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MITRE celebrates 65 years. One of longest-serving employees celebrates 55 years of service. Fresh out of Cornell University in 1968 with a master’s degree in electrical engineering, Larry Herlacher chose MITRE—and never left. Then just a decade in operation, MITRE “felt like a startup company,” he recalls. “But it also had an academic atmosphere—a place where I knew I could further my interest in computer science and artificial intelligence.” At the time, both subjects were still the early stages of development. Today, Herlacher ranks as our employee with the longest full-time tenure, celebrating his 55th anniversary. Throughout his career, he’s been at the forefront of our work in domestic command and control, networking and data-link programs, and Foreign Military Sales projects for our allies. He’s currently a principal systems engineer in our Strengthening Coalition Capabilities department at our site at Hanscom Air Force Base.
Nate Kinzel always knew he wanted to fly. As a MITRE intern, he now spends his summer days designing new drones for the U.S. Navy. The goal is to redefine the art of the possible for flight, and for future drone design. The Virginia Tech senior first encountered MITRE at the school’s engineering expo. “There were always two companies that were swamped at the expo, and MITRE was one of them,” he says. “The scope of what they do and the wide range of projects they cover was exciting.”
A CULTURE THAT CELEBRATES INCLUSIVITY - An Employee Voice I was raised in a religious environment that condemned homosexuality. I’ve struggled my whole life with accepting who I am—much less being able to be open and confident about my identity. For people struggling with a core part of their identity, we watch and observe how safe our environment is before sharing different parts of ourselves with others. After being both in denial and in the closet much of my life, some of the first people I came out to this past year were my MITRE department colleagues. For the first time, I felt seen and accepted as a whole person without my identity diminishing my perceived professional value. Overall, since being here, I finally feel safe about not being judged on just one aspect of who I am. Having the support of my MITRE family has been everything to me. I’m grateful for our culture of openness and inclusivity—for example, the day-to-day actions demonstrating acceptance and inclusivity within my division of the Health FFRDC, the visibility of our Pride Council, and our year-round, company-wide celebrations and inclusion of pride. Every day, I’m reminded of MITRE’s emphasis on how our differences make us stronger and that our individuality should be celebrated. I also experience it via the benefits that have enabled me to balance my professional life with parenting two young children.
This report examines the US's failure to address women's underrepresentation in undergraduate computer science (CS) education and concludes with recommendations for academia, industry, and government to promote gender parity. While not a new problem, the negative implications of this issue continually expand with the emergence of novel technological advancements and challenges. Technological innovation relies on a contribution of diverse perspectives, experiences, and mindsets, making gender diversity an important component of technological progress. By analyzing the factors that limit women’s participation in undergraduate CS education and examining the success stories of Carnegie Mellon University and Harvey Mudd College, five core strategies for increasing women’s participation in CS education emerge. Further, this research reveals the barriers to adoption of these strategies faced by academic institutions that have constrained their efforts to reduce the gender gap more broadly. Finally, this paper provides actionable recommendations for three primary stakeholder groups—academia, industry, and government—to support the advancement of gender equity in undergraduate CS education.
When Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced a $2.2 million grant to support our BlueTech Lab and research efforts, she noted that MITRE’s work will “lengthen our lead as a global hub for marine research. New technology developed by MITRE and their partners will help us prevent climate change, create great paying jobs, and advance maritime industries.” The grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to support MITRE's BlueTech Open Collaboration Experimentation and Acceleration Network (BlueTech OCEAN) enables innovation that will continuously increase access to marine data, better enable connectivity to 11 institutions across the New England region, and focus on workforce development as a key component of the overall program.
As we hit the milestone of our 65-year anniversary, MITRE stands better prepared than ever to serve our government sponsors, our partners, and the public. Our annual report showcases how our talent is delivering on our mission: Solving Problems for a Safer World.
To better understand the opinions of taxpayers who may benefit from current no-cost filing services and potential alternatives, MITRE and YouGov, an international research data and analytics group, conducted a public opinion survey in December 2022. The survey of 2,000 U.S. taxpayers who used tax preparation software or an online service to prepare and file their 2021 federal tax returns is published here to help inform the public interest discussion about the IRS’ services and capabilities. While this survey was not commissioned by the IRS, MITRE shared the survey with the agency in April 2023.
MITRE Engenuity™, MITRE’s foundation collaborating with industry for the public interest, has identified high-priority cyber risks threatening the security of mobile digital financial services, which citizens of all economies depend on in their daily lives. Secure access to money is essential for political stability, gender equity, and economic advancement.
The Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), of which MITRE is a founding member, released its highly anticipated “Blueprint for Trustworthy AI Implementation Guidance and Assurance for Healthcare” (Blueprint). The Blueprint addresses the quickly evolving landscape of health AI tools by outlining specific recommendations to increase trustworthiness within the healthcare community, ensure high-quality care, and meet healthcare needs.
A “complete reimagination of the way we address mental health among our young people” is needed in the United States. MITRE outlined a 14-point strategic vision and systemic approach that builds upon the efforts of federal agencies, states, and localities, as well as a broad range of investments in new and current programs, to address the country’s mental health crisis among our children and youth.
