National Laboratory

DOE Secretary Hosts Energy Security Symposium, Honors Dr. Daniel Yergin With First Schlesinger Medal

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Daniel Howard Yergin

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) opening in 1977 and to kick off National Energy Action Month, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today hosted the first Schlesinger Medal Ceremony and Symposium on Energy Security.

The Secretary began the event by presenting the new James R. Schlesinger Medal to world-renowned energy expert and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Dr. Daniel Yergin. Then two distinguished panels convened to discuss and debate critical energy security issues from the past and looking toward the Read More

DOE Releases WIPP Recovery Plan

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WIPP News:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the WIPP Recovery Plan Tuesday, which outlines the key activities, management approach and strategies that will be used to meet the current goal of resuming operations by the first quarter of calendar year 2016.

The plan also includes the projected schedule and costs associated with resumption of waste emplacement at WIPP. The Department is committed to resuming WIPP operations as a critical part of the environmental cleanup program, and will continue to work with regulators, community partners, TRU waste generators, and other stakeholders Read More

NIST Scientists Improve Microscopic Batteries With Homebuilt Imaging Analysis

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A ‘nanoforest’ of nanowire lithium-ion batteries. Images by Oleshko/NIST

NIST News:

In a rare case of having their cake and eating it too, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other institutions have developed* a toolset that allows them to explore the complex interior of tiny, multi-

layered batteries they devised. It provides insight into the batteries’ performance without destroying them—resulting in both a useful probe for scientists and a potential power source for micromachines.

A STEM image of an individual battery. Images by Oleshko/NIST Read More

LANL Implements Leadership Changes Within Environmental Programs Directorate

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LANL Director Charlie McMillan

LANL News:

In a memo to employees Friday, Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan announced that the Lab is implementing a number of measures aimed at supporting the Department of Energy’s objectives to reopen the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository near Carlsbad.

Among the actions are changes in its leadership responsible for managing the Lab’s environmental clean-up and transuranic waste operations. McMillan has asked Deputy Associate Director Enrique (Kiki) Torres to serve as acting lead for LANL’s Environmental Read More

SFI Seminar: ‘Energy Landscapes and Emergent Phenomena in Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science’

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Alexandra Navrotsky

SFI News:

The Santa Fe Institute will host a seminar, “Energy Landscapes and Emergent Phenomena in Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science,” by Alexandra Navrotsky of the University of California, Davis at 12:15 p.m., Thursday in the Collins Conference Room at SFI, 1399 Hyde Park Road in Santa Fe.

Abstract. Freed from the tyranny of equilibrium, chemists and materials scientists are designing and making a wealth of new materials with controllable properties. These materials are often only modestly metastable and form a dense landscape of accessible structures. Read More

Astrophysicist Ed Fenimore Presents: How To See A Gamma-Ray Burst

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An artist’s rendering of a gamma-ray burst. Courtesy/NASA and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

LANL News:

Gamma-ray bursts may produce an extraordinary amount of light from the other side of the universe, but they occur so randomly that we don’t know where to look.

We need a camera that can image the gamma rays to locate them. Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists considered this high-tech problem and wondered whether a pinhole camera—the simplest tool of photography—might hold the answer.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct.12 in the History Museum auditorium, astrophysicist Ed Fenimore Read More

First Born Conference Draws Early Childhood Professionals from Throughout the State

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Los Alamos County First Born staff: home visitor Amy Wei, program managers Molly McBranch and Kim Ferguson and home visitor Tara Adams. Photo by Andrea Multari/LANL Foundation
 
Dr. Bruce Perry, early childhood brain and trauma expert, speaks to a crowd of more than 300 home visitors and early childhood educators at Tuesday’s First Born conference. Photo by Andrea Multari, LANL Foundation.
 
LANL Foundation First Born Los Alamos program managers Molly McBranch and Kim Ferguson remind staff of the importance of self-care in addition to serving families. Photo by Andrea
Read More

NNSA Presents SRS With Award For Achieving High Performance Sustainable Building Status

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NNSA News:

AIKEN, S.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded the first NNSA High Performance Sustainable Building (HPSB) plaque to the Savannah River Site (SRS) Tritium Administration Facility (Building 246-H).

The facility is the base of NNSA’s employees and contractors who support the tritium capabilities at SRS. The facility has reduced total energy consumption by 27.8 percent from a 2005 baseline.

“NNSA is improving the performance of its buildings and infrastructure,” said Jim McConnell, Associate Deputy Administrator, NNSA Office of Infrastructure Read More

SFI Seminar: ‘Taming Complexity of Electricity-Cascading Failures and Statistical Early Warning’

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Paul Hines

SFI News:

Paul Hines from the University of Vermont will present a seminar at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1 in the Collins Conference Room at the Santa Fe Institute at 1399 Hyde Park Road in Santa Fe.

The event is free and open to the public. Those attending are invited to bring their lunch. The SFI host is Jennifer Dunne.

Abstract.  Electric Energy is critical to modern society, but the networks from which most cities get their power are sometimes surprisingly fragile. Small disturbances can spread to create massive blackouts with serious social consequences.

This talk Read More

October Lunch With A Leader Features Kurt Steinhaus

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Kurt Steinhaus

LWV News:

The October Lunch with a Leader, presented by the League of Women Voters and open to the community, is at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 at Mesa Public Library. 

The speaker is Dr. Kurt Steinhaus, director of Community Programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory. His topic will be education and workforce development.

Steinhaus’ work is focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, technical assistance for small businesses and helping entrepreneurs start new companies, and partnering with non-profit organizations to advance their strategic Read More