Last April, President Obama issued a challenge to corporations and individuals: It’s time to reinvigorate America’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educational enterprise. Looks like Walt Havenstein, SAIC’s new CEO, is picking up the torch. Just recently Havenstein told a paper in Huntsville, Ala., where SAIC employs 2,300: “STEM is a way of getting young people interested in science … our emphasis, as employees, is to reach out to the young people as mentors.” Havenstein cited a robot-building competition for elementary through and high school students among those efforts.

Meanwhile, President Obama is continuing the call for greater involvement from companies, foundations, and others to help young people nationwide excel in science and math. The other week, the White House launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign to continue improve to STEM. Check out Obama’s talk here:

How is your business helping to reinvigorate America’s STEM educational enterprise?

Share your comments here.

Monday February 23, 2009.  On Capitol Hill: The Honorable David Walker, President & CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and the former Comptroller General of the United States, had the opportunity to raise questions and voice his concerns over the fiscal state of the union directly to President Obama. 

Walker joined a select group of top financial and government leaders who were invited by our President to meet in Washington D.C. for a candid dialogue on possible solutions to America’s economic crisis. 

With a look to the future, the former head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), reminded everyone present that there exists a larger problem which is not reflected on the balance sheet-it consists of $45 trillion in unfunded obligations.  Click here to watch the dialogue between Walker and President Obama.  Register here to see David Walker speak at the Potomac Officers Club.

War of the Future?

Hot off the presses and a requisite read, especially for the Government Contracting crowd, DOD and Intel.  Andrew Krepinevich’s 7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century details several ‘what-if’ catastrophic scenarios.  How would we respond? Are we ready to think the unthinkable?  As a military futurist, Krepinevich pushes the envelope and describes the reality of war in the 21st century.  Basing his scenarios on geo-political trending, intelligence reporting and Krepinevich’s own background, he paints a daunting image of the dire threats to our national security—from a world-wide cyberattack to the collapse of Pakistan.  

President Obama has just named Melissa Hathaway to lead a sweeping review of US cybersecurity and its preparedness to protect the government’s information technology systems from security and economic threats. The review will be conducted over the next two months.

The need for a 60-day interagency review is critical, says John Brennan, assistant to the President for counterterrorism and homeland security. “The national security and economic health of the United States depend on the security, stability, and integrity of our nation’s cyberspace, both in the public and private sectors,” says Brennan.

Hathaway will serve as acting senior director for cyberspace for the national security and homeland security councils during the review period. Industry colleagues are praising her selection. Speaking to ExecutiveBiz, James Lewis, director and senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a public policy research institution that focuses on analysis and policy impact, says, “[Melissa Hathaway] was one of the government leaders who drove cybersecurity in the last year — she knows the programs and the private sector and this [new role] gives her real strength.”

“One of Melissa’s greatest strengths is her ability to lead by establishing trust-based relationships … when combined with her talent in establishing common vision for collective action the result has been progress against challenges others never dared to tackle,” adds Bob Gourley of CTOvision.com.

To learn more about Hathaway, check out the call to action she offered executives in a recent talk before ExecutiveBiz.