AWS Public Sector Blog
Category: Public Sector
Five ways to use AWS for research (starting right now)
If you are a scientific researcher, you are likely more interested in getting your research done than in the computational resources that you use to do it. You may think about ways to continue your research remotely with the rise in remote work. Did you know the cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS) can accelerate your research and time to science? Here are five ways.
Helping battle COVID-19 and improve cities: How AWS CICs foster innovation
Technology and the cloud can help address some of the world’s most pressing and immediate challenges, like battling COVID-19 and improving cities. At Amazon Web Services (AWS), we encourage innovation through technology in our AWS Cloud Innovation Centers (CICs). CICs are long-term, strategic collaborations with public sector organizations interested in solving societal problems through digital solutions while providing students a platform to learn by doing. Check out a few of the challenges CICs around the world have worked on so far this year.
Choose your journey for the AWS Public Sector Summit Online
On June 30, 2020, you are invited to attend the AWS Public Sector Summit Online. We’ve curated content for this event so that you can learn the tools, have access to resources, and interact with AWS experts, tailored to the stage you and your organization are at in building on AWS — all from the comfort of your home. From our 30-minute breakout sessions to the keynote to our distinguished zones, there is content for everyone. Learn how to build your plan for the AWS Public Sector Summit Online, no matter where you are in your cloud journey.
Improving learning with advanced algorithms and text-to-speech technology
In 2012, Education Perfect (EP) wanted to use the cloud to access the necessary infrastructure that would allow EP to reach classrooms globally and rapidly scale. EP is an education technology (EdTech) organization that uses advanced algorithms and text-to-speech technology to improve learning through a library of lessons and assessments across multiple subject areas. Our mission is to use technology to provide learning tools and tailored content for educators and students, regardless of location.
Four resources to help launch your cloud journey
Thinking about using Amazon Web Services (AWS) for your public sector organization? There’s a lot to consider when you’re getting started—so we’re here to help. Explore these resources to get familiar with AWS, assess your migration readiness, and determine the next steps in your digital transformation.
Accelerating the response to West Virginia workforce needs through the cloud
In the United States, unemployment insurance claims are rising, with the current insured unemployment rate at 15.7%—the highest since the end of World War II. Many states are struggling with the volume of applications, causing legacy back-office systems to crash. Workforce West Va. identified three actions they could take to improve constituent services; many of these actions were enabled by the cloud.
Social emotional learning: Using cloud technology to support student learning
Research shows that social emotional learning (SEL) increases student engagement at school, increases academic achievement, and helps students to be more successful in all aspects of life. FamilyBookForm, an AWS EdStart Member, aims to encourage SEL through their online book creation tool that allows K12 students to interview members of their family or community to collect spoken stories, in any language. The tool uses speech-to-text voice recognition technology and is powered by the AWS Cloud.
Announcing the finalists for the Amazon Alexa EdTech Skills Challenge EMEA 2020
In January 2020 at the BETT show in London, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a new contest designed to find some of the best applications of voice technology in education. Our challenge to the EdTechs in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)? Tell us how you would use Alexa to transform education. Check out the six edtech finalists.
Congratulations to the winners of the Amazon Alexa EdTech Skills Challenge
For the first-ever Amazon Alexa EdTech Skills Challenge, Amazon Web Services (AWS) teamed up with SXSW EDU to challenge U.S.-based EdTechs on how they would use Alexa to transform education. Out of six finalists, AWS recognized two winners: judges’ choice SayKid, the recipient of $50,000 in AWS Promotional Credit, and people’s choice VOGO Voice, the recipient of $25,000 in AWS Promotional Credit. The other four finalists will receive $10,000 in AWS Promotional Credit.
Mission: Addressing food insecurity
The topic of food insecurity is personal for so many of us. Both of my parents were school teachers in Pulaski County, Kentucky, a county that has a 21.3 percent food insecurity rate for children—the same rate of childhood hunger as where I live now in Washington, DC. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 11 million children across the country struggle with hunger and live in food insecure households. Here are ways that AWS technology is helping address this challenging issue.









