LANL News:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) released its annual Economic Impact Report detailing spending during fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30. With an annual budget of $4 billion, the Laboratory is a major economic driver in the state.
“Los Alamos National Laboratory plays a critical role in New Mexico’s economy and its communities,” Laboratory Director Thom Mason said. “We feel strongly that it is our responsibility as a significant employer Read More
LANL News:
Per regulatory requirements, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) announces new documents have been added to the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract Electronic Public Reading Room.
All legacy cleanup documents required to be posted after April 30, 2018, are available on the site linked above.
For legacy cleanup documents that were posted prior to April 30, 2018, please visit the LANL electronic public reading room:
Members of Read More
NNSA News:
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has published the floodplain statement of findings for the proposed construction of an additional vehicle inspection lane at the guard post near the East Jemez Road and N.M. 4 intersection.
The project is intended to provide expedited inspection times for vehicles transporting time sensitive loads, such as concrete and asphalt to Los Alamos National Laboratory. Project activities within the 100-year floodplain would include construction of an expedited vehicle inspection lane, relocation of a 4-strand wire fence, possible Read More
NNSA News:
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is proposing new construction that crosses through upper Pajarito Canyon and upper Starmer Canyon from Technical Area (TA) 8 to TA-22 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The project proposes to install a new 12-inch HDPE natural gas line to replace the existing 70+ year old 12-inch bare steel natural gas line. Replacement will prevent loss of service to several LANL technical areas and Bandelier National Monument. The project activities within the 100-year floodplains include new natural gas line installation to replace Read More
New research into topological phases of matter may spur advances in innovative quantum devices. As described in Nature Communications, a research team including Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists used a novel strain engineering approach to convert the material hafnium pentatelluride to a strong topological insulator phase, increasing its bulk electrical resistance while lowering it at the surface, a key to unlocking its quantum potential. Read the full article here. Courtesy/LANL Read More
New simulations are helping inform the Curiosity rover’s ongoing sampling campaign. Courtesy/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
LANL News:
New research shows that atmospheric pressure fluctuations that pull gases up from underground could be responsible for releasing subsurface methane into Mars’ atmosphere; knowing when and where to look for methane can help the Curiosity rover search for signs of life.
“Understanding Mars’ methane variations has been highlighted by NASA’s Curiosity team as the next key step towards figuring out where it comes from,” John Ortiz said, a graduate student at Los Read More
By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
For the Los Alamos Daily Post
Data breaches happen…a lot.
How many data breaches do you think there were in the US in 2023?
The answer is D. 2,116.
So approximately 6 breaches a day, just in the US.
Total number of victims in the US, about 234 million.
In a notice released in December, Xfinity said “there was unauthorized access” to its systems from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19, 2023.
How did this happen? The same way many data breaches happen…vulnerabilities.
In this case, there was a vulnerability in Citrix network appliances used by businesses Read More
NNSA News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thursday, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced the FY 2023 results of the performance of its Managing and Operating (M&O) partners in meeting NNSA’s performance expectations.
The results can be found in NNSA’s Performance Evaluation Summaries posted on NNSA’s website.
The summaries feature an easy-to-read and transparent assessment scorecard for each contractor partner that operates a lab, plant, and site, and include links to NNSA’s performance goals, called the Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plans.
Redacted versions Read More
NNSA News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) published a Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register Jan. 19, 2024, announcing the availability of the final Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program (SPDP) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The SPDP would employ the dilute and dispose strategy to safely and securely dispose of up to 34 metric tons of plutonium surplus to the Nation’s defense needs, using new, modified, or existing facilities at sites across the Nation.
The EIS satisfies NNSA’s obligations under the Read More
Courtesy/N3B
N3B News:
Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B), the legacy waste cleanup contractor at Los Alamos National Laboratory, awarded more than 80% of its nearly $290 million in planned purchases in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 to small businesses, beating its goal of 65%.
“We had significantly more purchasing activity in 2023 with an increase of $134 million in total purchases over the previous year,” said Julie Baer, N3B small business manager. “Ensuring we were able to meet our small business goals with such a large increase in overall purchasing took significant planning Read More