DC weekly roundup: $5M for quantum lab; WaPo’s ‘Haystacker’ AI tool; High-res thermal satellite launch

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NASA coder to government IT leader

Joanne Woytek got her start writing code for meteorologists, and now leads the NASA group tasked with fulfilling IT requests across the US government. She’s only recently realized the influence she’s had for other trans people at NASA — and workplaces in general. 

“In the past two years, I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about and consciously trying to understand,” Woytek said, “that this has been an important part of not just my life — but many lives around me.” 

For Technical.ly’s How I Got Here series, we chatted about her career journey, what her day-to-day looks like and advice for fellow LGBTQ+ workers.

➡️ Read more about Woytek and her career at NASA here

IonQ lands $5M for project with UMD

Quantum computing company IonQ is partnering with the the national security-focused research lab out of the University of Maryland, College Park. There’s potential for a second contract valued at $12 million, too. 

“The purpose of the project is to help mature quantum computers to the point where they reliably support national security,” said Craig Lawrence, the interim ARLIS executive director. “There is significant research and development that is needed before the defense and intelligence community can reach that goal.”

➡️ Check out all the recent Money Moves in the region

Edit cal opportunity: Life Sciences Month

Venture capital trends prove it: life sciences is big right now. Some people even say it’s threatening to dethrone software as the king of technology. You’ll hear lots more about this during September, when the topic will be a special focus for our newsroom as our editorial calendar theme.

Support this reporting while elevating your brand awareness by underwriting Technical.ly Life Sciences Month!

Your investment gets your logo and intro atop each story we publish in the series. You’ll reach up to 75k+ social followers, 45k newsletter subscribers and an average of 5k+ page views per series per market. Take advantage of our new self-service option, where you can create and finalize your campaign online — or reach out to sales@technical.ly to find out more.

➡️ See offer details and sign up for Life Sciences Month

News Incubator: What else to know

Some regions product more tech talent than they have jobs for (NYC, for example), while others scramble to import software engineers. What can shrink the gaps? Technical.ly CEO Christopher Wink explores. [Technical.ly]

•  The Washington Post’s latest AI tool is called the Haystacker, created to help its journalists sort through large data sets. The newsroom previously released an AI-powered answer tool for readers, Technical.ly reported. [WaPo/Technical.ly]

•  M&T Bank and FSC First are launching an accelerator for Prince George’s County small businesses. [M&T Bank]

• The DC Court of Appeals reversed a ruling originally dismissing a case that claims Amazon’s pricing policies suppress competition, bringing it back into question. [Washington Biz Journal]

• In more antitrust news, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against the real estate software company RealPage, claiming the company allowed landlords to coordinate rent hikes. DC’s attorney general previously sued the company alleging that RealPage’s clients exchanged private data to help the software determine the highest price. [Associated Press]

•  The DC climate tech firm Hydrosat officially launched its high resolution satellite used for thermal imagery. [Hydrosat/Technical.ly] 

• Several students in the DMV will not have access to their phones this school year. [Axios]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Technical.ly CEO Christopher Wink will be diving into entrepreneurship in the Southeast in an upcoming webinar. [Details here]

• DC Tech Meetup’s next event on Sept. 4 is all about AI. It’ll feature a town hall, demos and a panel about using the tech in the public sector, moderated by me! I would love to see you there. [Details here]

• Technical.ly partner: Explore innovation, sustainability and global impact at the Halcyon Innovation Summit on Saturday, Sept. 12. Part of the org’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the conference features keynotes, panel discussions on climate, health and equity, and sessions on impact investing and the state of on DEI. [Register here]