Science

New Mexico Nearing 2025 Climate Goals

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NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has released two comprehensive reports analyzing greenhouse gas emissions across the state,“ providing the most detailed and accurate inventory of New Mexico’s emissions to date”.

Findings confirm that New Mexico is making significant progress in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

The state is projected to achieve a 29% reduction in emissions by 2025 compared to 2005 levels, keeping on track to meet Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s climate goals.

The reports, developed by Eastern Research Group (ERG) and Energy and Environmental Read More

Isotopes Produced At LANL Are ‘Saving Lives, Advancing Cutting-Edge Research, Keeping Nation Safe’

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Inside a shielded chamber, robotic arms are used to handle radioactive medical isotopes. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

What’s the difference between sodium-22 and sodium-23?

One is edible (sodium-23) and the other is radioactive. Such differences are the superpowers of isotopes—variants of an element that have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons. Chemical properties of isotopes of the same element are generally similar, but their physical properties can vary.

Some isotopes, such as sodium-23, occur naturally, but others are created using nuclear reactors or accelerators. Read More

Scenes From UbiQD’s 2024 Holiday/Christmas Party

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UbiQD hosted its annual Holiday/Christmas party for staff and their families Thursday evening at historic Fuller Lodge in downtown Los Alamos. UbiQD Founder/CEO Hunter McDaniel, sporting a Santa suit, welcomed the large crowd, congratulated them for another excellent year and thanked them for their dedication. UbiQD is an advanced materials company powering product innovations in agriculture, clean energy, and security. Learn more about the company at ubiqd.com. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

UbiQD CEO Hunter McDaniel’s wife Lauren McDaniel holds their 7-month-old baby Read More

On Target … Los Alamos Team’s Tiny Creations Are Key To Fusion Experiments And More

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To demonstrate its small size, a target is shown next to a quarter. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

What do you think of when you hear the word “target”? A bullseye, a large retail chain, a goal or aim? The most basic definition of a target is something at which someone aims, which is an appropriate description of the targets Los Alamos National Laboratory engineer Derek Schmidt makes.

Schmidt’s targets vary in size, but many are tiny: smaller than a person’s pinky nail. Targets are used in physics experiments, where they are bombarded (or targeted) by particles (such as electrons, protons, or radiation). Read More

State Economic Development Department Launches New Mexico Quantum Technology Award Pilot Program

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EDD Secretary-Designate Rob Black

STATE News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) has launched the New Mexico Quantum Technologies Award Pilot Program, a new state grant focused on supporting the growth or relocation of quantum technology companies in or to New Mexico, EDD Secretary-Designate Rob Black announced Saturday.

The New Mexico Quantum Technologies Award (NMQTA) Pilot Program is a competitive state-funded grant that awards non-dilutive funds to early-stage companies working in quantum technologies that are located in New Mexico or establishing Read More

Los Alamos Researchers Develop Mathematical Models That Tackle COVID-19 Infection Dynamics

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Mathematical modeling helps understand the kinetics of Covid-19 infection, potentially aiding in drug and therapeutic development. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Research key to understanding impact of drugs and other interventions

Even years after the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the workings of SARS-CoV-2 infection inside the human body, including the early activity of the virus and the role of the body’s immune response, has proved difficult to precisely ascertain.

Using data from a human challenge study, researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have developed Read More

Launch Pad Lecture: ‘0 To 632 X 10 In 5 Seconds’ Dec. 6

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New Mexico Space History Museum News:

Commemorate the 70th anniversary of Dr. John Stapp’s record-setting rocket sled ride on Dec. 10, 1954 at Holloman Air Force Base.

Dr. Stapp, known as “The Fastest Man on Earth”, achieved a land speed record of 632 mph in just five seconds, subjecting himself to forces up to 46.2 Gs.

This Launch Pad Lecture, “0 to 632 x 10 in 5 Seconds”, is 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6 on the second floor of the Main Museum at the New Mexico Space History Museum, 3198 State Road 2001 in Alamogordo.

For information, visit www.nmspacemuseum.org or call 575.437.2840. Read More

PEEC: Mysteries Of The Universe At ‘Dark Matter?’ Talk

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Astrophysicist Galen Gisler will present a talk on the decades-long search for dark matter, 7-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at the Los Alamos Nature Center planetarium. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Anyone curious about one of the universe’s greatest mysteries is invited to join the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) 7-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at the Los Alamos Nature Center planetarium for an intriguing presentation titled Dark Matter?

Astrophysicist Galen Gisler will explore the decades-long search for dark matter and whether the scientific community has made any breakthroughs since Read More

Los Alamos Team Honors Marine Reservist

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Both veterans and non-military colleagues of Marine reservist Robert Carian, center, surprised him in the parking lot of the technical area where Carian and his colleagues support capital projects required to meet the nation’s plutonium pit production goals. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Veterans and non-military employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory came together to celebrate colleague’s military promotion to gunnery sergeant

A team in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Plutonium Infrastructure associate directorate came together to honor a colleague who received a promotion Read More

LANL’s Yu Seung Kim Receives 2024 Electrochemical Society Award For Sustainable Energy Technology

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LANL researcher Yu Seung Kim received the sustainable energy technology award in October at the Electrochemical Society’s PRiME conference. Photo by Hui Xu/Paul Kenis

LANL News:

  • The recognition highlights innovations in fuel cell development

Yu Seung Kim, materials scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been honored by the Electrochemical Society (ECS) for his significant contributions to fuel cell innovation. Kim received the Energy Technology Division Walter van Schalkwijk Award in Sustainable Energy Technology. His research, validated through both theoretical and Read More