Category Archives: Announcement

NASA LaRC Transition to Stage 2 on July 12, 2021

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LaRC Deputy Center Director Dave Young requested that the following announcement be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.

Effective Monday, July 12, Langley Research Center will transition to Stage 2 of the Agency Framework for Return to On-site Work.

At this time, the Federal occupancy limit remains in place, which means that we will not see immediate changes to the level of on-site work. However, this transition prepares us for when the Agency is approved to expand capacity beyond 25%. It also positions us for Stage 1.

Like our previous transitions, your health, safety, and well-being remain our top priority and as such we have used a methodical, risk-based, and data-driven approach to decide when we can responsibly move to Stage 2. As outlined in the June 29 Town Hall:

  • The local region meets all COVID-19 criteria for Stage 2.
  • At the beginning of June, the seven-day testing positivity in Virginia was 2.3% and region 5 was 4.0%. All localities within the Langley catchment area showed a seven-day case rate per 100,000 below 10/100,000 putting region 5 at Low Transmission rate.
  • All facilities and systems on-site are available to meet mission requirements.
  • Center Operations has implemented multiple facility COVID-19 mitigations, including increased HVAC ventilation, purchased 90 touchless water fountain bottle fillers (33 installed to date) and installed HVAC MERV-13 filters and 50 bipolar ionization units for HVAC air handler units. The LENEL access control system also remains available for contact tracing.

Additionally, we will monitor and follow guidance provided via the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.

What remains the same from Stage 3

On-site projects activities must be approved through the Return to On-site Work (RTOW 2.0) process. Employees who must be on-site to perform their work may return with center/supervisor approval. All other personnel will continue to telework.

We will continue to actively manage who is accessing the center in order to adhere to capacity limitations and ensure contact tracing protocols are in place, if needed.

All personnel will follow the latest facility safety protocols.

What changes from Stage 3

The work that will be allowable on-site will expand beyond mission critical activities with Directorate level approval.

You can review the latest guidance from the Agency regarding travel for fully vaccinated personnel by clicking here.

Visitors required for approved on-site activities will be allowed with Directorate level approval.

We will continue to review options for food service, daycare, and the fitness center.

To facilitate the transition on July 12, we are updating our return to on-site work materials. We appreciate your patience as we work through this process.

Our ability to transition is in large part due to your vigilance, in our work and in the community during this challenging time. Stay tuned for additional guidance as the Agency works through the Federal occupancy limit and we continue to make strides in our transition.

LCSC Officer Elections 2021 – Voting Period Open June 8 to June 15

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The Langley Contractor Steering Council election for the Contractor Chair position is open June 8 through June 15 at 6:00 PM. Per the LCSC by-laws, “nominations, including self-nomination, shall be solicited before the June meeting and publicized to the then-current Voting Members.”

Each LCSC member company is requested to submit one vote.

Please click here to access the LCSC Official Ballot form hosted on Survey Monkey.

LCSC Call for Contractor Chair nominations

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The Langley Contractor Steering Council is making a call for nominations for the Contractor Chair position.  Per the LCSC by-laws, “nominations, including self-nomination, shall be solicited before the June meeting and publicized to the then-current Voting Members.” The call for nominations will close on Thursday, 3 June.

The Chairperson is the principal officer of the Council and presides at all Council meetings, including special meetings of the membership as deemed necessary. The Chairperson supervises and leads all business of the Council, and conducts official correspondence, extends invitations to guests, signs any documents as authorized, appoints or terminates special committees, task forces, and working groups, serves as ex-officio member of all standing committees, keep the officers and Council fully apprised of matters concerning the Council, and performs all duties usually associated with the office.

Per the LCSC by-laws, “election of officers shall be by secret ballot vote of the Voting Member companies, with one vote allowed per company.” The election will start on June 4 and run through June 15. The election results will be announced at the June 17 LCSC meeting.

Please consider nominating or self nominating for the LCSC Contractor Chair position. Click here to access the LCSC Contractor Chair nomination form.

An Inside Look at NASA MUREP Presentation on October 28, 2020 at 1:30 PM

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Rob Betts requested that the following NASA announcement be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.

NASA OSBP Learning Series Presents: An Inside Look at NASA MUREP
October 28, 2020 at 1:30 pm (ET) (webinar)

Guest Speaker: Rod Chappell, Lead – Partnerships and Sustainability (MUREP)

Did you know that historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and minority-serving institutions (MSI) have unique opportunities to work with NASA?

Through the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), NASA provides financial assistance via competitive awards to assist faculty and students in research and provide authentic STEM engagement related to NASA missions.

Join us for a FREE webinar featuring Rod Chappell, Team Lead over the MUREP Partnerships and Sustainability initiative, to learn more about how your institution and students can engage with NASA. There will also be a formal question and answer session so attendees can ask specific questions that relate to their institution’s capabilities.

If your company, university, or organization is interested in working with NASA and other HBCUs or MSIs around the nation, this is the webinar for you!

Log-in information for this online class will be sent after individual register, and reminders will be sent the day before and day of the webinar.

If you have questions about this topic, email them in advance to smallbusiness@nasa.gov and type “OSBP Learning Series Question – MUREP” in the subject line.

Register at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/osbp-learning-series-an-inside-look-at-nasa-murep-registration-126142360195

Changes to NASA’s Requirements for Annual Cybersecurity and Sensitive Unclassified Information Awareness Training

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Susan Mcclain requested that the following NASA LaRC bulletin be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.

NASA Acting Chief Information Officer Jeffry Seaton provided updated policy guidance on NASA’s Annual Cybersecurity and Sensitive Unclassified Information Awareness Training to meet the requirements of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) in a memo dated September 14.

Starting in FY2021 there will be no more Center-specific training deadlines and enforcement.  Annual training deadlines will be individual, based on the last time the employee took the training, and SATERN will be updated accordingly.  The process is being automated, and automatic notifications will occur through the system. Agency IT access will be suspended if requirements are not met on schedule.

All NASA-badged employees and contractors must take one of two training courses every twelve months.

The FY2021 Agency Cybersecurity and Sensitive Unclassified Information Awareness Training course is required for employees and contractors with IT access. This training is administered and recorded via SATERN.

FY2021 Agency Non-IT Privacy, Security, and Sensitive Unclassified Information Awareness Training is required for employees and contractors with no IT access. This training is administered via standalone slides and recorded in IdMAX.

No exceptions or substitute trainings will be permitted to meet this training requirement.  FY2021 training courses will be available beginning December 2020.