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Charles River Analytics to Develop AI Coach for Enhancing Collaboration at DARPA
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Charles River Analytics to Develop AI Coach for Enhancing Collaboration at DARPA

Charles River Analytics has secured a Small Business Innovation Research sequential Phase II contract to build cross-domain collaboration software and an artificial intelligence coach for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The Artificial Social Intelligence for Group Learning and Optimization of Collaborative Workflows, or AGLOW, aims to enhance group collaboration across DARPA teams by automatically tracking problem-solving activities and generating coaching suggestions, the company said Tuesday.

“The tool could let you know what the other people on your team are trying to accomplish without the need for continuous, disruptive status meetings,” said Leonard Eusebi, senior scientist at Charles River Analytics and principal investigator on the AGLOW effort.

AGLOW will use a Microsoft Word Add-in for highlighting key questions, answers and insights about a task; a web interface for collecting tasks and summarizing behavior; a cognitive architecture for interpreting behaviors’ relation to goals; and an AI coach for suggesting actions to improve collaboration.

The SBIR Phase II contract is valued at approximately $1.5 million.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21 to hear more about cutting-edge AI innovations from government and industry experts. Register here.

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DOD’s Chief Digital & AI Office Eyes Use of Data Patterns; William Streilein Quoted
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DOD’s Chief Digital & AI Office Eyes Use of Data Patterns; William Streilein Quoted

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, or CDAO, intends to advance the use of data patterns and develop common practices for structuring and organizing data as it works to leverage AI, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“I hesitate saying standards because those sound a little bit draconian or a little bit top-down. But we want to use good patterns so people know what it means to share data,” Bill Streilein, chief technology officer at CDAO, said Monday at a conference.

Streilein stated that CDAO had introduced executive-level courses at MIT, Johns Hopkins University and the Naval Postgraduate School to help professionals improve their understanding of AI and data analytics as well as their implications for daily operations.

He also highlighted the importance of experimentation with AI technologies and the adoption of a product-oriented approach to data.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

CDAO CTO William Streilein will deliver the opening keynote at the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21. Register here to hear Streilein and other federal leaders and industry experts discuss the latest developments in the field.

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USPTO Issues Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions
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USPTO Issues Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office within the Department of Commerce has released guidance on determining the patentability of an invention created with the assistance of artificial intelligence systems.

Kathi Vidal, undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO, said in a blog post published Monday that an AI-assisted invention is not categorically unpatentable but noted that a human must have a significant contribution to the invention for it to qualify for patent protection.

“Instead of considering whether or not the contributions of the AI system to an invention would rise to the same level of inventorship if those contributions were made by a human, the key question this guidance helps address is whether the human named on a patent made a significant enough contribution to be a named as an inventor,” Vidal explained.

“To secure patent protection, there must be at least one named human inventor who meets that requirement” she added.

The Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions took effect Tuesday and will serve as a guide for USPTO stakeholders and personnel on how the agency will analyze inventorship issues related to AI.

The guidance is the first in the USPTO directives outlined in President Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI.

Under the EO, the USPTO will provide additional guidance to patent examiners and applicants on AI innovation’s patent eligibility and issue recommendations on potential executive actions relating to copyright and AI.

DOE Seeks Information From Vendors Interested in Managing Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
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DOE Seeks Information From Vendors Interested in Managing Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

The Department of Energy is seeking information from vendors interested in operating the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

The agency on Tuesday issued a request for information and launched a website to provide details of the upcoming contract competition to manage the nuclear physics laboratory.

TJNAF, which is based in Newport News, Virginia, is a federally funded research and development center that specializes in superconducting radiofrequency, or SRF, technology. R&D activities at the site also involve accelerator science and technology and large-scale user facilities and advanced instrumentation.

DOE plans to turn the accelerator into a multi-purpose laboratory that will house the Office of Science’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research center.

Interested parties may submit their RFI responses to the agency until March 6.

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USCYBERCOM Designated as Federal Laboratory
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USCYBERCOM Designated as Federal Laboratory

U.S. Cyber Command has achieved the federal laboratory designation, marking a key step in advancing cyber research and development initiatives.

USCYBERCOM disclosed the milestone in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday.

As a federal lab, the combatant command could improve its capacity to promote innovation, advance collaboration with industry and academia and contribute to the development of cybersecurity technologies.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to our dedicated team, esteemed partners, and supporters whose collective efforts have played an integral role in attaining this noteworthy milestone. Together, we are charting a course towards the future of stronger cyber solutions, fortified by innovation and resilience,” the command said in the post.

In addition to the designation, USCYBERCOM noted that it has created the Office of Research and Technology Application, which will help implement cooperative R&D agreements, educational partnership agreements and partnership intermediary agreements, among others.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 and hear cyber experts, government and industry leaders discuss the latest trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector. Register here.

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NASA to Conduct Ultraviolet Survey, Study Stellar Explosions With UVEX Telescope
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NASA to Conduct Ultraviolet Survey, Study Stellar Explosions With UVEX Telescope

A space telescope is set to lift off in 2030 as part of a two-year NASA mission aimed at surveying ultraviolet light to gain more information on how stars and galaxies evolve.

The UltraViolet EXplorer telescope, a.k.a. the UVEX, will be equipped with an ultraviolet spectrograph to study massive stars and stellar explosions and is expected to support data from other missions, including NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Euclid mission led by the European Space Agency, NASA said Tuesday.

“NASA’s UVEX will help us better understand the nature of both nearby and distant galaxies, as well as follow up on dynamic events in our changing universe,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“This mission will bring key capabilities in near-and far-ultraviolet light to our fleet of space telescopes, delivering a wealth of survey data that will open new avenues in exploring the secrets of the cosmos,” added Fox.

UVEX is NASA’s next Astrophysics Medium-Class Explorer mission and is expected to cost about $300 million.

Fiona Harrison of Caltech serves as the UVEX mission’s principal investigator. Northrop Grumman, Space Dynamics Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, are also involved in the mission.

POC - 2024 Space Summit

Hear government leaders, space experts and industry executives discuss the latest space technologies, commercial investments and urgent issues facing the space domain at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5. Register here.

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Frank Kendall & Bill Nelson Awarded 2024 Wash100 for USAF & NASA Leadership
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Frank Kendall & Bill Nelson Awarded 2024 Wash100 for USAF & NASA Leadership

Executive Mosaic has coronated two U.S. government agency heads with the 2024 Wash100 Award in recognition of their leadership in the contracting arena.

Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson were singled out in EM’s publications for the achievements that led to their inclusion in the 2024 Wash100 class on Wednesday.

The Wash100 contains the 100 individuals who have made the biggest impact on the GovCon sector and who are poised to do so again in the year ahead. The list is whittled down from thousands of candidates to reflect the inarguable players the market would not be the same without, all of whom exemplify stellar vision and innovation.

Secretary Kendall clinched his fifth Wash100 through his emphasis on rapid acquisition and unyielding modernization. These focus areas drove the DAF to ramp up artificial intelligence activities and to continue executing his seven operational imperatives. Read about Secretary Kendall’s full qualifications here.

Throughout his career and especially in recent times, Nelson has demonstrated an admirable commitment to scientific discovery and technological advancement. A large part of 2023 was devoted to the Artemis mission at NASA, and the agency awarded Blue Origin and partners Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Astrobotic, Draper and Honeybee Robotics a multi-billion dollar contract to build a human landing system for the venture. Nelson’s full profile is available at ExecutiveBiz here.

Congratulations to Kendall and Nelson and their teams! Be sure to cast your votes in the Wash100 popular contest to have a say in who is crowned audience favorite at the end of April.

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POC’s Most Exciting Headliners of 2023
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POC’s Most Exciting Headliners of 2023

As GovCon’s premier events organization, the Potomac Officers Club brings its audience the most elite government decision makers and industry leaders with every event.

The Potomac Officers Club hosted 16 events last year, all of which presented key leaders from across the public and private sectors. Keep reading to learn more about five individuals who participated as keynote speakers at POC events in 2023.

Dr. William Streilein

Dr. William Streilein, chief technology officer of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office within the Department of Defense, delivered the opening keynote address during the 4th Annual AI Summit in February, during which he highlighted CDAO’s five “big plays.” Streilein will return to speak at the 5th Annual AI Summit on March 21. Learn more about this year’s iteration of the event here, and click this link to register.

David McKeown

The 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 will feature another returning speaker: David McKeown, deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and senior information security officer for the DOD. At last year’s Cyber Summit, McKeown shared his insights on quantum and offered a peek into the technology’s place in DOD modernization efforts. Click here for more information on the 2024 Cyber Summit, and click here to register for the event.

Frank Kendall

Frank Kendall, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, has served as secretary of the Air Force since July 2021. Since assuming the role, he has guided the Department of the Air Force in its transformation efforts, many of which are detailed in his recently published Wash100 profile. One area of focus for the DAF is contested logistics, and during the 2023 Air Force Summit in July, he discussed how the department is exploring contested logistics as a way to maintain an advantage against the nation’s near-peer adversaries. The 2024 Air Force Summit this July will feature many Air Force leaders. Register here.

Dr. Stacy Dixon

In September, the Potomac Officers Club hosted its 9th Annual Intel Summit. Dr. Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence and a 2024 Wash100 Award recipient, opened up the event with a keynote address in which she discussed “the intensifying strategic competition with China and Russia” and other national security issues such as emerging technologies, health security and more. The Intel Summit will return for its 10th year in September. To learn more and register to attend the 10th Annual Intel Summit, click here.

John Sherman

DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman, a 2024 Wash100 awardee, delivered the opening keynote address at the 4th Annual CIO Summit in May. During his remarks, he defended the “highly controversial” Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, which opponents say can delay innovation and mission timelines. He also revealed that the DOD is developing a new version of the process. The 5th Annual CIO Summit will be held on April 17. Learn more about the event here, and click here to register.

The Potomac Officers Club has another exciting lineup for events, both new and returning, in 2024. Click here to view the full list.

New Personnel Vetting Questionnaire Gets OMB Clearance
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New Personnel Vetting Questionnaire Gets OMB Clearance

The Office of Management and Budget has approved the Personnel Vetting Questionnaire, or PVQ, to replace the Standard Form-86 used for federal jobs requiring security clearances and other legacy vetting questionnaires for non-sensitive and public trust positions, Federal News Network reported Friday.

The new form was cleared by OMB in November, according to a quarterly progress report on the Trusted Workforce 2.0 initiative.

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has initiated efforts to integrate PVQ into a web portal called “eApp” as part of DCSA’s efforts to develop an information technology system, dubbed National Background Investigation Services.

“The PVQ interface in NBIS eApp is still in development, and we anticipate working with the Trusted Workforce executive agents to share a deployment timeline,” a spokesman for DCSA told FNN.

According to the report, the Office of Personnel Management is responsible for the PVQ and made changes to questions regarding mental health, marijuana use, foreign connections and activities and gender-inclusive terminology.

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Space Force Leads Adoption of Commercial Satellite Imagery for Military Use
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Space Force Leads Adoption of Commercial Satellite Imagery for Military Use

Steven Butow, director of the space portfolio at the Defense Innovation Unit, said the U.S. Space Force is opening up new opportunities to commercial companies to offer their products and services to the defense market, SpaceNews reported Monday.

According to Butow, satellite imagery is one area where the Space Force sees an opportunity to procure services directly from providers.

“We’ve been fighting really hard for the Space Force to be an executive agent to be able to go out and procure commercial remote sensing information that would be used by all the military services,” he said.

Butow explained that the Department of Defense traditionally works with the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to fulfill the military’s satellite imagery needs.

However, this process takes too long and could disproportionately decrease the value of data. To address this, Space Force is looking for faster options to procure satellite imagery.

“The earlier you know something, the more time you have to make decisions, especially if you want to have diplomatic options or have other ways of mitigating a disaster,” Butow said.

POC - 2024 Space Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5 to learn how new technologies, commercial investments and adversarial threats are shaping the future of space. Butow will be featured in a panel discussion. Click here to register!

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