@newsletter

NIH’s Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, pictured in front of a display of the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project.

This is the second in a series of articles examining how NIH, among other government agencies, is infusing innovation into the federal workplace. Keep reading →

Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel today announced a new set of initiatives to spur broader adoption of mobile technology for the federal government, calling 2012 “the year of mobile government.”

Speaking at a government conference held at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, VanRoekel described a new 2012 “Roadmap for Federal Mobility” that would put an emphasis on governance, sharing technologies wherever possible, and collaborating with the private sector to accelerate adoption. Keep reading →


This is the second of a three-part series examining government services addressing key challenges among military veterans amid high unemployment, a woeful economic outlook and an anticipated influx of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few years.

When Nick Colgin came back from treating gunshot wounded soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan, he set out to find a job doing what he had done well enough to save lives in the war-torn country. Keep reading →


This is the first of a three-part series examining government services addressing key challenges among military veterans amid high unemployment, a woeful economic outlook and an anticipated influx of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next few years.

The nation’s military veterans have long been lauded America’s heroes, deserving the utmost respect, admiration and support from fellow citizens. Keep reading →

When scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) were tasked with creating a way to stop a fleeing vehicle moving at high speed, they turned to crowd-sourcing for a solution. What they got was an ingenious idea from a retired, 66-year-old South American engineer, Dante Barbis (pictured above).

Using InnoCentive Inc.’s open innovation platform (discussed in video below), AFRL and its research partner, the Wright Brothers Institute, posted a $25,000 challenge contest last March for a viable and inexpensive means for stopping a speeding vehicle without harming any of its occupants or causing significant damage to the vehicle. Keep reading →

The National Institute of Standards and Technology launched Phase 2 of its efforts to guide the adoption of cloud computing in the federal government with the release this week of the first two volumes of the U.S. Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap, Release 1.0.

Release 1.0 of the roadmap, is “designed to support the secure and effective adoption of the cloud computing model by federal agencies to reduce costs and improve services,” according to authors of the NIST document. Keep reading →

Government contractors need to prepare not only for a more austere future for government spending, but also adapt to a shifting landscape that is favoring task orders over traditional acquisition contracts, a leading government forecasting group said today.

Among the forces reshaping that landscape are agency efforts to accelerate the delivery of technology and other projects. One way they’re doing that is by breaking projects into smaller, more modular chunks. That has resulted in a growing use of task orders, said Kevin Plexico, senior vice president for research and analysis services at Deltek, speaking at Deltek’s FedFocus 2012 forum today. Keep reading →

When it comes to proactive law enforcement, intelligence and counterterrorism operations, the New York City Police Department – the NYPD – is viewed by many of its counterparts as one of the most innovative and successful police departments in the nation’s history.

However, the NYPD has also gained another, more insidious reputation in recent years for what many regard as an unprecedented challenge to privacy and civil liberties in America and what others regard as overreach internationally. Keep reading →

A program begun on a shoe string a year ago to help federal agencies tap a broader universe of creative ideas to solve some of the government’s toughest challenges has spawned a surprising, if not revolutionary, wave of innovation in government – and at a fraction of the cost most agencies would traditionally spend to achieve similar results. Keep reading →


This is the seventh of a series of profiles on the nine standout public servants who received Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) honoring their high-impact contributions to the health, safety and well-being of Americans at a Washington, D.C. gala September 15. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, are among the most prestigious honors given to America’s civil servants. This profile features the winner of the management excellence medal, W. Todd Grams, acting assistant secretary for management and chief financial officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long functioned as if it were three distinct business entities-health care, benefits and cemeteries-and never fully integrated its financial management, acquisition, human resources, capital investment and technology functions across the organization. Keep reading →

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