Science

Los Alamos National Laboratory 2020 Year In Review

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Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Looking back over 2020, Director Thom Mason said it is the 13,000 Laboratory employees that he is most proud of … how they have stepped up and met the challenges of a global pandemic.

LANL Director Thom Mason

Just shifting that large number of employees from working onsite to working remotely was quite an endeavor and Mason commended the employees on having adapted so well.

“Those employees that had to be onsite were safer by not having more people here,” he said during a recent

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National Nuclear Security Administration Job Fair Jan. 27

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DOE/NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) is hosting a virtual hiring event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, although candidates will have the opportunity to register and submit resumes the day of the event.

The registration link is available here.

During the virtual job fair, candidates will have the opportunity to browse videos about the Nuclear Security Enterprise (NSE) sites. From the virtual lobby, attendees can visit hiring booths, view information for each NSE Read More

New Algorithm Mimics Electrosensing In Fish

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Weakly electric fish are specially adapted to traverse obscured waters without relying on vision; instead, they sense their environment via electric fields. Courtesy/SIAM

SIAM News:

While humans may struggle to navigate a murky, turbid underwater environment, weakly electric fish can do so with ease. These aquatic animals are specially adapted to traverse obscured waters without relying on vision; instead, they sense their environment via electric fields.

Now, researchers are attempting to adapt these electrosensing techniques to improve underwater robotics.

Scientists have Read More

Homegrown New Mexico Science And Tech Companies Including UbiQD Awarded Innovation Research Grants

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UbiGro inside a greenhouse of UbiQD of Los Alamos. Courtesy/UbiQD

STATE News:

  • ‘Each of these companies is developing technology that will greatly benefit mankind…’ –EDD

SANTA FE – Three high-tech New Mexico companies will receive New Mexico Small Business Innovation Research (NMSBIR) Grants to help their businesses thrive, announced New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes.

The three companies receiving awards for this round of the grant are:

  • UbiQD in Los Alamos;
  • BennuBio in Albuquerque; and
  • Mesa Photonics in Santa Fe.

Each of these companies Read More

U.S., Canada Complete Nuclear Material Shipping Campaign

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Acting NNSA Administrator Dr. William Bookless. Screenshot/LADP

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited President and CEO Richard Sexton. Screenshot/LADP

NNSA News:

  • Material had been used to create life-saving medicines

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced the completion of a multi-year campaign to repatriate 161 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) liquid target residue material from Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, Canada, to the Savannah River Site in Aiken, Read More

Fatal Attraction: Bats With White-Nose Syndrome Prefer Suboptimal Habitats Despite Consequences

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Bats with white-nose syndrome roosting in the warmest sites have been hit particularly hard, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Tech. Courtesy/Virginia Tech

A research team uses a swab to measure the fungal loads on each individual bat and a laser thermometer to measure the roosting temperature of the rocks next to each bat. Courtesy//Virginia Tech

By KENDALL DANIELS
Virginia Tech

Since 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome has caused sharp declines in bat populations across the eastern United States.

The fungus that causes the disease, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, Read More

Los Alamos High School Senior Named Top Scholar

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Karin Ebey

LAPS News:

Karin Ebey, a senior at Los Alamos High School, has been named one of the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

“I am really excited to be named one of the top 300 finalists,” Ebey said.

Her project title is Climate Change on Crocodilians: Modeling the Effects of Variations in Rainfall on Crocodilians and Their Ecosystems. On Jan. 21, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards Read More

DOE/NNSA: Los Alamos Field Office Proposes Facility For Isotope Production Used In Cancer Therapies

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DOE/NNSA News:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has issued a categorical exclusion (CX) determination to construct and operate a Light Manufacturing Facility to support DOE/NNSA’s Isotope Production Program.

The Light Manufacturing Facility will be used to for the processing of alpha emitting isotopes that will be shipped throughout the country and be used for varying cancer therapies.

The CX is available here. Read More

LAHS Senior Karin Ebey Among Society For Science Top 300 Scholars In Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021

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SFS News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Society for Science (the Society) Thursday announced the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Los Alamos High School senior Karin Ebey is among the winners for her project  Climate Change on Crocodilians: Modeling the Effects of Variations in Rainfall on Crocodilians and Their Ecosystem.

The 300 scholars and their schools will be awarded $2,000 each.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received Read More

Amateur Naturalist: Eroded Rock, Grinding Stone, Or Sacred Stone?

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By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

Rocks of all shapes and sizes can seen while exploring the slopes of the Jemez Mountains. But some create puzzles when looked at closely.

Consider a slope rising gently through a wooded landscape toward a mountain peak. The trees are spread apart and the grass is short as a result of the shade.

It is easy to see relatively small boulders that are two to three feet across, have relatively flat surfaces and are grey in color. A different appearing boulder then appears, (Picture A).

Picture A: How did this pattern of holes develop in the boulder? Photo by Robert Dryja

This particular Read More