Carol A. Clark

Advancing Lives: Our Journey to Excellence

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Los Alamos Board of Education President Kevin Honnell welcomes staff back to school Monday. Courtesy/LAPS

LAPS News:

Los Alamos School Board President Kevin Honnell welcomed the staff back to school Monday morning, Aug. 13. The annual event includes a “Back to School” breakfast for staff and opening remarks from Superintendent Gene Schmidt.

In his remarks, Honnell praised staff for the high quality and important work that they do.

“Los Alamos is a recognized leader in education,” he said.

“What makes a school excellent?” Honnell asked before answering his own question, “iPads, Smartboards, Read More

Steve Wells Details Elements of Business Success

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Andy Andrews, left, president of the Los Alamos Entrepreneurs Network, introduces LANB President Steve Wells who gave a presentation to community members and entrepreneurs gathered at The Hive Thursday night. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By Carol A. Clark

Los Alamos National Bank President Steve Wells isn’t an entrepreneur but he knows quite a few. In fact, thousands of people with business ideas have sat across the desk from Wells over the last 35 years.

“I’ve seen some of those ideas turn people into millionaires and I’ve seen people go broke,” Read More

Seeing and Observing Part 2: A Tale of Two Mesas

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PEEC Amateur Naturalist
Column by Robert Dryja

Many of us have seen the impact of two forest fires on the Jemez Mountains.

The mountains west of Los Alamos form the rim of the Valles Caldera. 

These mountains have had two forest fires, the Cerro Grande and Las Conchas, pass through them in the past 12 years. 

The general impression given by many news organizations is that total and permanent destruction has occurred.

Indeed, half of the grassland of the Valle Grande was burnt and blackened last year. However, there is little mention that the grasses have grown again in spite of drought Read More

ChemCam Laser Sets Sights on First Martian Target

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Image of calibration target on the back of the Mars Science Laboratory mission Curiosity rover taken by the rover’s ChemCam instrument. Courtesy NASA/JPL

LANL News:

  • Rock zapper ready after beaming back images of calibration targets

Members of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover ChemCam team have received the first photos from the instrument’s remote micro imager. The successful capture of ChemCam’s first 10 photos sets the stage for the first test bursts of the instrument’s rock-zapping laser in the near future.

“The successful delivery of these photos means we can begin Read More

Alan Bishop Selected to Lead LANL Science, Technology & Engineering Directorate

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LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan announced today that after a yearlong, nationwide search, Alan Bishop has been selected to be the Laboratory’s next Principal Associate Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering (PADSTE.)

Bishop has been acting in that role since Aug. 29, 2011.

Over the course of a distinguished 30-year career as a research scientist and leader, Bishop has more than 700 publications in archival journals and has served as a guest scientist, guest scholar and visiting professor.

He has received Distinguished Fellow awards from Read More

LAMS Construction Completed in Time for School

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Dave Wharram of Gerald Martin briefs the Board of Education on the status of the Los Alamos Middle School construction project during Tuesday’s meeting. Photo by Kirsten Laskey

By Kirsten Laskey

Despite a two-week delay in the construction project, Los Alamos Middle School was ready to greet students for the 2012-2013 school year Wednesday.

Dave Wharram of Gerald Martin, which serves as the owner representative for the project, reported the good news to Los Alamos School Board members during their regular meeting Tuesday night.

“McCarthy, the contractor in charge of the project, Read More

Don Taylor Helps Animal Adoption Effort

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UPDATE – Domino has been adopted!
 
Domino is an orphan. Photo by Don Taylor
 
FRIENDS OF THE SHELTER News:
 
Don Taylor of Don Taylor’s Photography is working with the Friends of the Shelter in donating his time and talent to photograph some of the shelter’s adoptable animals.
 
Taylor’s recent subject, Domino, is a German Shorthaired Pointer and Boxer mix.
 
While Domino has secured temporary quarters at the Los Alamos Animal Shelter, he has high hopes of finding a permanent home.
 
Sylvia Hush of the Friends of the Shelter knows Domino
Read More

Public Invited to Join PEEC’s Fire Recovery Walk

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Flood damage on the trail to Upper Crossing just beyond Ponderosa Campground due to severe burns above. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

For the first program of its Fire Recovery Series, PEEC will offer an exploratory hike from Ponderosa Campground starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25.

The hike will be led by Terry Foxx and Chris Judson, and will be non-strenuous. 

It is free and open to the public, with no registration required.

This slow meandering walk will focus on observation and discovery of the complexity of the ecosystems of the Pajarito Plateau, and the change that these ecosystems Read More

Katherine Hemphill Receives Kiwanis Scholarship

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Los Alamos High School graduate Katherine Hemphill has received an educational scholarship from the Los Alamos Kiwanis Club for her good works in the community. Hemphill served as a Key Club member and will attend Arizona State University to study Biomedical Engineering. Pictured from left, Kiwanis Club members Morrie Pongratz and Don Casperson, President Kristy Ortega, Hemphill and her father Richard Hemphill. Kiwanis has a focus on youth projects and meets at noon each Tuesday at the Masonic Lodge near 15th Street and Sage. Kiwanis was founded in 1948 and is the oldest service organization Read More

NRC to Discuss Apparent Violations at Harris Nuclear Plant

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NRC News:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a regulatory and pre-decisional enforcement conference with officials of Duke Energy to discuss apparent violations of NRC requirements involving the ventilation systems for facilities at the Harris nuclear power plant that would be staffed during emergencies.

The Harris plant, which is operated by Duke Energy, is located near New Hill, N.C., about 20 miles southwest of Raleigh.
 

NRC and company officials will discuss the safety significance of two inspection findings related to the ventilation systems for Read More