Young-Tech Professionals Volunteer to Sync Their Expertise with the DoD
10 young professionals from the tech sector are serving their country this summer as a part of NSIN’s pilot program, Tech Squad
10 young professionals in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields will spend their summer embedded in the Department of Defense (DoD) as inaugural members of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN)’s Tech Squad.
The Tech Squad will apply their STEM skills over the summer innovating solutions for tech-oriented, real-world government projects; the projects are managed by DoD leaders, who meet one-on-one with the volunteers, and teach them how to work with the DoD.
The participants are working on seven DoD projects from six DoD partners. Some of the projects that the Tech Squad will provide their expertise about include:
-Building mobile apps for the U.S. Army to communicate and share information with service members across the globe;
-Developing a software solution for the U.S. Marines, using data analytics and machine learning, to predict supply-chain demand; and
-Creating algorithms for the U.S. Air Force for routine certifications that will save service members thousands of hours each year.
“Tech Squad is a unique volunteer service opportunity that allows early-career technologists to contribute to U.S. national security,” said Farid Nemri, NSIN program manager. “The collaboration between civilian young professionals and the military builds a relationship that closes gaps by boosting cross-industry knowledge and innovation.”
The Tech Squad participants are driven by purposeful work in service to our country. With 70 percent of the cohort coming from underrepresented groups in the military, the participants are bringing the diversity of thought and background necessary for innovative problem solving at the DoD. The program concludes in late August with a demonstration day, where the participants will showcase their novel solutions to senior DoD leaders.
About NSIN
NSIN changes the way the Department of Defense solves problems. NSIN is headquartered in Arlington, VA, and has regional offices in 11 commercial innovation hubs throughout the United States. Through its headquarters, regional hubs, and embedded university partnerships, NSIN builds networks of innovators that generate new solutions to national security problems through collaborative partnerships with non-traditional problem-solvers within the academic and early-stage venture communities.