Martha Dorris has been a driving force behind the use of technology to help citizens more easily and quickly obtain government services and information, whether the contact comes through a website, email, telephone call or social media. At GSA, she created the agency’s two federal Web platforms — USA.gov and its Spanish-language counterpart, GobiernoUSA.gov. InRead… Read more »
Disease outbreaks can cripple communities and economies alike. Back in September 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began receiving reports from health officials in Tennessee about patients diagnosed with a rare form of meningitis. This worrisome information set off alarm bells at the CDC, which quickly launched an emergency response team led byRead… Read more »
Foot-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever for two or three days, followed by blisters inside the mouth and on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness. Although the disease is not contagious to humans, itRead… Read more »
Violent crime rates on Indian reservations are twice as high as the national crime rate. Charles Addington, the associate director for field operations from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was tasked with coming up with a solution to reduce crime on reservations by 5%. Addington’s data driven approach to policing was so successful, that violentRead… Read more »
The Department of Energy’s Josh Silverman led efforts to halt the release of more than one million tons of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas from Energy Department facilities, the equivalent of taking over 200,000 cars off the nation’s roads every year. Silverman is the Director of the Office of Sustainability Support for the EnergyRead… Read more »
Throughout history, kids have look up at the stars and wondered. But when William Borucki gazed at the cozmos, he knew he was destined not just to dream but to explore and discover. “NASA was the only place I ever applied for a job,” said Borucki a NASA space scientists at the Ames Research Center.Read… Read more »
Every year more than 45 million people visit a Social Security office. And as anyone who has visited the office knows, it can be plagued by long lines and tedious paperwork. David Broomell, a longtime Social Security programmer and project manager, decided to make a change. He created a program called VIP (Visitor Intake Process).Read… Read more »
Worldwide cataracts are the leading cause of blindness. Here in the US, every year there are more than 50,000 cataract surgeries performed by the Department of Veterans Affairs alone. But up until last year there had never been a system in place to collect detailed patient outcomes on a national level, in either the privateRead… Read more »
How many times a day do you check the weather? Whether it is on your phone, computer, radio or TV – the need for weather data is nearly constant. In the past few years the scientists at NOAA have pioneered numerous hurricane and wind speed prediction models that have become the bedrock for the nation’sRead… Read more »
The Air Force is the single largest consumer of energy in the federal government. Last year alone the Air Force spent more than $9 billion on fuel and electricity. The energy bill constitutes more than 8 percent of the Air Force budget. But it could of been much higher. Dr. Kevin Geiss is the DeputyRead… Read more »