DOE Advisory Panel Releases Report on Funding Priority Projects in Particle Physics
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DOE Advisory Panel Releases Report on Funding Priority Projects in Particle Physics

The High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, also known as HEPAP, has issued the 2023 Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel — or P5 — report, which offers recommendations on which efforts within the scientific field should be focused on by U.S. agencies for funding.

The priorities outlined in the 2023 P5 report are based on the output of the 2021 Snowmass planning exercise, which was organized by the American Physical Society’s Division of Particles and Fields and saw participation from cosmologists and particle physicists from around the world, the Brookhaven National Laboratory said Friday.

P5 Deputy Chair Karsten Heeger described the planning exercise as a “broad look” at the direction particle physics is heading in order to produce “a report that amounts to a strategic plan for the U.S. community with a 10-year budgetary timeline and a 20-year context.”

The report’s recommendations for federal investment include the technical workforce of the U.S., various research programs and key technology and infrastructure, like the Large Hadron Collider in Europe.

APS Division of Particles and Fields 2023 Chair R. Sekhar Chivukula said the U.S. particle physics community is in a position to help address important scientific questions within the discipline.

“The P5 report will lay the foundation for a very bright future in the field,” Chivukula noted.

HEPAP is part of the High Energy Physics program within the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Science Foundation’s Division of Physics. P5 is a subpanel of HEPAP.

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NASA Veteran Richard Gilbrech to Retire as Stennis Director
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NASA Veteran Richard Gilbrech to Retire as Stennis Director

Richard Gilbrech, a more than three-decade NASA veteran, will retire from government service and step down from his post as director of the space agency’s Stennis Space Center on Jan. 13.

NASA said Monday Gilbrech, who has been with the agency since 1991, was appointed to his current role in 2012 and has, since then, led the implementation of the agency’s rocket propulsion testing efforts as well as the development and maintenance of facilities for the said tests.

Mainly, he provides Stennis with executive leadership, overall direction and management.

Before taking the helm of Stennis, Gilbrech worked as the center’s deputy director. His career also includes time managing the Stennis National Aerospace Plane project and the X-33 reusable launch vehicle program and serving as chief of the Propulsion Test Engineering Division.

Gilbrech’s responsibilities will be assumed by Stennis Deputy Director John Bailey temporarily upon the former’s retirement. A search and competition will be held to determine a permanent successor.

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NIST Introduces Draft Guidance on Evaluating Differential Privacy Guarantees
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NIST Introduces Draft Guidance on Evaluating Differential Privacy Guarantees

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a draft guidance on evaluating claims made about differential privacy, a privacy-enhancing technology used to quantify risks to an individual’s data privacy.

The draft NIST Special Publication 800-226, titled “Guidelines for Evaluating Differential Privacy Guarantees,” aims to help federal agencies, policymakers, software developers and business owners better understand guarantee protection claims made when deploying differential privacy, including for artificial intelligence applications, the agency said Monday.

Naomi Lefkovitz, manager of NIST’s Privacy Engineering Program, said that differential privacy may pose risks as the technology is still maturing.

“We want this publication to help organizations evaluate differential privacy products and get a better sense of whether their creators’ claims are accurate,” Lefkovitz said.

The draft guidance is open for public comments until Jan. 25.

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Mara Karlin to Step Down From Role at DOD Policy Office
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Mara Karlin to Step Down From Role at DOD Policy Office

Mara Karlin, who is currently performing the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for policy, will leave the Department of Defense next week for academia.

Sasha Baker, acting under secretary of defense for policy, announced the move in a statement published Monday.

Prior to this role, Karlin served as acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities.

Baker commended Karlin’s involvement in the development and implementation of the National Defense Strategy and role in providing strategic counsel to Defense Secretary and three-time Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin on matters related to the modernization of U.S. force posture in the Indo-Pacific, the establishment of an emerging capabilities policy office and the implementation of AUKUS — the partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.

Melissa Dalton, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs, will assume Karlin’s role, performing the duties of deputy under secretary for policy at DOD.

Dalton previously served as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities and as a senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program.

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New Report Presents Recommended Practices to Ensure Software Supply Chain Security
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New Report Presents Recommended Practices to Ensure Software Supply Chain Security

The National Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and industry partners have issued a cybersecurity technical report offering recommendations to ensure the security of the software supply chain.

NSA said Monday the document backs development activities of a single developer and large companies and focuses on the management of open source software, or OSS, and software bills of materials, or SBOMs.

The guidance recommends seven areas of improvement related to OSS and software development designed to enable organizations to mature their software development processes: open source selection criteria; risk assessment; licensing; export control; maintenance; vulnerability response; and secure software and SBOM delivery.

“Open source software is an essential and valuable component in many commercial and public-sector products and services, and collaboration on open source software often enables great cost-savings for participants,” said Aeva Black, open source software security lead at CISA.

Black added that the guide could help organizations improve the security and safety of their open source software management practices.

The document describes the process for creating and maintaining a company internal secure open-source repository and outlines the process for maintaining, monitoring and updating OSS.

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Sonny Hashmi to Leave GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Post
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Sonny Hashmi to Leave GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Post

Sonny Hashmi, a previous Wash100 Award winner, will step down from his role as commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service on Dec. 29.

Tom Howder, deputy commissioner of FAS, will transition to the role of acting commissioner upon Hashmi’s departure, GSA said Monday.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said that under Hashmi’s leadership, FAS generated $6 billion in savings through better competition and pricing and helped federal agencies procure products and services worth more than $100 billion in the past year, reflecting a 36 percent increase over the last three years.

“Importantly, more than one-third of that went to small businesses, and nearly half of GSA’s own investment dollars were awarded to small businesses,” added Carnahan.

Howder, a 36-year GSA veteran, assumed the deputy commissioner role in January 2020.

Prior to his current position, Howder was assistant commissioner for the Office of Assisted Acquisition Services within FAS.

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Gina Raimondo on Permissible Sale of Nvidia’s AI Chips to China
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Gina Raimondo on Permissible Sale of Nvidia’s AI Chips to China

Gina Raimondo, secretary of the Department of Commerce, said semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia is allowed to sell artificial intelligence chips designed for commercial applications to China, Reuters reported Tuesday.

“What we cannot allow them to ship is the most sophisticated, highest-processing power AI chips, which would enable China to train their frontier models,” Raimondo said.

Raimondo said the U.S. government is currently in talks with Nvidia regarding the permissible sale of AI chips to China and noted that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made it clear that the transaction will comply with regulations.

“They want to do the right thing. Obviously they want to sell as many chips as possible,” Raimondo said.

According to Huang, Nvidia will ensure that the company’s China-focused AI chip products are compliant with export rules.

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DOD Aims to Empower Defense Research Ecosystem With $161M in New Awards; Bindu Nair Quoted
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DOD Aims to Empower Defense Research Ecosystem With $161M in New Awards; Bindu Nair Quoted

The U.S. Department of Defense has issued $161 million in grants to nearly 300 university researchers to strengthen their research capabilities and build up the science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

The funds were awarded to 120 institutions spanning 39 states through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program, an effort intended to cultivate the U.S. scientific ecosystem and drive progress in defense-related research, the DOD announced on Tuesday.

Bindu Nair, director of basic research in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said that investments made under the initiative, known as DURIP, “build vital research infrastructure, advancing the exploration of knowledge and upholding the cutting-edge capabilities of our academic institutions.”

“This funding underpins the enduring scientific excellence of our universities, nurtures the development of the next STEM workforce and catalyzes scientific innovations that will lead to unprecedented military capabilities in the years ahead,” she added.

With these investments, selected organizations will be able to buy equipment needed to enhance current and create new research capabilities relevant to defense missions. This year, DURIP grants are centered around National Defense Science and Technology Strategy research priorities, such as quantum computing and quantum networks, bioelectronics, hypersonics and autonomy as well as the design, development and characterization of new materials. These activities will be executed in fiscal year 2024.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office and Office of Naval Research oversee a merit competition through which DURIP is administered. The program accepts proposals from university investigators carrying out science and engineering studies that could support national defense efforts.

These investments are part of a wider DOD effort to advance its research and development ecosystem. Recently, the department has made multiple awards to improve supply chains for key defense technologies, including a $23.4 million contract issued to 6K Additive earlier this month to expand its waste and scrap metal upcycling capabilities.

In November, the DOD made a $3.2 million agreement with South Star Battery Metals Corporation to enhance its battery metals supply chain by funding a feasibility study and facility construction project that would enable the production of Coated, Spheronized, Purified Graphite.

DOD Aims to Empower Defense Research Ecosystem With $161M in New Awards; Bindu Nair Quoted

These awards are just a few of the ways the DOD is ramping up its research and development activities. At the Potomac Officers Club’s 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 31, 2023, key leaders in the defense R&D field will come together to discuss the department’s most important technology priorities and challenges. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.

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Watch: David Wajsgras Shares Intelsat Innovation Initiatives & Partnerships
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Watch: David Wajsgras Shares Intelsat Innovation Initiatives & Partnerships

New commercial space companies, technological innovations and intensifying competition are just a few of the factors fueling unprecedented growth in the space domain today. Executive Mosaic sat down with Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras in a new video interview to talk about Intelsat’s work at the forefront of the satellite communications industry and learn more about the trends influencing the market.

The seven-time Wash100 Award winner said the two major factors shaping space today are the explosion of new space companies and the “demand pull” on these companies from governments around the world for new capabilities. On the commercial side of this trend, Wajsgras is seeing higher demand for in-flight connectivity and WiFi communications in the aviation industry. And Wajsgras is harnessing opportunities on the government side too.

“Intelsat is now partnering with [low Earth orbit] providers — think new space, think commercial companies that traditionally haven’t participated in that industry. We are, from a combination standpoint, now offering what we call multi-orbit capabilities,” said Wajsgras.

“We are partnering with a company called OneWeb, which is now part of Eutelsat. We are partnering with other LEO providers to offer government capabilities around, primarily in the U.S., but now we’re starting to see a lot of interest from some of our closest allies around the world,” he added.

According to Wajsgras, Intelsat will soon field a multi-orbit antenna that would provide users with ubiquitous and highly secure communications anywhere in the world. This capability is also expected to be used for backhaul purposes, meaning that users would never lose connection regardless of their proximity to cell towers or terrestrial fiber.

Wajsgras recently announced that Intelsat is projected to reach $2.1 billion in revenue for 2023, and he said the company’s strategy centers around becoming a leading provider of secure end to end satellite-based network solutions for public and private sector customers.

Learn more about how Intelsat is driving satellite communications innovations across multiple industries — watch Dave Wajsgras’ video interview here. And join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5 to meet, learn from and network with government and industry space experts and decision makers. Register here.

Watch: David Wajsgras Shares Intelsat Innovation Initiatives & Partnerships
Carlos Del Toro Stands Up DON Office of Strategic Assessment, Appoints Cara LaPointe as Director
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Carlos Del Toro Stands Up DON Office of Strategic Assessment, Appoints Cara LaPointe as Director

Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has established a new office tasked with providing independent, data-driven assessments and recommendations on developing guiding principles and priorities to advance the lethality of the naval force.

Cara LaPointe, former co-director of the Institute for Assured Autonomy at Johns Hopkins University, will head the Department of the Navy Office of Strategic Assessment, or DON OSA, as director, the Navy said Monday.

LaPointe is a former naval surface warfare officer with over two decades of experience in national security, technology policy and Navy leadership.

Her Navy career includes roles such as deputy technical director of the littoral combat ship program and chief of staff to the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for unmanned systems.

She was also an expert adviser for global emerging technology initiatives at the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and a member of the DON Science and Technology Board.

Under her leadership, the DON OSA will help drive the service branch’s current readiness investments and future modernization efforts to maintain its global competitiveness.

“Data-driven assessments looking strategically across the entire DON enterprise in support of the Joint Force will help us make smarter choices as we balance investments in current readiness and future modernization in order to enhance the Department’s competitiveness against the pacing threat,” Del Toro said.

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