National Laboratory

Heinrich Statement On Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action For Iran’s Nuclear Program

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement Thursday after the United States, five other world powers, and Iran announced a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program:

“Our mission is clear: we must ensure that Iran is never allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Today’s announcement of a framework designed to roll back Iran’s Read More

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Addresses P5+1 Nuclear Negotiations

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Energy Secretary Earnest Moniz

DOE News:

Energy Secretary Earnest Moniz relesed the following statement today on the P5+1 Nuclear Negotiations:

“The key parameters established today lay the groundwork for achieving the P5+1’s objective of blocking Iran’s four pathways to nuclear weapons: the two uranium pathways through Iran’s Natanz and Fordow enrichment facilities, the plutonium pathway at the Arak reactor, and the covert pathway.

America’s leading nuclear experts at the Department of Energy and its national labs and sites were involved throughout these negotiations, evaluating Read More

LANL: Multi-institutional Project To Study Climate Change’s Effect On Tropical Forests

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Overhead view of Amazon forest, at risk from a warming climate. Photo by Hugo Glendinning

LANL News:

  • NGEE-Tropics will couple field research with predictive computer models

Tropical forests play a major role in the planet’s carbon cycle, but there are large uncertainties over how they will respond over the next 100 years as the planet’s climate warms.

An expansive new project called Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments-Tropics, or NGEE-Tropics, aims to bring the future of tropical forests into much clearer focus.

“Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are playing a major role in Read More

Bradbury Science Museum Celebrates NanoDays

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NanoDays events. Courtesy photo

BSM News:

Stop by Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Bradbury Science Museum April 3-12 and learn about and take part in NanoDays.
 
NanoDays is a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering and its potential impact on the future, at the museum in downtown Los Alamos. NanoDays is free and open to the public.

The Bradbury marks NanoDays 2015 with fun films about nano science, airing at 1 p.m. daily; hands-on tabletop activities; special demonstrations at 11 a.m., and 2 p.m., April 7-9; and The Art of Nanoscience

Read More

Pamela Valdez And Randy Fraser Of Los Alamos Receive NNSA’s 2014 Security Professional Of The Year Awards

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NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced the recipients of the Bradley A. Peterson Federal and Contractor Security Professional of the Year Awards:

  • Pamela Valdez from the Los Alamos Field Office will receive the federal award; and
  • Randy Fraser from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) will receive the contractor award.

The awards recognize one federal and one contractor employee whose contributions to security programs within the NNSA enterprise exemplify the excellence and commitment for which NNSA is known.

Valdez’s leadership Read More

Many Questions Surface In Preparing Community For Manhattan Project National Historical Park

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Los Alamos County Councilors, County staff and MPNHP Committee members, during a work session March 24 in White Rock, discuss a mounting list of questions for preparing the community to receive an estimated 200,000 visitors annually. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

At right, Los Alamos Historical Society Executive Director / MPNHP Committee Chair Heather McClenahan presents an update to County Council. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Council Chair Kristin Henderson and Councilor Steven Girrens listen to an update on the MPNHP project. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More

More Than 100 Los Alamos Volunteers Show Youth How Fun Science, Engineering And Math Can Be

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Students peeking into the world of an ecologist through microscopy. Courtesy photo

 

EDUCATION News:

And the best part was … “the learning part!”

This was the kind of feedback organizers received from students attending the March 6 “Expanding Your Horizons 2015” Student Technical Workshop.

More than 100 volunteers from Los Alamos traveled down to the Santa Fe Convention Center to volunteer their talents to show Northern New Mexican youth how fun science, engineering, and math can be.

Activities included an engaging Career Fair, an inspiring keynote address by Read More

New Mexico Delegation Responds To Report By WIPP Technical Assessment Team

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CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján issued the following joint statement on the report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Technical Assessment Team, analyzing the scientific cause of the drum failure that led to the Feb. 14, 2014, radiological incident at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). 

“Today’s report answers some of the questions about what led to the radiological release at WIPP on Feb. 14, 2014. We thank the scientists, including Read More

DOE Offers Conditional Commitment To Alcoa To Support Making Aluminum For Automotive Sector

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DOE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of the Administration’s effort to support advanced vehicles that are more affordable for Americans to drive, strengthen U.S. leadership in manufacturing advanced vehicle technologies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased fuel efficiency, the Department of Energy has announced a conditional commitment for a $259 million loan to Alcoa Inc.
 
This conditional commitment is the first issued by the Department under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program since Secretary Moniz announced a number
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Letter To The Editor: Fine Leveled Against LANL Is Egregious; Reflects Ignorance Of Authority

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By RICHARD STUPKA
White Rock
 
The three editorials/articles published in the Journal the weekend of Feb. 22-27 reflect a serious lack of understanding of the relationship of federal nuclear facilities to the State of New Mexico, a misrepresentation of risk and risk analysis of incidents that fall outside the operational safety envelope of these facilities, and the role that the Department of Energy (DOE) has assumed without adequate or trained personnel to manage the sites under its jurisdiction.
 
The $57 million fine levied by the state is egregious, inappropriate and reflects
Read More