The information processing needs of the FDA have been growing fast. That's because the mission is getting bigger, and so have the data sets it must analyze. Now the agency has inked a $50 million deal to acquire major capacity in scientific computing. That deal went to Dynamics Research Corporation.

Parents of yesteryear might have pushed their kids to go into law or medicine thinking those were safe careers. But nowadays it's the science, technology, engineering and math professions that seem to offer endless opportunities. The problem is not enough students seem interested. Fewer than a fifth of all bachelor's degrees are awarded in STEM fields. Defense Department schools are calling on federal employees to help kindle their students' enthusiasm for the sciences.

It's called the Consumer Electronics Show. But the big Las Vegas extravaganza displays thousands of products that will make their way into enterprises like federal agencies. Tim Scannell, editorial director of Technology Guide, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp live from CES.