National Laboratory

Beauty is in Simplicity for Newly Discovered ‘Quantum Spin Liquid’

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This image depicts magnetic effects within Herbertsmithite crystals, where green regions represent higher scattering of neutrons from NIST’s Multi-Angle Crystal Spectrometer (MACS). Scans of typical highly-ordered magnetic materials show only isolated spots of green, while disordered materials show uniform color over the entire sample. The in-between nature of this data shows some order within the disorder, implying the unusual magnetic effects within a spin liquid. Courtesy/NIST

NIST News:

A research team including scientists from the National Institute of Standards Read More

NNSA Tops $290 Million in Small Business Contract Obligations in FY 2012

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NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recognition of its commitment to working with small business partners, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced that it provided more than $290 million in small business obligations for federal prime contracts in fiscal year 2012.

Nearly 80 percent of new federal award actions went to small businesses. NNSA’s Management & Operating (M&O) contractors provided an additional $1.65 billion to small businesses in FY 2012, equal to 49 percent of all money subcontracted by the M&Os.

“Small businesses are the heart of the Read More

LANL’s 2013 Employee Giving Campaign Reaps Record $3.1 Million in Pledges

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LANL employee P.J. Timmerman outside the Española Valley Animal Shelter. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory employees have again demonstrated concern for their communities and those in need by pledging a record $2.13 million to United Way and other eligible nonprofit programs.

Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), which manages and operates the Laboratory for the National Nuclear Security Administration, plans to prorate its $1 million match among the selected nonprofit organizations, bringing the total donation to $3.1 million.

“I am again touched by the Read More

NNSA Highlights Achievements and Improvements in 2012

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Courtesy/NNSA

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As 2012 draws to a close, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has compiled a list of some of its most important accomplishments and improvements over the past year.

Thomas P. D’Agostino

The NNSA, in conjunction with its Management & Operating contractor partners, reached significant milestones in its nonproliferation and counterterrorism portfolios, made a host of significant achievements through its work with the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile, and maintained a constant focus on continuous improvement. Read More

LANL Scientists Honored for Helping Small Businesses

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Harshini Mukundan of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Harshini Mukundan of the Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy group and Mark E. Smith of the Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering group received Principal Investigator Excellence (PIE) Awards from the New Mexico Small Business Assistance program (NMSBA) for assisting several New Mexico small businesses.

Los Alamos National Security, LLC, (LANS) the NMSBA and Northern New Mexico Connect sponsored the recognition event.

Mukundan was recognized for the

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LANL’s Piotr Zelenay Wins Research Award

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Piotr Zelenay. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Piotr Zelenay of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Sensors and Electrochemical Devices group has won the 2012 Research Award presented by the Energy Technology Division of The Electrochemical Society.

The award recognizes Zelenay’s “outstanding and original contributions to the science and technology of energy-related research areas that include scientific and technological aspects of fossil fuels and alternative energy sources, energy management and environmental consequences of energy utilization.”

The award includes a monetary

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Luján Urges Congressional Leaders to Support Labs During Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

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  • Lujan Will Co-Chair New National Lab Caucus to Highlight Importance of Labs to National Competitiveness

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District sent a letter to Congressional leaders today urging them to resolve the fiscal cliff in a manner that prevents damaging funding cuts to the national laboratories, including Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories.

In the letter, Luján highlights the important role these labs have played in providing cutting-edge research and innovation for applications ranging from national security to the Mars rover and Read More

Gell-Mann Presents ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’

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SFI News:

The 2012 Science On Screen series wraps up at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, with Murray Gell-Mann’s presentation of Jamie Uys’ groundbreaking 1980 comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy.

The event takes place at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail in Santa Fe.

In the movie, a wayward Coca-Cola bottle upsets the balance in a utopian African village, setting off a chain of unlikely events, including bewildering (and hilarious) confrontations with “modern culture.”

Gell-Mann, a Nobel laureate, physicist, complexity pioneer, world traveler, and Santa Fe Institute icon Read More