidelines that will strengthen our safety and security, engaging with civil society and business, and working in lockstep with our allies are fundamental to addressing this generation-defining technology,” Raimondo said.

NASA Plans to Devise New Plan for Mars Sample Return Program
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NASA Plans to Devise New Plan for Mars Sample Return Program

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has unveiled the agency’s plans to seek new methods of retrieving Mars samples being collected by the Perseverance rover to support future space exploration missions.

“Safely landing and collecting the samples, launching a rocket with the samples off another planet – which has never been done before – and safely transporting the samples more than 33 million miles back to Earth is no small task,” the 2024 Wash100 awardee said.

“We need to look outside the box to find a way ahead that is both affordable and returns samples in a reasonable timeframe,” he added.

NASA plans to solicit architecture proposals from industry to devise a new plan for the Mars Sample Return program that could retrieve samples by 2030.

A September 2023 report from the Mars Sample Return Independent Review Board recommended that NASA develop an updated mission design that lowers mission complexity and ensure that the mission has an overall budget between $8 billion and $11 billion.

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LANL Installs Venado Supercomputer to Process Large-Scale AI Applications
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LANL Installs Venado Supercomputer to Process Large-Scale AI Applications

The Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory has unveiled its newest supercomputer called Venado, which is powered by Nvidia’s GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips designed to process high-performance computing and large-scale artificial intelligence applications.

Venado features Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Cray EX supercomputer that can house the computing capacity of 2,560 direct, liquid-cooled Grace Hopper Superchips, LANL said Tuesday.

The supercomputer will use 920 NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchips, each consisting of 144 Arm cores to enable an increased high-performance computing performance.

“With its ability to incorporate artificial intelligence approaches, we are looking forward to seeing how the Venado system at Los Alamos can deliver new and meaningful results for areas of interest,” said David Turk, deputy secretary of DOE.

“Venado adds to our cutting-edge supercomputing that advances national security and basic research, and it will accelerate how we integrate artificial intelligence into meeting those challenges,” said Thom Mason, director of LANL.

The supercomputer is installed at LANL’s Nicholas C. Metropolis Center for Modeling and Simulation.

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Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron 2 Transitioning From Blackjack to Reaper Aircraft
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Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron 2 Transitioning From Blackjack to Reaper Aircraft

The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing under Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron 2, or VMUT-2, began assembling its first MQ-9A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft on April 10, following the delivery of parts to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in March.

According to VMUT-2 commanding officer Lt. Col. Michael Donlin, the assembly of the Reaper aircraft is part of his squadron’s transition to becoming the MQ-9A Fleet Replacement Squadron, which will be responsible for training Marine Corps MQ-9A pilots and sensor operators, the U.S. Marine Corps reported Monday.

The arrival of the MQ-9A aircraft also marks VMUT-2’s move away from the RQ-21A Blackjack platform, which 2nd MAW had used as its primary unmanned aircraft system until July last year.

A medium-altitude, long-endurance Block 5 remotely piloted aircraft, the MQ-9A Extended Range Marine Air-Ground Task Force unmanned expeditionary aircraft will work to provide a variety of capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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DCSA Combines 2 Personnel Vetting Mission Areas to Form Adjudication & Vetting Services
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DCSA Combines 2 Personnel Vetting Mission Areas to Form Adjudication & Vetting Services

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has launched Adjudication and Vetting Services as a new organization formed through the merger of Consolidated Adjudication Services and Vetting Risk Operations — two key mission areas within DCSA’s personnel vetting enterprise.

Mark Livingston, assistant director of personnel security at DCSA, is overseeing the merger, which seeks to align DCSA functions with Trusted Workforce 2.0 and better use limited resources and personnel, DCSA said Monday.

“This merger is a game changer and will make our process of securing a trustworthy government workforce faster, better, and stronger. This merger and other mission transformation efforts reflect our continued progress in the DCSA personnel security directorate,” said Livingston.

DCSA is implementing the merger through a phased approach and the foundational phase will include integrating critical operations, improving collaborative knowledge sharing, eliminating redundancies and aligning functions with policies.

Heather Green, DCSA principal deputy assistant director for AVS, said the new organization’s goals include optimizing case management for clients, enhancing response times and delivering improved service offerings.

“We are carefully managing the transition to ensure service continues without interruption through this transformational period. It is essential that we maintain our focus on supporting the mission by ensuring our customers and stakeholders have the necessary products and services to support mission readiness and protect national security,” Green added.

FISA 702 Reauthorization Bill Moves to Senate Sans Warrant Amendment
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FISA 702 Reauthorization Bill Moves to Senate Sans Warrant Amendment

A bill that reauthorizes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is now moving from the House of Representatives to the Senate, The Hill reported Monday.

The reauthorization bill contains reforms meant to protect the privacy of American citizens, whose communications may be swept up by U.S. intelligence agencies spying on non-citizens living abroad under the powers given by FISA 702.

The measure had actually already cleared the lower chamber on April 12 by a 273-147 vote, The Hill reported Friday. However, when a subsequent amendment failed to pass due to a tie, a motion to reconsider the vote was made, which was followed by a motion to table that motion to reconsider.

The vote on the second motion took place on April 15, with 259 in favor and 128 against, effectively sending the reauthorization bill to the upper chamber without the amendment, which would have required a warrant in order to access information collected on Americans during foreign surveillance.

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