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FAA Selects 7 Universities to Undertake Drone Research in 3 Focus Areas
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FAA Selects 7 Universities to Undertake Drone Research in 3 Focus Areas

Seven universities have secured grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct studies on the cybersecurity, detect-and-avoid classification and electromagnetic compatibility of unmanned aircraft systems.

The awards have a total value of $4.4 million and represent the second round of FAA’s Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence program, the agency said Friday.

University of Kansas, Oregon State University and Drexel University will carry out research work on oversight and risk management approaches for drones that could integrate into national space.

FAA assigned Ohio State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University and University of North Dakota to determine how false or misleading information will affect UAS technology designed to help the vehicle avoid a collision.

University of North Dakota, University of Kansas and Drexel University will perform drone design assessments and make recommendations to address potential electromagnetic interference.

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House Lawmakers Kick Off Inquiry Into Facial Recognition Service Provider
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House Lawmakers Kick Off Inquiry Into Facial Recognition Service Provider

House lawmakers asked identity verification company ID.me through a letter to provide a detailed list of its contracts with federal, state and local government agencies and information about its facial recognition software as part of an investigation into the security and accuracy of the company’s platform, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

In February, the Internal Revenue Service announced its decision to transition away from using facial recognition software in response to concerns from taxpayers regarding their privacy and security. 

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said she she hopes the investigation will result in “more transparency and accountability” when it comes to the use of facial recognition by the government.

Maloney co-wrote the letter with House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis, which was addressed to ID.me CEO Blake Hall.

“We look forward to providing important information to the Committee on how ID.me has expanded access to government for disadvantaged Americans, including individuals who do not have credit history, are underbanked, or are without a home,” said Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for ID.me.

Lawmakers also requested the company to provide information on its procedures and policies on biometric data retention and on the use of Duplicate Face Detection systems for federal, local and state government contracts.

Documents and other information should be submitted by April 28.

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William LaPlante Sworn in as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment
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William LaPlante Sworn in as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment

William LaPlante, most recently president and CEO of Draper and a former Air Force acquisition chief, took oath as undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense.

LaPlante, who was confirmed by the Senate on April 7, will oversee matters related to acquisition, logistics and materiel readiness, operational energy, contract administration, acquisition workforce, chemical and biological defense and the defense industrial base, DOD said Friday.

He was nominated in November and appeared before the upper chamber for his confirmation hearing in late March. During the hearing, he noted that the U.S. needs more production lines to make missiles, drones and bombs that could be used as a deterrent to potential adversaries.

LaPlante, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, served as assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics from 2014 to 2017. He also worked at Mitre as senior vice president for national security sector.

He previously served as a member of the Defense Science Board and as a commissioner on the Section 809 Panel, a congressionally mandated group tasked with conducting reviews of defense acquisition policies.

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Ventech Solutions Nets Slew of ISO Certifications and High Marks from CMMI Institute; Kathy Dass Quoted
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Ventech Solutions Nets Slew of ISO Certifications and High Marks from CMMI Institute; Kathy Dass Quoted

Healthcare data and technology services company Ventech Solutions has received high-placement evaluations from the CMMI Institute and the International Organization for Standardization.

The company said Thursday it gained a version 2.0 maturity level 3 appraisal in the development and services category from the CMMI Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration program and a series of certifications validating its management systems from ISO.

“Achieving and maintaining the CMMI appraisals and ISO certifications ensure and reinforce that we are operating our business with practices that deliver a high level of efficiency, safety and security,” said Kathy Dass, senior vice president of delivery at Ventech Solutions.

Among the company’s pursuits recognized by ISO were its quality management systems, IT service management and information security management systems. The organization is widely viewed as the international judge of repute for high caliber management systems. Earning its approval instills faith in an enterprise’s ability to meet industry and customer needs.

CMMI is an assessment body that encourages continuous progress in the areas of quality, productivity, customer responsiveness and performance. It is utilized in order to gauge best practices in a given field.

Both ISO and CMMI take a close look at a company’s workflows and business behaviors in order to draw their conclusions. They weigh improvement over time and value a dedication to safety, giving preference to companies with consistent service delivery and secure information management.

“Our validated processes focus on quality, cost savings and compliance, key components that support our federal clients in moving their missions forward,” Dass added.

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Susan Wedge Promoted to Managing Partner of Public and Federal Market at IBM Consulting
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Susan Wedge Promoted to Managing Partner of Public and Federal Market at IBM Consulting

Longtime IBM Consulting executive Susan Wedge has been elevated to the role of managing partner of the company’s U.S. public and federal market division.

Wedge will leverage two decades of IBM experience in the new position, where she will oversee IBM Consulting’s partnerships with government, education, healthcare and life science customers, the organization said Thursday.

Illustrating what motivates her career path, Wedge shared that she is “passionate about having a measurable impact for our clients in the public and federal market and the citizens they serve.”

The newly promoted executive began her career at American Management Systems, where she spearheaded financial planning with the company’s public sector clientele, rising the ranks from intern to consultant to principal and exiting as senior principal after seven years with the firm.

Wedge entered IBM as senior consultant and program manager wherein she was responsible for improving performance for an intelligence community customer. She then held roles such as partner and leader of the U.S. federal operational transformation practice and senior partner of the civilian and health aspect of the U.S. federal market business.

Prior to her latest position, Wedge worked as managing partner for IBM Consulting’s U.S. public market, where she offered advisory services to state and local government agencies, education, healthcare and life sciences clients and drove double digit growth.

Her last title involved the management of a $1.1 billion portfolio, while as managing partner of the public and federal market she will be in charge of an over $2.2 billion budget.

“I look forward to increasing IBM’s reach and continuing to accelerate our client’s digital transformation,” Wedge remarked.

The appointment of Wedge follows Katharyn White’s January return to IBM as federal ecosystem lead. Before leaving the company in 2017, White previously served as vice president of transformation at IBM Consulting.

White participated in an Executive Spotlight interview with Executive Biz in March, during which she shared her beliefs on the company’s public sector work.

“I believe in the power of public and private partnership to solve complex problems, and I believe the current world situation requires urgency,” White said.

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Johns Hopkins-led NASA Science Center to Continue Work on Solar Storm Model
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Johns Hopkins-led NASA Science Center to Continue Work on Solar Storm Model

NASA has extended the operations of the Center for Geospace Storms by five more years to complete a computer model that can provide a better understanding of space weather and physics.

Johns Hopkins University‘s Applied Physics Laboratory, CGS lead, said Wednesday work will continue on the Multiscale Atmosphere-Geospace Environment system that is expected to accurately simulate solar storms in the geospace.

With MAGE, APL researchers and colleagues across the U.S. are aiming at achieving an unprecedented feat of combining models of Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and upper and lower atmosphere to help predict space weather events that could disrupt operations both in orbit and on the ground.

The system has already provided new insights into geospace physics that include the string of pearls phenomenon involving auroras.

“MAGE is bringing a capability that we haven’t seen in the community before: the ability to get down to smaller-scale features and help place them in a global context,” explained Mike Wilterberger, deputy director of CGS.

The five-year extension of CGS operations represents Phase II of the NASA Diversity, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate Science Center initiative.

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New Savannah River Center to Focus on Secure Nuclear Energy, Nonproliferation
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New Savannah River Center to Focus on Secure Nuclear Energy, Nonproliferation

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory has launched a new facility in South Carolina focused on aligning the advancement of nuclear energy with weapons nonproliferation efforts.

The Nonproliferation Applied Sciences Center will gather scientists, engineers and policy experts to research and develop security technologies that can safeguard nuclear materials used as an energy resource, SRNL said Wednesday.

Tammy Taylor, an SRNL associate laboratory director and NASC’s initial chief, explained that the center will “build on the reality that nuclear, as a form of clean energy, requires modern nuclear material security solutions; and be an innovation and collaboration hub for advancing new approaches and solutions to safeguarding nuclear materials.”

Among the center’s goals are advancing radiation detection and validation testing methods, developing capabilities for nuclear-related manufacturing, modernizing nuclear security technologies, and developing ways for the disposal of weapons-usable nuclear materials.

SRNL plans to select a permanent director for NASC in 2022.

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SAIC to Maintain IT Collaboration with County of Orange, California Under $64M Contract Extension; President Bob Genter Quoted
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SAIC to Maintain IT Collaboration with County of Orange, California Under $64M Contract Extension; President Bob Genter Quoted

Science Applications International Corporation has earned a potential four-year, $64 million contract extension from the County of Orange, California for information technology services.

The firm-fixed-price contract extension continues an eight-year delivery of managed services to various Orange County agencies and departments such as a data center, desktop, service desk and applications, the Reston, Virginia-based company announced Thursday.

Bob Genter, president of SAIC’s defense and civilian sector, remarked that the county’s continued faith in the company’s offerings “is a testament to our success in delivering high-performance IT managed services.”

SAIC will also be expected to aid the county’s networks, voice environment and security operations under the contract extension. The company’s team aims to help conserve financial resources, render the IT procedures more efficient and enhance user experience for citizens.

Genter attested that the county polled residents over the course of their partnership and received overwhelmingly positive marks regarding SAIC’s services.

The work will be carried out mainly in Santa Ana, California over a two-year base period with two subsequent one-year option periods. Their services will reach the County of Orange’s population of three million, whose government is organized into 25 departments and divisions.

SAIC and the county’s partnership will enable the digital operations of the key offices of public safety, public health, environmental protection and regional planning, as well as public assistance, social services and aviation.

The County of Orange acts as a regional service administration and planning agency for the aforementioned task forces.

In March, SAIC landed a potential $20.6 million U.S. Navy task order to strengthen interoperable communications for public safety officials and first responders. The project will entail research, development and testing and evaluation, in addition to documentation, training, workshops and communication planning.

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OMB Urges Agencies to Reduce Paperwork Burdens on Citizens; Sabeel Rahman Quoted
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OMB Urges Agencies to Reduce Paperwork Burdens on Citizens; Sabeel Rahman Quoted

The Office of Management and Budget has released guidance directing federal agencies to reduce administrative burdens that U.S. citizens experience when accessing social welfare programs.

The guidance orders agencies to identify time, financial and psychological costs imposed on people when applying for a benefits program and instructs them to design reforms to solve these challenges, Sabeel Rahman, senior counselor to the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday.

“Long forms, long lines, and lots of documents – these are the hurdles that can make it difficult and frustrating for individuals and communities to access government programs and services,” Rahman said.

The memo, signed by Shalanda Young, director of OMB, and Dominic Mancini, deputy administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, cites the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which mandates agencies to reduce paperwork burdens when the government collects information from the public. 

Rahman said the memo aligns with the Biden administration’s effort to broaden access to public benefits programs and ensure that government services are delivered more equitably.

“As part of this effort, last year OMB submitted a report to the President that made clear how administrative burdens make it harder for communities in need to access critical services and programs – and agencies can do more to fix the problem,” Rahman explained.

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Grant Hagen of HII Discusses Leadership Pillars with Potomac Officers Club
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Grant Hagen of HII Discusses Leadership Pillars with Potomac Officers Club

President of cyber, electronic warfare and space for HII’s Mission Technologies division, Grant Hagen, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club. He discussed some of the most important elements of achieving success, and he shared his advice for keeping up with the rapid rate of change in technology across the federal sector. Hagen is a Project Management Professional who has enjoyed a 25-year career in government contracting.

In this excerpt from his interview, Hagen talks about his leadership strategy and how he works with his team to accomplish HII’s mission goals:

“As a leader, I focus on four key attributes to help drive success. First, I believe it is important to make timely decisions, and if needed, adjust on execution. 

‘Second, I strive for open communications and have an open-door policy with my team. I encourage vigorous discussion and push the team to get straight to the point, focusing on issues that matter versus those that distract from what needs to be accomplished. 

Third, I expect my team to elevate critical news quickly so we can address and mitigate it. Finally, I let employees know what is expected, provide them the authority to execute, and hold them accountable for results.”

Read the full Executive Spotlight interview with HII’s Grant Hagen at PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can learn more about the platform’s membership options.

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