Sandia LabNews

DHS Undersecretary for Science and Technology Tara O’Toole spends two days at Sandia learning about Labs’ capabilities


The significant contributions that Sandia regularly makes to the homeland security mission was a consistent theme running through presentations staged during a two-day visit by Tara O’Toole, undersecretary for science and technology at the Department of Homeland Security.

Hosted by Div. 6000 VP Jill Hruby’s International, Homeland, and Nuclear Security Strategic Management Unit, the visit provided O’Toole a deep dive into multiple SMU programs that address such wide-ranging issues as biodefense and catastrophic incident management as well as securing the US border, critical infrastructure, cyberspace, and the aviation security system.

The undersecretary’s visit included a stop at Sandia’s Explosive Field Test facility, where explosives expert Kevin Fleming (5434-1), left, shows O’Toole, second from left, and others hypergolic reactions, in which common household chemicals initiate explosives by igniting spontaneously when mixed.

During her visit to the facility, O’Toole learned about the aviation security research that Sandia is conducting in partnership with Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories. (Photo by Randy Montoya)