Science

United States Senate Votes To Create DOE Foundation

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate has voted 83-14 to pass an amendment advancing the Partnerships for Energy Security and Innovation Act (S. 1359 – previously known as the IMPACT for Energy Act).

The amendment was co-led by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) along with Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine). The amendment added the legislation to the bipartisan competitiveness package – the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act – currently being debated in the Senate.

If passed and signed into law, the legislation Read More

Los Alamos Faith And Science Forum Launches Eighth Annual Summer Program Featuring Bob Reinovsky June 2

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Courtesy/LAFSF

Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum News:

The Los Alamos Faith and Science Forum invites the community to its eighth annual summer program entitled “Why Do Faith and Reason Interact?” – this year again via Zooming.

Our lecture series will begin at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, starting June 2 and running for 9 weeks, through July 28.

These sessions will be available on the internet via Zoom. Information has already been sent to members and previous years’ attendees. Otherwise, connect to these sessions by clicking here.

This summer’s series will again explore a wide range of issues Read More

AGU: Yellowstone National Park Is Hotter Than Ever

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Dendrochronologist Karen Heeter samples a tree in Shoshone National Forest, just outside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Courtesy/G. L. Harley

AGU News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yellowstone National Park is famous for harsh winters but a new study shows summers also are getting harsher, with August 2016 ranking as one of the hottest summers in the last 1,250 years.

The new study drew upon samples of living and dead Engelmann spruce trees collected at high elevations in and around Yellowstone National Park to extend the record of maximum summer temperatures back centuries beyond instrumental Read More

AFRL Engineer Graduates First-Ever Space Test Course

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AFRL Space Test Fundamentals course graduate Evelyn Kent prepares for one of her course highlights – a glider ride. Kent is a member of the small cadre that graduated from the first STF course held at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB in California. She is taking along the ‘Fly Like a Girl’ patch given to girls STEM. Courtesy/AFRL

AFRL engineer Evelyn Kent holds her Space Test Fundamentals course diploma with the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate headquarters at Kirtland AFB in the background. Courtesy/AFRL

AFRL News:

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — Air Force Research Laboratory astronautical Read More

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Attends Virgin Galactic Launch 

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

From the Office of the Governor:

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today attended the successful Virgin Galactic launch that made New Mexico the third U.S. state to send humans to space, a culmination of a yearslong effort at Spaceport America and partnership between the company and state.

“After so many years and so much hard work, New Mexico has finally reached the stars,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Our state’s scientific legacy has been honored by this important achievement, one that took guts and faith and an unwavering belief in what New Mexico Read More

State Moves For More Transparency At Bioscience Authority

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EDD Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes

EDD News:

SANTA FE — In a May 19 letter, The Office of Attorney General concluded that the New Mexico Bioscience Authority Board of Directors acted improperly and in violation of the Open Meetings Act when it met and voted Sept. 11, 2020 to take certain personnel actions.

“The Bioscience Authority plays a vital role in bioscience research and economic investment for the State, and it is imperative that the Board uphold the highest standards of good government in order to avoid compromising the Authority’s statutory purpose,” Assistant Attorney General Read More

Amateur Naturalist: Is The Red-Winged Blackbird A Superorganism?

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View of 100+ red-winged blackbirds waiting for dinner at the top of a tree. Photo by Robert Dryja

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

The individual members of an insect colony may become like a multi-creature organism when they come together. Honey bees are an example. A single bee may find a tree in bloom and is able to collect some nectar. When it returns to its hive, it performs a kind of dance, telling other bees where the tree is. The result is hundreds of bees going to that tree and confirm it is a good source of nectar. 

Bees work as group in their colony to build combs of beeswax. The beeswax is built into hexagonal Read More

LANL Frontiers In Science Talk: Future Of Protecting The Power Grid

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Join Raymond Newell online 6 p.m. May 26 for a fascinating look at Quantum-Ensured Defense of the Smart Electric Grid (QED), a new approach for power security. Courtesy/LANL 

LANL News: 

Every day, we try to keep important information — like our emails and our bank accounts — safe from hackers.

But when it comes to protecting the energy grid, clever passwords and anti-malware packages are simply not enough.

The solution? Quantum physics.

Join Raymond Newell online 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 26 for a fascinating look at Quantum-Ensured Defense of the Smart Electric Grid (QED), a new approach for power Read More

STEM Santa Fe Launches In-Person Summer Camps At Northern New Mexico College Beginning June 14

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NMMC News:

The COVID-19 pandemic has been very unsettling for us all. But one negatively impacted group in particular has been K-12 students as their learning and social development has been seriously disrupted.

In response to the pandemic, STEM Santa Fe stepped up its activities and continued to provide engaging innovative, hands-on programs virtually to enhance students’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

STEM Santa Fe mainly focuses on serving Northern New Mexico students in 5th-12th grade, providing engaging project-based programming with real-world Read More

Heinrich Introduces Native New Mexican Tanya Trujillo For Consideration As Assistant Secretary For Water & Science

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tuesday, in a key Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to consider pending nominations, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced native New Mexican Tanya Trujillo for consideration to be Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

VIDEO: Heinrich Introduces Native New Mexican Tanya Trujillo For Consideration To Be Assistant Secretary For Water and Science [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE]

In the hearing, Sen. Heinrich requested that Trujillo make sure that the Navajo-Gallup Read More