Few people would dispute that the United States is in the cross-hairs when it comes to cyber attacks. After all, the U.S. is the country that is the most dependent on the Internet as a component of our critical infrastructure.
Cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure have evolved over the years and pose a substantial threat that should concern everyone. Keep reading →
This is one among a collection of videos and essays from women who contribute to NASA’s mission. They are part of the agency’s efforts to create a collaborative and supportive community of women at the agency, inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to encourage openness and accountability at NASA.
Growing up in India, newly liberated from British rule, and at a time when there were few women scientist role models, I still dreamed of being one. When the Russians launched Sputnik and my grandmother gathered the whole family early one morning to see the satellite pass overhead, I wanted nothing more than to explore space. When NASA landed a man on the moon, I promised myself that one day I would work for NASA. Encouraged by my mother and teachers, I strongly believed that if I worked hard I would achieve my goals of going to Oxford University in England and working for NASA in America. I doggedly pursued my dreams and won a scholarship to Oxford University and received my doctorate in Physics in 1976. Joining NASA took a little longer. Keep reading →
The National Science Foundation partnered with NBC Learn and NBC Sports to celebrate the science, engineering and technology that are helping athletes maximize their performance at the 2012 London Olympic Games. This free 10-part educational video series explores the engineering and technology concepts behind the games. In addition, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will be providing free lesson plans for each video.
Timing is everything, especially at the 2012 Summer Olympics where even a millisecond could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Linda Milor, an electrical engineer at Georgia Institute of Technology, explains why Olympic timekeeping technology must be able to measure an athlete’s performance with both accuracy and precision. Keep reading →
This is one in a regular series on the latest innovation in mobile apps and mobile technology in the federal government.
With more medical data reaching patients through mobile devices, the Department of Health and Human Services is ramping up its efforts to require that the information be encrypted or otherwise protected from prying. Keep reading →
The FreeStuff website is clearly a good idea.
So good it’s in the Savings section of the Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings (CCS) volume of the US FY2013 Budget proposal; so good it ranked 96th out of 3843 entries in the 2011 President’s SAVE Award contest. Keep reading →
This is one in a series of profiles on the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, recognize outstanding federal employees whose important, behind-the-scenes work is advancing the health, safety and well-being of Americans and are among the most prestigious honors given to civil servants. This profile features a finalist for the Science and Environment medal Kyle Myers, director of research in imaging and applied mathematics at the Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Md.
Medical devices such as magnetic resonance imaging technology, ultrasound machines and CT scans are used to create images of the human body for medical procedures and to diagnose a wide range of ailments from cancer and heart problems to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
The reliability of the information gleaned from these devices depends on a number of factors-the quality of the images, the diagnostic methods used to assess those images and the skill of the radiologists who interpret the information. Keep reading →
A recent survey of federal records managers found they need better technology skills to carry out President Obama’s memorandum for Managing Government Records and are worried their budgets will not increase to handle the job.
The June survey by Iron Mountain Inc. said the success of the directive may rest on federal records managers’ developing new skills. More than 70% of the 100 managers surveyed cited the need for training as their top concern while 68% and 61% named staff and budget resources as additional worries. Keep reading →
A recent interesting study by the Sunlight Foundation states that Twitter “has become an important tool for social revolutions and civilian mobilization” worldwide. It also says that Twitter has been “embraced” by the U.S. Government, notably the U.S. State Department through its embassies.
The Sunlight study suggests that embassy use of Twitter is “largely an organic process, and one that has outpaced headquarters.” I would say that throughout the U.S. Government, use of new media is an organic process, just as the move to the web was such a process in the last decade. Keep reading →