Like iron chef contestants, researchers at NASA push ahead on a program to develop food systems for astronauts who will be in space for months. Years even. Late last year we reported on a round of 18 first-round grants made by the Deep Space Food Challenge program. For what's going on with Round Two, the program manager for NASA's Centennial Challenges, Monsi Roman.

Federal Drive with Tom Temin

NASA plows ahead on a program to ensure nutrition for astronauts headed to Mars

The General Services Administration not only oversees most federal buildings and offices, it also manages the artwork that graces them. It recently issued a new final rule for its Art in Architecture program, lifting what it calls restrictions on artistic subjects and themes. And to promote the administration's equity goals. For more, we turn to the GSA's senior advisor to the administrator for equity, Andrea O'Neal.

The GSA opens the door to more equitable art in federal buildings

If cybersecurity is one of the nation's most potent threats, the answer is as much talent as technology. That's why, with orders from Congress, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency turned to the National Academy of Public Administration. NAPA evaluated what the agency is doing to help build the nation's cyber workforce. With highlights of what it found, NAPA study co-chairs Karen Evans and Dan Chenok.

Homeland Security asked for advice on the cyber workforce, and boy, did it get some

An influx of money from the CARES Act helped the Navy Department make major strides in modernizing its networks. Now, leaders say, it’s time to focus on bolstering those networks’ cybersecurity. Part of that is a major pivot from compliance-driven approaches to ones that focus on continuous monitoring. The new effort is called Cyber Ready. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu has more details on what the Navy and Marine Corps are trying to achieve.

Navy plans to become ‘cyber ready’ by ditching compliance-obsessed ATO processes

The Air Force has been planting seeds for new technologies over the past few years by investing in prototypes. The hope is they'll will bloom into exciting new programs. But now, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says the weedwhacker is coming. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione joined the Federal Drive with more on the service’s 2024 budget cycle.

Air Force planning project to cut extraneous S&T programs

The Justice Department has laid out its plans to have employees return to their offices. It stresses maximum telework. But one group says actual telework policies are all over the place, depending on which office you work in. More from the vice president of the Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Adam Hanna.

One crucial group at the Justice Department isn't happy with the return-to-the-office plan

The U.S. military establishment is so focused on future technology that it risks national security right now. That's the thesis of my next guest. She argues an obsession with future, and futuristic, technology can lead planners off course. Joining the Federal Drive with more, the Brookings foreign policy fellow Amy Nelson.

This analyst says the Pentagon is so future-focused it's forgetting the here-and-now

Agencies of the Homeland Security and Treasury Departments are about to get brand new headquarters buildings. And nice ones at that. For details, the Federal Drive spoke with Marcel Acosta, the executive director of the National Capital Planning Commission

Two new agency headquarters top the list of projects for the National Capital Planning Commission

Lynn Parker Dupree, the chief privacy officer at the Homeland Security Department, is looking to make privacy less of an afterthought in the development of systems and procedures. Dupree spoke with Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday about her plan to incorporate privacy enhancing technologies into technical designs. She also talked about her experience as the most senior black official at DHS headquarters.

Chief privacy officer at DHS wants to move privacy up the to-do list

The Justice Department is the latest in a small, but growing number of agencies who are detailing plans for employees to return to the office. Justice updated its workforce safety plan last week where it outlined new details about vaccination requirements and testing, about face masks and physical distancing and about reporting, contact tracing and continuous monitoring. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joined the Federal Drive to discuss DoJ and other plans to bring employees back to the office.

DoJ expects to transition away from max telework in the coming months

If an agency buys software through a reseller on a General Services Administration schedule contract, does the software vendor have a claim if the agency cancels the license? After all, it wasn't the prime contractor. That's the gist of a case just tossed by the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. Smith Pachter McWhorter procurement attorney Joe Petrillo brought the lessons learned in this case to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Agency cancels third-party software license but original vendor still claims infringement

The Energy Department is developing a platform to monitor cyber threats to the nation’s patchwork of electric utilities. It’s part of the Biden administration’s effort to shore up the cybersecurity of critical industrial control systems. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Energy Department monitoring cyber threats to national electrical grid with new platform

The IRS has canceled its use of facial recognition technology for taxpayers to log on. That's having a ripple effect on ID verification at other agencies. The IRS' one-time vendor, ID.me, said it will make facial recognition optional for the nine other agencies it does business with. But agencies still have to counter fraud. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman shared more details on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

IRS ‘struck a nerve’ with facial recognition, but pieces missing in fight against fraud

Each year the Federal Laboratory Consortium, the network of the government's technology transfer operations, honors one of its members as laboratory director of the year. This year's honoree directs the Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. Bartley Durst spoke to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Federal Labs Consortium honors a leader of Army infrastructure research

Agencies across the board have an enduring need for scientific and technical talent, the type of people that can be hard to find. Yet many agencies fail to use the personnel mobility program, a system that lets scientific and technical employees from nonprofits work temporarily at a federal agency. For some recommendations, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turned to the acting director for Strategic Issues at the Government Accountability Office Alyssa Czyz.

Agencies not utilizing program designed to supplement S&T talent via nonprofits

When he's not tooling around the National Capital region on his motorcycle, Tom Temin interviews federal executives and government contractors who provide analysis and insight on the many critical issues facing the Executive branch. The Federal Drive is found at FederalNewsNetwork.com and 1500 AM in the Washington D.C. region.

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Federal Drive with Tom Temin

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