Next week is the West 2010 Conference in San Diego. For those of you who will be attending the conference, we look forward to seeing you there. (Look for the SIGNAL editors to say hello–we’ll be the ones running around to all of the events, frantically taking notes and muttering to ourselves.) If you’re unable to attend but want to keep up with the conversations and discussions, there are plenty of ways to tune in:

Follow @signalmag on Twitter and use the hashtag #west10.

Read our editors’ blog coverage here on SIGNAL Scape.

Become a SIGNAL fan on Facebook. From there, you can join the West 2010 event page on Facebook.

Catch up on each day’s events with SIGNAL’s Online Show Daily.

AFCEA’s Small Business Committee is hosting “Federal Legislative Overview” as part of its Small Business Toolkit Series. The guest speaker for the event is Gregory Willis, counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He’ll share his first-hand insight on the current legislative climate for small businesses.

The event will be held at AFCEA International headquarters on Tuesday, January 12, at 10 a.m. EST. For more information, visit the Web site or contact Dawn Falsinotti, (703) 631-6190.

AFCEA’s Intelligence Department has launched yet another blog. This one focuses on how technology can (or should) be used by intelligence professionals. Bob Gourley serves as the man behind the mask–er, blog. He’s the founder and CTO of Crucial Point LLC, a technology research and advisory firm, and he is also the primary blogger at CTOvision.com. If that’s not enough, Gourley is a former CTO of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a former senior executive with Northrop Grumman. Read Gourley’s first post for the intel technology blog here.

Read more on the Intelligence Department’s blog, or visit Intel’s Web site.

February may seem far away, but it will be here in no time at all. Make plans now to attend two great events: the West 2010 Conference in San Diego and the Homeland Security Conference in Washington, D.C.

The West Conference is February 2-4. The theme is “Smart Power: Does the QDR Get It Right?” Speakers include Gen. Cartwright, Adm. Roughead and Adm. Stavridis. I have been fortunate to hear Adm. Stavridis speak before, and he is an excellent, engaging presenter. The conference is going to be exciting, and I encourage everyone to attend. More information about West is available online.

Also in February is the Homeland Security Conference, held February 24-25. The theme is “DHS–The 7-Year Itch: Renewing the Commitment.” This is a great opportunity to hear people engage on hot-button topics such as cybersecurity, identity management, transparency, and information and intelligence sharing. Get more information about the conference on its Web site.

SIGNAL Scape isn’t the only blog at AFCEA. The intelligence department has two great blogs as well: MAZZ-INT and a new intelligence small business blog.

MAZZ-INT is the brainchild of Joe Mazzafro, who works in Oracle’s National Security Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in the intelligence community and also served in the U.S. Navy as a naval intelligence officer. His blog has been around for a couple of years, and great discussions develop between Mazzafro and commenters.

Dan Callahan has taken on authorship of the new intel small business blog. He’s an author and a federal sales professional with more than 20 years of experience working with the military and the IC. His blog is written for small business owners who want to develop and expand their relationship with the IC and increase their revenue.

Both blogs have great information and viewpoints, so check them out and leave some feedback.

AFCEA Intelligence and the Naval Intelligence Professionals/Naval Intelligence Foundation (NIP/NIF) have joined forces to sponsor two writing contests. The contests provide intelligence professionals with opportunities to express themselves on topics of importance to the Intelligence Community and national security.

The 2009 AFCEA Intelligence Essay Contest is on the following topic:

Collecting Intelligence: Balancing Safety, Security, and Privacy

Problem Statement: As the internal threat from terrorism has increased, the U.S. government has employed new and different methods to collect intelligence to forestall future attacks on U.S. soil. Discuss the implications of these actions on Constitutional guarantees of privacy for U.S. citizens versus the government’s imperative to provide safety and security. Include recommendations as to how this balance can be better maintained.

Top prize is $2,000 and a 2-year membership in AFCEA. Other prizes and additional information are here.

Entries for the 2009 Naval Intelligence Essay Contest should be on any subject pertaining to Naval Intelligence or intelligence support to naval forces.

This annual contest is sponsored by the Naval Intelligence Foundation, Naval Intelligence Professionals, and AFCEA, and underwritten in part by the Inman Foundation.

Prize and eligibility requirements are here.

SIGNAL Magazine has won its share of awards over the years, and all of its staffers justifiably have taken pride in their accomplishments. Usually, these awards have consisted of a single annual recognition for an article, a report or a graphic layout. This year, however, SIGNAL was blessed with separate awards for several endeavors.

The magazine has won three APEX 2009 Awards for Publication Excellence. Executive Editor Maryann Lawlor won an award in the Newswriting category for her article, “Morphing Robot Under Development” (December 2008, page 61). Editor in Chief Robert K. Ackerman won in the Scientific and Environmental Writing category for the article, Computer Researchers Look Past Silicon (June 2008, page 39). And, New Media Editor Helen Mosher won in the Blogs, Wikis and Forums category for the SIGNAL Scape blog, which she originated.

The winners, below, from left to right: Robert K. Ackerman, Maryann Lawlor, and Helen Mosher.

AFCEA Intelligence and the Naval Intelligence Professionals/Naval Intelligence Foundation (NIP/NIF) have joined forces to sponsor two annual writing contests.

The contests provide intelligence professionals with opportunities to express themselves on topics of importance to the Intelligence Community and national security.

In the AFCEA 2009 Essay Contest, on “Safety, Security, and Privacy, respondents are asked to address the following problem statement:

As the internal threat from terrorism has increased, the U.S. government has employed new and different methods to collect intelligence to forestall future attacks on U.S. soil. Discuss the implications of these actions on Constitutional guarantees of privacy for U.S. citizens versus the government’s imperative to provide safety and security. Include recommendations as to how this balance can be better maintained.

Top prize is $2,000 and a two-year AFCEA membership. More information on the contest, including deadline and eligibility, is available here.

The Naval Intelligence 2009 Essay Contest is sponsored by the Naval Intelligence Foundation, Naval Intelligence Professionals, and AFCEA, and underwritten in part by the Inman Foundation. Entrants can write about any subject pertaining to Naval Intelligence or intelligence support to naval forces.

Top prize includes $1,000, a five year membership in the Naval Intelligence and a two-year membership in AFCEA. More information on the contest, including deadline and eligibility, is available here.