|
Artificial Intelligence Request for Information
On May 1, 2019, NIST published a Request for Information (RFI) in response to the February 11, 2019 Executive Order on Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. The Executive Order required NIST to create a plan for federal engagement in the development of these standards and tools in support of reliable, robust and trustworthy systems that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
Through responses to the RFI, NIST plans to develop a common understanding of the current state, plans, challenges and opportunities regarding the development and availability of AI technical standards and related tools, as well as federal agencies’ standards-related priorities. RFI Comments are due by 5 p.m. ET on May 31, 2019 to ai_standards@nist.gov.
In addition, NIST has scheduled a workshop on May 30, 2019 in Gaithersburg, MD to engage stakeholders in discussions that will advance the development of the AI plan. For registration see the Workshop event page.
Executive Order on America’s Cybersecurity Workforce
On May 2, 2019, The White House released an Executive Order (EO) on America’s Cybersecurity Workforce. The EO will implement programs that will grow and strengthen our Nation’s cybersecurity workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. One of the items included in the EO is the encouragement of widespread adoption of the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.
Open Prize Competitions
NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division recently launched two prize competitions focused on advancing public safety communications by leveraging expertise and innovative solutions from across the globe. For more information on NIST PSCR’s prize competitions, visit the Open Innovation Prizes and Challenges page.
- April 2, 2019 – PSCR launched the Tech to Protect Challenge, a national open innovation contest designed to support the work of emergency responders. Held throughout 2019, this open innovation contest will bring creative minds together to solve complex technology challenges that emergency responders face. Contest solutions will include mobile apps, software applications, user interfaces, data systems and more. Potential prizes up to $2.2 million available.
- April 3, 2019 – PSCR launched the Expanding the SIM Card Use for Public Safety Challenge. This challenge is seeking teams of developers to investigate the possibility of using a SIM card as a storage container for authentication credentials that could help first responders securely access critical information. Please submit by May 15th to be considered for this challenge. The winning team may win up to $100,000.
NIST Celebrates Earth Day with a New Solar Array
On April 22, 2019, NIST Celebrated Earth Day with a ribbon cutting for a massive new solar array on campus. The nearly 15,000 panels cover the equivalent of 11 football fields and are expected to produce more than 8 million kilowatt-hours of energy in the first year, accounting for about 4 percent of the campus’ energy consumption.
The solar array was built by Constellation, a private-sector energy supplier, under a Department of Energy competitive contract program that allows federal agencies to procure energy-saving projects with no upfront capital costs or special congressional appropriations. An Exelon company, Constellation funded the project and will own and operate the solar array. <<READ MORE>>
|
NIST Privacy Framework
NIST is in the process of developing a Privacy Framework intended to serve as a voluntary tool for organizations to better assess, manage, and communicate about privacy risks so that individuals can enjoy the benefits of innovative technologies with greater confidence and trust. NIST has just released the Privacy Framework Discussion Draft to collect additional stakeholder feedback.
NIST will hold the second in a series of public workshops on the development of the Privacy Framework May 13-14, 2019. This workshop will provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in discussions and help advance the development of this framework.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Presents Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross presented five U.S. organizations on April 7, 2019, with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's only presidential award for performance excellence and innovation.
The five honorees are:
-
Alamo Colleges District, San Antonio, Texas (education)
-
Donor Alliance, Denver, Colorado (nonprofit)
-
Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., Burr Ridge, Illinois (small business)
-
Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper, Indiana (health care)
-
Tri County Tech, Bartlesville, Oklahoma (education)
<<Read More>>
Strengthening the Cybersecurity of the Internet of Things (IoT) Hearing
On April 30, 2019, Dr. Charles Romine, Director of the NIST Information Technology Laboratory testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Security. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss "Strengthening the Cybersecurity of the Internet of Things (IoT)."
Additional Witnesses included:
- Mr. Michael Bergman, Vice President, Technology & Standards, Consumer Technology Association
- Mr. Matthew Eggers, Vice President, Cybersecurity Policy, U.S Chamber of Commerce
- Mr. Harley Geiger, Director of Public Policy, Rapid7
- Mr. Robert Mayer, Senior Vice President for Cybersecurity, US Telecom – The Broadband Association
|
