National Laboratory

SFI Presents Linguistics Seminar

December 7, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Andy Wedel. Courtesy photo

SFI News:

Andy Wedel of the University of Arizona will present a Santa Fe Institute Seminar titled “The Lexicon as a Dynamical System: The Drive to Keep Words Distinct and the Evolution of Pheneme Inventories” at 12: 15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 in the Collins Conference Room at the Santa Fe Institute (1390 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe). This seminar is free and open to the public. Those attending are invited to bring their own lunch.

Seminar Abstract: All human languages make use of small systems of signal categories, such as the sounds [p] and [b], in combination to compose Read More

LANL: Neutron Stars’ X-ray Superbursts Mystify, Inspire Los Alamos Scientists

December 6, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Neutron star. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

New neutrino cooling theory changes understanding of stars’ surface

Massive X-ray superbursts near the surface of neutron stars are providing a unique window into the operation of fundamental forces of nature under extreme conditions.

“Scientists are intrigued by what exactly powers these massive explosions, and understanding this would yield important insights about the fundamental forces in nature, especially on the astronomical/cosmological scale,” said Peter Moller of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Theoretical Division.

A neutron Read More

Celebrate the Bradbury’s 50th Birthday

December 6, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Martian Laser Surpasses 100,000 Zaps

December 5, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Fig. 1. This figure is a ChemCam Remote Micro Imager (RMI) image of the target ‘Ithaca.’ The image is a mosaic of three separate images taken on Sol 439, with the scale as shown. The image shows the scars from the 10 LIBS points labeled from point 1 to point 10. One of the 30 shots at point no. 1 was the 100,000th firing of the ChemCam laser. The distance to the target from the ChemCam telescope at the top of the mast was 4.04 m. The vertical line of 10 points taken by ChemCam on Ithaca, starts in a pitted lower coarser grained unit and crosses into a finer grained, smoother, upper unit. The chemical Read More

Udall Presents Two New Mexico Consortium Outstanding Achievement Awards for Mentored Research

December 5, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Sangeeta Negi works with Dr. Richard Sayre, a joint NMC-LANL scientist. Courtesy/LANL

Loreen Lamoureux of UNM. Photo by Ann Kuiper

LANL News:

Sangeeta Negi of the NMC and Loreen Lamoureux of UNM to receive awards for their work in Algal Bio-technology and Bio-medical Engineering.

Senator Tom Udall will recognize Dr. Sangeeta Negi of the New Mexico Consortium (NMC) for achieving a two-fold increase in bio-mass productivity in algae this Friday. Loreen Lamoureux, a graduate student at the University of New Mexico (UNM) will be recognized for her work on rapid E. coli detection methods. Read More

LANL: Mary Hockaday, Cheryl Cabbil Named Associate Directors

December 5, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Mary Hockaday

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory recently announced two new associate directors: Mary Hockaday is the associate director of the Experimental Physical Sciences Directorate and Cheryl Cabbil joined the Laboratory Monday, Dec. 2, as associate director for Nuclear and High Hazard Operations.

“Mary is a 30-year veteran of the Lab and currently serves in a joint role as the deputy associate director for the Weapons Physics directorate as well as leading LANL’s MaRIE signature facility effort,” Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan said. “She is skilled and passionate Read More

OBITUARY: Stirling Colgate Dec. 1, 2013

December 5, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

STIRLING COLGATE Dec. 1, 2013

Los Alamos National Laboratory Senior Fellow and longtime Laboratory scientist Stirling Colgate of the Nuclear and Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology Group died Sunday (Dec. 1) at his home in White Rock. A co-founder of the Santa Fe Institute, Colgate, 88, also was president of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro from 1965 to 1974 and a professor emeritus of physics at the school.

A gathering, “Remembering Stirling,” open to colleagues and friends is scheduled for 5:45 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 15, at Fuller Lodge.

LANL Employees File Complaint Against Former Supervisor

December 5, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Tony Stanford

By CAROL A. CLARK

Los Alamos Daily Post

Attorney John Day filed a complaint in First District Court in Santa Fe this afternoon against Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Anthony “Tony” R. Stanford for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent hiring, supervision and retention.

Day, of EGOLF, FERLIC & DAY, LLC, filed the complaint on behalf of his clients Erika and William Gorman of Los Alamos who worked for Stanford at LANL.

Attorney John Day

“This was a horrifying situation, Erika

Economic Sensitivity of Los Alamos County to LANL Funding

December 1, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By LIVIU SIMIL and DAVE JONES

A famous Latin expression, some attributed to Julius Caesar “if you want peace, prepare for war,” which originally comes from “Epitoma Rei Militaris,” by Vegetius (Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus). The Latin is “Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum,” and remains true more than ever for Los Alamos.

In modern terms it means “prepare for the worst and hope for the best … a common saying in emergency preparedness. One may ask oneself: “what are the bad events that Los Alamos residents might need to prepare for?” The answer Read More

Manhattan Project Veteran Returns After 67 Years

November 30, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

During Friday’s visit to the Bradbury Science Museum, Doris Coleman Zifferer points out her office on a Manhattan Project era map. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com

Doris Coleman Zifferer’s Laboratory badge where she worked from 1943-1947. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com

By BONNIE J. GORDON

Los Alamos Daily Post

Doris Coleman Zifferer knows how to keep a secret. For many years, her family had no idea that she spent the years 1943-1947 in Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project.

The story came out when the family was sorting through Zifferer’s Read More