The Department of Defense has trouble recruiting and retaining tech talent — that's no secret. The solution? The Pentagon should hire a digital people officer, according to the Defense Innovation Board. The new office would be in charge of recruiting talented people with technical backgrounds to the DOD and making sure they stick around for a while — a challenge the government has long faced. Specifically, this position would work to break down “disparate” human resources regulations across agencies that prevent the DOD from unifying its push to hire the right people. The recommendation came Thursday at the DIB’s quarterly public meeting in Austin, Texas, and was issued in a formal report to the secretary of Defense. The board also discussed the Pentagon’s efforts to create a separate category for its spending on software acquisition. Jackson Barnett tuned into the meeting.

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Coronavirus pushes Washington colleges online

As the coronavirus spreads across the U.S., some colleges and universities have been forced to respond by canceling in-person classes and moving them online. The University of Washington has canceled all in-person classes for the remainder of the quarter, moving them online instead to limit the potential spread of the virus. The university, which has its main campus in Seattle, was one of the first universities to announce it would suspend in-person classes after state health officials recommended that institutions develop and implement an emergency operations plan to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Seattle University and Lake Washington Institute of Technology have also opted to move classes online this week. Betsy Foresman has the scoop.

Arizona builds new innovation hub

The University of Arizona's Tech Park at The Bridges is the school's latest tech park, an incubator for new technology businesses and regional economic growth engine. “It will be a hub for idea exploration, product development and unique collaboration,” said the university's Elizabeth Cantwell. Located just a few miles from the university's main campus, leaders hope to attract new businesses to the area with the promise of providing a fresh stream of new graduates. Jake Williams has more.

Navy releases education strategy with focus on tech

The Navy’s new education strategy calls for increasing the familiarity with emerging technologies at all levels of the service. On top of that, much of the strategy itself will rely on the use of technology, via online and long-distance learning for the future of the Navy’s education. The Navy wants to increase the cyber and technical knowledge of sailors and Marines, acknowledging that cybersecurity has been a critical vulnerability and emerging technology is changing the way the Navy will fight in the future. Increasing this technical knowledge will mostly take place through online classes, according to the strategy released Monday. Jackson has more from the strategy.

The mental health stigma and cybersecurity

In just about every industry, mental health is overlooked and under-appreciated. But in cybersecurity, “it’s even more stigmatized,” according to psychiatrist Ryan Louie. He is trying to change that by speaking out at big conferences and appealing for data. “If someone comes into your clinic saying they’ve been hacked, don’t just brush it aside,” Louie advised his fellow mental health professionals during a speech at RSA last week. “Ask them questions. Ask them cybersecurity questions.” Sean Lyngaas has more.

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