Clothes make the manager, data could boost women in STEM, DOE deputy CIO departs

Maybe socks really do make the CIO

Perhaps Steven VanRoekel was right.

The former federal CIO sparked a running joke by breaking out some eye-catching socks for a 2012 digital strategy announcement. But newly published Harvard Business School research suggests that wearing "nonconforming" business attire can "lead to positive inferences of status and competence in the eyes of others."

Not sure whether the pink socks or hoodie are for you? The full paper, titled "The Red Sneakers Effect," can be read here.

Data on grant winners could boost women in STEM

Demographic information on individual researchers who apply for and receive federal grants could help address gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, says a GAO report.

The National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture routinely collect such data on their grantees and applicants.

Those three agencies, said the GAO report, have data systems that could facilitate analysis of any differences in grants made to women and men, if any exist. The three agencies told GAO they use the demographic information for research and internal analysis of their applicant pool.

Three other agencies in the GAO's review of six federal grant-making agencies that support research in STEM fields -- the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and NASA -- do not routinely collect demographic information about researchers who submit grant proposals and receive awards. Those three agencies or some of their components, said GAO, reported they were uncertain of the legal constraints on collecting such data, and did not have any internal purpose for such information.

DOE deputy CIO departing

Department of Energy Deputy CIO Don Adcock is leaving the agency as of April 17.

Adcock had been interim CIO until March 5, when Michael Johnson, assistant director for intelligence programs at the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House, was named DOE CIO.

Adcock informed DOE staff in an email earlier this week, which was first reported by Federal News Radio.

Johnson praised Adcock in an internal April 14 DOE email obtained by FCW.

"Don performed exceptionally, first as the ACIO for EITS [Energy IT Services], then the Deputy CIO, and most recently as the Acting CIO. Don is a strong proponent of our IRM Strategy, and was a major force in obtaining buy-in from Program Offices, National Labs, Plants, and Site Offices. Under Don's leadership, we saw the IM governance mature, development of the 120-Days Study implementation, and DOE's equities further championed with our interagency partners."