In light of the recent distributed denial of service attack that prevented access to multiple U.S. websites as well as the increasing cybersecurity threat posed by Internet of Things devices, the Federal government “needs a new agency” to deal with cybersecurity, according to Bruce Schneier of Harvard University. […]

CDW-G recently surveyed 300 college women and recent graduates to better understand female STEM students’ experience in higher education. […]

Agency Twitter use has become an important factor in communication between the Federal community and the public. Agencies that have the best Twitter strategy, such as the State Department, tend to have been present on Twitter for the longest and have picked up the most followers. […]

Extreme vetting will require better, smarter data, according to Donna Roy, executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Information Sharing and Services Office. She spoke at MeriTalk’s Big Data Brainstorm. […]

With agencies facing imminent deadlines under the 2012 Managing Government Records Directive, which aims to facilitate the transfer and storage of Federal electronic records, executives at Veritas Technologies are aiming to provide “turnkey” solutions to electronic record management. […]

Experts are optimistic about the future of data-driven education, given that teachers are provided the appropriate training. Schools are using data to move toward personalization, evidence-based learning, efficiency, and continuous education, according to a report from the Center for Data Innovation. […]

The Government Accountability Office launched Priorities for Policy Makers, a mobile app that allows people to monitor the presidential and congressional transitions. […]

Though many small businesses may think that they are too trivial to be the target of a cyberattack, even the smallest businesses can face cyberattack and can face serious repercussions, according to Pat Toth, supervisory computer scientist in the computer security division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and author of NIST’s cybersecurity guide “Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals.” […]

Just weeks before senior officials at the Veterans Health Administration ordered the launch of a new Online Health Care Application through Vets.gov, a senior policy adviser at the White House warned VHA officials that the new app had not been cleared by agency lawyers because of legal and technical issues that, ultimately, affected veteran enrollment across the nation. […]

Amazon announced that it has selected 12 university teams to compete in the Alexa Prize competition. […]

If agencies improve their threat monitoring, correlation, and protection automation, they could save an estimated 27 percent, or $5 billion annually, of their cybersecurity budgets, according to a MeriTalk survey titled Pedal to the Metal: Mitigating New Threats Faster with Rapid Intel and Automation. […]

The Penn State EdTech Network announced that its BIG IDEA Contest is now accepting entries. The contest, powered by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and co-sponsored by Penn State’s Small Business Development Center, is seeking applications from edtech entrepreneurs, teachers, students, and area software developers. […]

The First Responder Network Authority recently opened a new laboratory at its headquarters in Boulder, Colo. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released a resource to help U.S. employers more effectively identify, recruit, develop, and maintain cybersecurity talent. The NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NCWF) provides a common language to categorize and describe cybersecurity work to help organizations build a strong cybersecurity staff. […]

Students can start applying now for summer internships through the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs. […]

MeriTalk compiles a weekly roundup of contracts and other industry activity. Here’s what happened this week in the Federal Information Technology community. […]

Farmers should save their cows’ numbers in their phones because cows can now send farmers a text message when they’re feeling under the weather. Austrian startup SmaXtec built a half-pound, hot dog-size, Wi-Fi-enabled sensor that can be embedded into a cow’s stomach to detect the pH of the cow’s stomach and other factors in order to send farmers a message before the cow gets visibly sick. […]

The incoming Trump administration plans to get rid of 18F, the digital services team located within the General Services Administration that has been criticized recently for its spending practices, according to a senior administration official. Republican Donald Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 8, raising questions about what lies ahead for Federal IT. […]

The General Services Administration will start a council of agency Web and digital directors by Dec. 8, according to a memorandum from Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott. […]

The U.S. Department of Education announced the creation of the Ed Tech Rapid Cycle Evaluation Coach, which teachers can use to assess the effectiveness of the technology that they use in the classroom. […]

The White House has made an effort over the past year to improve STEM education and increase access to STEM opportunities for underrepresented groups such as women and minorities. “We need to make this a priority to train an army of new teachers in these subject areas, and to make sure that all of us as a country are lifting up these subjects for the respect that they deserve,” said President Obama on National STEM Day. […]

The Internet of Things is a great tool for those with disabilities, experts say, but government and industry can do more to ensure that IoT devices are accessible by all, through the implementation of universal design. […]

The day before the election, the White House and other Federal agencies are getting ready to mitigate and strike back if necessary, in the event of a state-sponsored cyberattack against the United States. Ann Barron-DiCamillo, former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s computer emergency readiness team, said the denial-of-service attack against Dyn in October “had all the signs of…a drill.” […]

All 50 states have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for cybersecurity services, a DHS official said on the day before Election Day. […]

For the first time, students at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College School of Information Systems and Management were offered a course on the impact of cloud computing from a business perspective this semester. […]

College students think that digital learning technology is helpful across a wide variety of activities, including doing homework, preparing for exams, and doing research, according to a new report from McGraw-Hill Education. […]

The U.S. Education Department launched the EdSim Challenge on Wednesday for simulation-based learning solutions. The cash prize pool includes $680,000 with additional winnings from IBM, Microsoft, Oculus, and Samsung. The challenge asks virtual reality specialists, video game developers, and education professionals to create ideas for educational simulations that would prepare students for future careers. […]

In the wake of October’s Distributed Denial of Service attack that used hundreds of unsecured devices to prevent access to a number of U.S. websites, Reps. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., wrote a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez asking that her agency take action to ensure greater security of Internet of Things devices. […]

The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy recently announced up to $32 million in funding for 10 innovative projects as part of its newest program: Next-Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Autonomous On-Road Vehicles. […]

The White House on Thursday launched Code.gov, a website where the code for government platforms will be publicly accessible. […]