On a typical day, you cant turn on the news without hearing someone say that Congress is broken. The implication is that this dereliction explains why the institution is inert and unresponsive to the American people.Theres one element often missing from that discussion: Congress is confounding in large part because its members cant hear the American people, or even each other. I mean that literally. Congressional staff serve in thousands of district offices across the nation, and their communications technology doesnt match that of most businesses and even many homes.Members district offices only got connected to secure Wi-Fi internet service in 2023. Discussions among members and congressional staff were at times cut short at 40 minutes because some government workers were relying on the free version of Zoom, according to congressional testimony in March 2024. The information systems Congress uses have existed largely unchanged for decades, while the world has experienced an information revolution, integrating smartphones and the internet into peoples daily personal and professional lives. The technologies that have transformed modern life and political campaigning are not yet available to improve the ability of members of Congress to govern once they win office.Slow to adaptLike many institutions, Congress resists change; only the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it to allow online hearings and bill introductions. Before 2020, whiteboards, sticky notes, and interns with clipboards dominated the halls of Congress.Electronic signatures arrived on Capitol Hill in 2021more than two decades after Congress passed the ESIGN Act to allow electronic signatures and records in commerce.The nation spends about US$10 million a year on technology innovation in the House of Representativesthe institution that declares war and pays all the federal governments bills. Thats just 1% of the amount theater fans have spent to see Hamilton on Broadway since 2015.It seems the story of American democracy is attractive to the public, but investing in making it work is less so for Congress itself.The chief administrative office in Congress, a nonlegislative staff that helps run the operations of Congress, decides what types of technology can be used by members. These internal rules exist to protect Congress and national security, but that caution can also inhibit new ways to use technology to better serve the public.Finding a happy medium between innovation and caution can result in a livelier public discourse.A modernization effortCongress has been working to modernize itself, including experimenting with new ways to hear local voices in their districts, including gathering constituent feedback in a standardized way that can be easily processed by computers.The House Natural Resources Committee was also an early adopter of technology for collaborative lawmaking. In 2020, members and committee staff used a platform called Madison to collaboratively write and edit proposed environmental justice legislation with communities across the country that had been affected by pollution.House leaders are also looking at what is called deliberative technology, which uses specially designed websites to facilitate digital participation by pairing collective human intelligence with artificial intelligence. People post their ideas online and respond to others posts. Then the systems can screen and summarize posts so users better understand each others perspectives.These systems can even handle massive group discussions involving large numbers of people who hold a wide range of positions on a vast set of issues and interests. In general, these technologies make it easier for people to find consensus and have their voices heard by policymakers in ways the policymakers can understand and respond to.Governments in Finland, the U.K., Canada, and Brazil are already piloting deliberative technologies. In Finland, roughly one-third of young people between 12 and 17 participate in setting budget priorities for the city of Helsinki.In May 2024, 45 U.S.-based nonprofit organizations signed a letter to Congress asking that deliberative technology platforms be included in the approved tools for civic engagement.In the meantime, Congress is looking at ways to use artificial intelligence as part of a more integrated digital strategy based on lessons from other democratic legislatures. Finding benefitsModernization efforts have opened connections within Congress and with the public. For example, hearings held by videoconference during the pandemic enabled witnesses to share expertise with Congress from a distance and open up a process that is notoriously unrepresentative. I was home in rural New Mexico during the pandemic and know three people who remotely testified on tribal education, methane pollution, and environmental harms from abandoned oil wells.New House Rules passed on January 3, 2025, encourage the use of artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations and allow for remote witness testimony.Other efforts that are new to Congress but long established in business and personal settings include the ability to track changes in legislation and a scheduling feature that reduces overlaps in meetings. Members are regularly scheduled to be two places at once.Another effort in development is an internal digital staff directory that replaces expensive directories compiled by private companies assembling contact information for congressional staff.The road aheadIn 2022, what is now called member-directed spending returned to Congress with some digital improvements. Formerly known as earmarks, this is the practice of allowing members of Congress to handpick specific projects in their home districts to receive federal money. Earmarks were abolished in 2011 amid concerns of abuse and opposition by fiscal hardliners. Their 2022 return and rebranding introduced publicly available project lists, ethics rules, and a search engine to track the spending as efforts to provide public transparency about earmarks.Additional reforms could make the federal government even more responsive to the American people.Some recent improvements are already familiar. Just as customers can follow their pizza delivery from the oven to the doorstep, Congress in late 2024 created a flag-tracking app that has dramatically improved a program that allows constituents to receive a flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol. Before, different procedures in the House and Senate caused time-consuming snags in this delivery system.At last, the worlds most powerful legislature caught up with Pizza Hut, which rolled out this technology in 2017 to track customers pizzas from the store to the delivery driver to their front door.Lorelei Kelly is a research lead at Modernizing Congress at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings pick for 2019 is Goldsmith Street in Norwich, designed by architecture studio Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley.In the competition's 27-year history, there has never been a more popular Stirling Prize winner than Goldsmith Street, a development of 105 council homes delivered for Norwich City Council.Designed by London studio Mikhail Riches and architect Hawley, it is the only social-housing scheme ever to win the coveted annual award, given to the UK's best new building.Goldsmith Street was the most significant building of 2019The Stirling jury called the project a "modest masterpiece" and "high-quality architecture in its purest, most environmentally and socially conscious form".News about the decision reverberated around the built-environment world, and architects in particular rejoiced."It might not look groundbreaking, but this little neighbourhood represents something quietly miraculous," wrote The Guardian's architecture critic Oliver Wainwright.The Daily Telegraph's Ellis Woodman called it "a triumph for radical ordinariness".Goldsmith Street doesn't, thankfully, reinvent the housing wheel, and it doesn't need toPiers Taylor in DezeenGoldsmith Street, and its spectacular Stirling Prize win, was a significant moment on multiple levels that reverberated beyond the UK.Firstly, as a contemporary realisation of the terraced street, high in density but low in height, with space for pedestrians and gardens prioritised over car parking, it set a new standard for housing design.UCLA-based architecture theorist Dana Cuff called it "a clear demonstration that design ingenuity is the key to achieving great affordable housing"."The project is ingenious particularly in terms of the site plan, which is the starting point and most important aspect of housing," she told Dezeen for this piece.The development consists of 105 council homes arranged in low-rise streetsIt represented a remarkable departure from the majority of housing currently built in many parts of the world: sparse, characterless units delivered by large corporations.Mikhail Riches and Hawley's design was selected by the council because they were the only architects to propose a streets-based approach rather than slabs of apartment blocks.Using the example of a nearby neighbourhood of desirable Victorian terraces, the architects were able to persuade planners to agree to a street width of 14 metres, rather than the 21 metres usually mandated.These narrower streets made it possible to achieve the housing density required, while also sacrificing less space to cars."Not only is the scheme a delight by anyone's standards, it also offers a roadmap for precisely the type of housing the UK needs huge amounts of," architect Piers Taylor wrote in Dezeen. "Goldsmith Street doesn't, thankfully, reinvent the housing wheel, and it doesn't need to."Mikhail Riches and Hawley's design prioritises space for people over carsIn addition, Mikhail Riches and Hawley were widely praised for their commitment to the details. For instance, carefully arranged stairs mean that even upstairs flats have a front door that opens onto the street.Meanwhile, the rooftops are angled to avoid blocking of sunlight to adjacent terraces all year round. Other touches include perforated brick balconies and bronze screens hiding bin stores.Any residential project of such quality would be a significant achievement, but as social housing built to provide secure tenancies to people on low incomes, Goldsmith Street is extremely rare.This little neighbourhood represents something quietly miraculousOliver Wainwright in The GuardianSocial housing has only been delivered in relatively tiny numbers in England for more than a decade. But with its emergence, Goldsmith Street helped reignite the international conversation about the value of the tenure, and became a bellwether for a growing architecture movement committed to building excellent, low-cost homes for public good.It also demonstrated what can occur when architects are placed in the driving seat. Unusually for a project of this type, Mikhail Riches and Hawley worked directly with the council as client, rather than through a contractor under a design-and-build setup.This approach a brave one by Norwich council, which was delivering its first housing in decades and had struggled to get the project moving during the financial crisis gave the architects far more agency to negotiate on matters such as street width.In another brave move, the council tasked the architects with meeting Passivhaus standards a very high bar of thermal efficiency that means buildings require only minimal energy to heat and cool.The architects were able to persuade planners to green light a smaller gap between terraces. Photo by Rod EdwardsEnergy bills are therefore 70 per cent cheaper than the average UK household, and residents have spoken about the profound effect of such warm, affordable homes on their lives. Some reported clearing debts, reduced need for medication and no longer having to use food banks.By achieving these standards without compromising on aesthetics, Goldsmith Street helped to change perceptions about Passivhaus buildings."In the architecture world, Passivhaus is a byword for clunky boxes with fat rendered walls and tiny windows, representing a kind of socks-and-sandals, ironed hair-shirt approach to design," the Guardian's Wainwright wrote. "But Goldsmith Street shows that it doesn't have to be so grim."Overall, it was a Stirling winner that simultaneously demonstrated the power of architecture, the potential of social housing, the possibilities of residential design and the practicality of low-energy building."Goldsmith Street shows architecture can advance sustainability, affordability and liveability all while making a sophisticated formal solution," summarised Cuff.Read: Explore the Stirling Prize-winning Goldsmith Street housing in 360-degree interactive tourCommentators, including Wainwright and Taylor, were especially pleased after the previous year's prize had gone to Foster + Partners' 1.3 billion London headquarters for Bloomberg, which made controversial claims about being the world's most sustainable building despite using large amounts of material shipped from around the world."The whole country breathed a sigh of relief that the prize didn't go to an 'iconic' piece of architecture in a time where more than anything we don't need more iconic buildings," said Taylor.Interest in the project was so great that the council became worried about the impact of intrigued rubberneckers on local residents.Goldsmith Street is the only social housing project to have won the Stirling PrizeDespite the universal praise, Goldsmith Street has so far not precipitated a flood of similar projects much to the disappointment of Mikhail Riches co-founder Annalie Riches."Actually it was quite a low-cost project, it wasn't expensive," she told Dezeen in an interview last year. "And I thought, 'well, now everyone's going to be doing this we've shown it can be done'. But it's not that easy."Its status as social housing also remains vulnerable to the Right to Buy, a controversial policy that allows council tenants to purchase their homes at a discount.The housing and climate crises continue to worsen, but Goldsmith Street remains a ray of hope, a cherished morsel of evidence that we can do better.Did we get it right? Was Goldsmith Street the most significant building completed in 2019? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far.This article is part of Dezeen's 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influentialbuilding from each of the first 25 years of the century.The illustration is byJack Bedford and the photography is by Tim Crocker unless otherwise stated.21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings2000:Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron2001:Gando Primary School by Dibdo Francis Kr2002:Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid2003:Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry2004:Quinta Monroy by Elemental2005:Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa2006:Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela2007:Oslo Opera House by Snhetta2008:Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei2009:Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton Architects2010:Burj Khalifa by SOM2011:National September 11 Memorial byHandel Architects2012:CCTV Headquarters by OMA2013:Cardboard Cathedral by ShigeruBan2014:Bosco Verticale by Stefano Boeri2015:UTEC Lima campus by Grafton Architects2016:Transformation of 530 Dwellings by Lacaton & Vassal, Frdric Druot and Christophe Hutin2017: Apple Park by Foster + Partners2018: Amager Bakke by BIG2019: Goldsmith Street by Mikhail Riches and Cathy HawleyThis list will be updated as the series progresses.The post Mikhail Riches's Goldsmith Street was the most significant building of 2019 appeared first on Dezeen.

Comic book artists have each put their own stamp on our favourite blue hedgehog.

The source of more than half of all wildfires in the Western US remains unknown, so the US Forest Service has teamed up with computer scientists to create tools that can find answers.

Plus: A hacker finds an issue with Cloudflares systems that could reveal app users rough locations, and the Trump administration puts a wrench in a key cybersecurity investigation.

Heuristic designing is a practical and indispensable tool leveraged in standard fields like artificial intelligence and operations research to find satisfactory solutions to complex optimisation problems. Experts usually design them by hand, which makes the process expensive and slow. A simplification of heuristics design, without a reduction in performance, was subsequently achieved through the Automatic Heuristic Design (AHD) proposal. It relied on several human-defined parameters, thereby limiting its adaptability as well as its effectiveness. AHD was recently integrated with LLMs, employing a strong population-based framework. However, the framework was designed to pick the first solution it found and converged quickly, which prevented it from exploring much better options, resulting in less effective optimisation strategies. In order to tackle these obstacles, a team of researchers from National University of Singapore and Southern University of Science and Technology China have developed MCTS-AHD, the first tree search method for LLM-based AHD.Current LLM-based methods have been efficient, yet they are in need of a more tailored approach so that they do not converge on the local optima but rather explore the vast array of opportunities available. These methods also have inadequate search mechanisms, leading to insufficient investigation of the possible heuristics. They are single-objective focused, limiting their adaptability in real-world scenarios where multiple objectives must be considered. These inefficiencies ultimately increase the cost of problem optimisation, prompting the need for a new method to ensure the full-fledged utilisation of LLMS.The suggested method, MCTS-AHD, combines Monte Carlo Tree Search and large language models for better heuristic function exploration. This system generates high-quality heuristics applicable to a wide variety of applications. In addition, MCTS-AHD uses an evaluation metric. This metric continually evaluates and improves the heuristics. Consequently, the search tree pursues only the most promising of the candidates. The key mechanisms of the method are as follows:Integration of MCTS and LLMs: MCTS balances the exploration of new solutions and exploitation of the existing ones, ensuring that no time is wasted on unpromising paths. LLMs can understand the problems and generate excellent heuristics by leveraging MCTS.Structure of the Search Tree: The search tree consists of nodes and branches. Nodes represent a heuristic, and branches are the tweaks made in the heuristics. This tree mapping allows the framework to remember the explored solutions and focus on finding new ones.Simulation and Tree Expansion: The heuristics on each node have multiple branches that are simulated to evaluate their performance. This evaluation ensures that the search tree only expands on the promising branches, reducing time and overall cost.MCTS-AHD was extensively tested on challenging datasets that included NP-hard combinatorial optimisation (CO) problems and Cost-aware Acquisition Function (CAF) design for Bayesian Optimization (BO). Its performance was compared to 4 baselines: manually designed heuristics, traditional automated heuristic design, neural combinatorial optimisation, and LLM-based AHD methods. MCTS-AHD consistently outperformed baseline methods in these benchmarks, demonstrating its robustness across different problem domains. Overall, there was a significant improvement in heuristic quality.In conclusion, MCTS-AHD significantly improves using large language models to design heuristics automatically. MCTS-AHD uses a tree-based structure, progressive widening and revolutionary exploration strategies to explore more heuristic functions than existing methods. This approach improves the performance and diversity of the heuristics and offers a strong framework for dealing with a meaningful number of complex CO tasks. MCTS-AHD creates a meaningful benchmark in AHD research, providing a highly scalable and exceptionally flexible solution for various applications.Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our70k+ ML SubReddit. Afeerah Naseem+ postsAfeerah Naseem is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. She is pursuing her B.tech from the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur. She is passionate about Data Science and fascinated by the role of artificial intelligence in solving real-world problems. She loves discovering new technologies and exploring how they can make everyday tasks easier and more efficient. Meet 'Height':The only autonomous project management tool (Sponsored)

Behold Operator, OpenAI's long-awaited agentic AI model that can use your computer and browse the web for you.It's supposed to work on your behalf, following the instructions it's given like your very own little employee. Or "your own secretary" might be more apt: OpenAI's marketing materials have focused on Operator performing tasks like booking tickets, restaurant reservations, and creating shopping lists (though the company admits it still struggles with managing calendars, a major productivity task.)But if you think you can just walk away from the computer and let the AI do everything, think again: Operator will need to ask for confirmation before pulling the trigger on important tasks, which throws a wrench into the premise of the AI agent acting on your behalf, since the clear implication is you need to make sure it's not screwing up before allowing it any real power."Before finalizing any significant action, such as submitting an order or sending an email, Operator should ask for approval," reads the safety section in OpenAI's announcement.This measure highlights the tension between keeping stringent guardrails on AI models while allowing them to freely exercise their purportedly powerful capabilities. How do you put out an AI that can do anything without it doing anything stupid?Right now, a limited preview of Operator is only available to subscribers of the ChatGPT Pro plan, which costs an eye-watering $200 per month.The agentic tool uses its own AI model called Computer-Using Agent to interact with its virtual environment as in use mouse and keyboard actions by constantly taking screenshots of your desktop.The screenshots are interpreted by GPT-4o's image-processing capabilities, theoretically allowing Operator to use any software it's looking at, and not just ones designed to integrate with AI.But in practice, it doesn't sound like the seamless experience you'd hope it to be (though to be fair, it's still in its early stages). When the AI gets stuck, as it still often does, it hands control back to the user to remedy the issue. It will also stop working to ask you for your usernames and passwords, entering a "takeover mode."It's "simply too slow," wrote one user on the ChatGPTPro subreddit in a lengthy writeup, who said they were "shocked" by its sluggish pace. "It also bugged me when Operator didn't ask for help when it clearly needed to," the user added. In reality, you may have to sit there and watch the AI painstakingly try to navigate your computer, like supervising a grandparent trying their hand at Facebook and email.Obviously, safety measures are good. But it's worth asking just how useful this tech is going to be if it can't be trusted to work reliably without neutering it.And if safety and privacy are important to you, then you should already be uneasy with the idea of letting an AI model run rampant on your machine, especially one that relies on constantly screenshotting your desktop.While you can opt out of having your data being used to train the AI model, OpenAI says that it will store your chats and screenshots up to 90 days on its servers, , even if you delete them.Because Operator can browse the web, that means it will potentially be exposed to all kinds of danger, including attacks called prompt injections that could trick the model into defying its original instructions.Share This Article

Who asked for this?Out of SeasonBack in 2017, a buzzy multi-million dollar startup called Juicero which sold a high tech, WiFi-enabled fruit and veggie juicer that had taken health circles by storm imploded spectacularly whenBloomberg discovered that you could squeeze its juice packs by hand, without its $700 over-engineered machine, a demise that CNET derided as history's "greatest example of Silicon Valley stupidity."We may now have a new pretender to the throne. Enter the Spicerr, a supposedly "AI-powered" "smart" spice dispenser that will automatically decide how much seasoning you should add to your barren foodstuffs."Spicerr takes the guesswork out of seasoning," reads its marketing copy, with "curated spice blends" and "precise measurements," making it the perfect kitchen gizmo for dorks who are too unadventurous to even dabble in the art of adding a pinch of salt or ancho chile.The company also has an extremely obnoxious ad featuring anthropomorphized kitchenware, which are for some reason aware what an AI model is. Suspension of disbelief shattered.Lock and PreloadThe Spicerr is designed like a minimalist, tech-inflected pepper grinder with a revolver's cylinder stuck on the bottom. It holds six pre-packaged spice capsules at a time, which you have to buy from the manufacturer, like so many hated inkjet printers. Spicerr sells an "Essential Collection" that comes with black pepper, turmeric, crushed pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and cumin, as well as three other collections for "family cooking," "baking with kids," and plain ol' "BBQ."Using a small touch screen at the top did we mention this thing uses a touch screen? you choose the blendor recipe you want, which will require you to navigate more than a few tiny menus if this demonstration is anything to go by, load the necessary capsules, press down on the button, and let the Spicerr go to town.And voil: you have now have a seasoned meal, human. Is the 3:1 ratio of salt to pepper with an uncertainty of 4 percent to your liking?Data DrivenWe know we said this thing has the "AI" label slapped on it, but it's unclear what exactly the "AI-powered platform" actually is, other than something that collects your data, apparently, via its accompanying app."By analyzing your preferences and interactions, Spicerr quickly learns your tastes and suggests dishes and spice blends perfectly suited to your palate," the website reads.We'd posit it's not just variety, but alsospontaneity, that's the spice of life. So for the love of all that is holy, don't let an algorithm decide how much cinnamon or paprika you're adding to your food. Take the risk and toss some of that stuff in there yourself and then taste it, engage your brain, and decide whether it needs another pinch.More on AI: Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Woke AIShare This Article

Our Picks Best overall aerosol insect repellent Cutter Dry aerosol spray View details $24 at Amazon View details Best overall pump spray insect repellent Proven picaridin insect repellent View details $10 at Amazon View details Best natural insect repellent Natrapel lemon eucalyptus insect repellent View details $13 at Amazon View details Best insect repellent for clothes and gear Sawyer permethrin aerosol and pump spray insect repellent View details $10 at Bass Pro View details Best insect repellent lotion Proven picaridin lotion View details $13 at Amazon View details Best insect repellent wipes Ben's 30% DEET wipes View details $28 at Amazon View details Best DEET-free insect repellent wipes Natrapel picaridin wipes View details $14 at Amazon View details Table of Contents Is there anything worse than going off on an outdoor adventure only to feel the sting of a fresh bug bite not even 10 minutes later? We don't think so. No matter whether you're camping or hanging out in your backyard, it's paramount that you bring protection against the wilds with bug spray. In fact, if you travel to a country where malaria and other diseases are spread by mosquitoes, it is crucial that you take insect repellant. The CDC recommends that you use only insect repellents approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency. For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using insect repellents that contain no more than 30% DEET or other EPA-approved ingredients.But which is the best bug repellant for you and your family? To narrow the search for the best bug spray money can buy, our experts at CNET have tested over 20 wipes, lotions, sprays and DEET-free insect repellents from different brands to see which is the best of the best. When you live somewhere it's so hot you start sweating upon opening your back door, adding an additional layer of stickiness is not an option. Cutter Dry insect repellent is the best bug spray by far in terms of feel.The aerosol nozzle sprays wide and evenly, and the formula dries nearly instantly on your skin. You don't have to rub this spray into your skin at all.The bottle says unscented, but Cutter Dry does have a slight smell to it. It's not overpowering like many other sprays, though, and definitely not intolerable.Made with 10% DEET, this insect repellent will do its job in most environments. I would consider taking something stronger, such as a 20% or 30% DEET repellent, for backcountry adventures in buggy environments. If you prefer to avoid aerosol sprays, Proven makes a great picaridin-based pump spray insect repellent. Picaridin is a synthetic compound derived from piperine, a chemical compound found in the family of plants that produce black pepper. It's not as odorous as DEET, and according to some research, picaridin is equally as effective at repelling bugs as DEET.The Proven picaridin pump spray is the only one I found to be truly odorless during my testing. I probably would have looked crazy to bystanders if they saw me smelling my skin and clothes to catch a whiff of this stuff. For a pump spray, it doesn't have a bad texture -- plus, it goes on pretty light and I only had to rub it in a tiny bit. It absorbed quickly. Of all the bug sprays I've used in my life, this was my first time trying Proven, and I'll likely buy it in the future. $13 at Amazon For those who want to avoid chemicals altogether, a lemon eucalyptus insect repellent is a gentler way to stave off bugs and their bites. I tried a few different lemon eucalyptus bug sprays, and Natrapel came out on top.Free of the two chemicals proven to repel insects, it's natural to think this bug spray isn't as effective as its DEET- or picaridin-containing counterparts. The CDC and EPA recognize lemon eucalyptus oil as an effective insect repellent. The Natrapel bottle does say it offers up to six hours of protection versus the typical eight to 12 in DEET and picaridin products.Anyway, if you don't mind applying more often, Natrapel's aerosol or pump spray is a good option. Despite the fact that the active ingredient is an oil, this bug spray doesn't feel as oily as you might expect. It is slightly tougher to rub in compared to DEET and picaridin sprays, but it's not bad overall. Both types of bottles are easy to spray. Plus, the smell is nice (if you like lemon eucalyptus).

If you're enrolled in thePublic Service Loan Forgiveness programand were due to receive debt relief last year or expected to hit the 120-payment mark this year, a new program can help you apply for debt relief during theSAVE payment pause.PSLF offers student loan forgiveness to teachers, nurses and other public service workers who have made 120 qualifying payments -- the equivalent of 10 years -- while working at a qualifying job. ThePSLF Buyback programoffers the opportunity for eligible borrowers to "buy back" no-payment months that didn't count toward forgiveness while their loans were in forbearance or deferment.The buyback option could help some borrowers in the PSLF program get debt relief sooner, but it's not a shortcut to accelerate your progress toward PSLF, said Elaine Rubin, director of corporate communications at Edvisors.com. You'll need to have hit the 10 years of service and meet other conditions to qualify. If you're only five years into your teaching position, for example, you can't use this program to pay off your remaining five years of payments to get debt relief now.Here's how to find out if you're eligible for the buyback program and how to apply.What is the PSLF buyback program?The PSLF Buyback Program allows you to buy back certain skipped-payment months to count as qualifying payments under PSLF, which would speed up debt cancellation for a small number of eligible borrowers.For example, if you're a teacher who has worked 130 months in the role, you've already surpassed the required 10 years to be eligible for public loan forgiveness. But if your student loan was in deferment or forbearance for 15 months, you may have only made 115 months of payments. Normally, this would mean that you're not yet eligible for forgiveness under the PSLF program.Under the government's PSLF Buyback program, you can now make a payment (either in one lump sum or through multiple payments) within 90 days to cover the five months needed to fulfill your obligation and receive debt relief.What amount will you need to buy back? That depends on how many months short of the 120 goal you are and how much your monthly payment is. If you were on an income-driven repayment plan, your monthly payment could be as low as $0, Rubin said. But if your monthly payment is $200 and you've only made 117 payments, you'll need to pay $600 to complete the buyback process.After you submit an application requesting a buyback, the government will detail the total amount you must pay to your servicer within 90 days in order to have your remaining balance forgiven.Who's eligible for PSLF buyback?There are several requirements to be eligible for the PSLF buyback:You have worked at least 120 months in a qualifying public service role, including during the months when your student loan payments were in forbearance or deferredBuying back certain months of deferment or forbearance will get you over the threshold of 120 payments, allowing you to qualify for forgiveness under PSLFYour loan has a remaining balance greater than zeroIn other words, you cannot request a buyback if you have less than 10 years of service, and a buyback does not apply to defaulted loans or discharged loans.You can check on your qualifying payments for PSLF at StudentAid.gov, the central dashboard for this program. You can view more detailed information about the eligibility requirements here.How do I apply for the PSLF buyback program?Here are the steps for applying for the PSLF buyback program:If you have unreported periods of qualifying employment, submit them by using thePSLF Help Tool.Wait to review how yourpayment count adjustmentapplies to PSLF credit.Confirm the missing payment months you want to buy back and make sure you have approved qualifying employment for the same months (see how toverify these months).Submit a buyback request throughPSLF Reconsideration.Wait to hear back from StudentAid.gov about your final payoff amount.Rubin warns that the application is a bit confusing. "Be patient, but make sure that your information has been filed," Rubin said.You can check the status of your application through StudentAid.gov.Can I apply for PSLF buyback if I'm enrolled in SAVE?Yes, you can apply for the PSLF buyback if you're enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education plan. The SAVE program, an income-driven repayment plan, is considered an eligible forbearance type under the PSLF buyback.Payments have been on hold for SAVE borrowers since the summer, so if you're a PSLF borrower who would have received debt relief in the fall or winter, you're a prime candidate for the buyback program.How long will the PSLF buyback program be open?Rubin said the PSLF buyback program is currently open, and there is no hard deadline for applications.That being said, once you submit your application and learn your buyback amount, you have 90 days to make the buyback payment to your loan servicer. If you fail to pay the total amount within that time frame, you need to start over with a new application.With a new administration in the White House, the long-term fate of the PSLF buyback program is unclear. Rubin recommends taking the time now, while PSLF buyback is still available, to determine whether you're eligible and submit your application. More student loan advice