Modeling terrorist behavior with Sandia social-cultural assessments
A team of Sandia social-behavioral scientists and computational modelers recently completed a two-year effort, dubbed “Mustang,” to assess interactions and behaviors of two extremist groups. The purpose of their study was to inform U.S. and U.K. decision-makers about the groups' possible reactions to specific communications.
Sandia staff engages in cyber wargames with college students
More than 60 colleges and universities competed to defend fictional energy systems from pretended hackers at DOE’s annual CyberForce Competition last month. Sandia served as a host for the first time, and organized in Albuquerque one of seven simultaneous, regional competitions across the country.
Quantum computing steps further ahead with new Labs projects
Quantum computing is a term that periodically flashes across the media sky like heat lightning in the desert: brilliant, attention-getting and then vanishing from the public’s mind with no apparent aftereffects. Yet a multimillion-dollar international effort to build quantum computers is hardly going away. Now, three new Sandia projects (and a fourth a year underway) aim to bring the wiggly subject into steady illumination.
New computing center opens for business – ASTRA supercomputing business, that is
On Nov. 28, Sandia held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the newly built facility to house its Astra supercomputer. The LEED gold-certified building features a 30-foot-high ceiling and is long and wide enough to house a basketball game and a crowd of spectators.
Sandia researchers win five R&D 100 awards
Sandia inventions and co-inventions have captured five R&D 100 Awards for 2018. Competitors for the awards include an international pool of universities, corporations and government labs, and the sole criterion for winning is “demonstrable technological significance compared with competing products and technologies.” Since 1976, Sandia has earned a total of 124 awards. Read more to learn about this year's winners.
‘Friendly’ EMP improves survival for electronics
An EMP emitted by a nuclear weapon exploded high above the U.S. could disable the electronic circuits of many devices vital to military defense and modern living. Fortunately, military equipment is designed to be immune to various levels of EMP, and the validity of those designs has been tested and improved by a “friendly” EMP generator at Sandia.
Astra supercomputer at Sandia Labs is fastest Arm-based machine on TOP500 list
Sandia’s Astra is the world’s fastest Arm-based supercomputer according to the just released TOP500 list, the supercomputer industry’s standard. With a speed of 1.529 petaflops, Astra placed 203rd on a ranking of top computers announced at SC18, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis, in Dallas.
Scientists, leaders take home five awards honoring their work
Five female Sandia employees with significant accomplishments in science, engineering, management or diversity and inclusion were among the winners of two prestigious career achievement and leadership awards from the Women of Color STEM Conference and Women Worth Watching awards.
Quantum research gets a boost at Sandia
DOE has awarded Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories $8 million for quantum research — the study of the fundamental physics of all matter — at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies. The award will fund two three-year projects enabling scientists at the two labs to build advanced tools for nanotechnology research and development.
Colorado national lab cuts water use in half, thanks in part to Sandia
David Martinez, engineering project lead for Sandia’s infrastructure computing services, received DOE’s Federal Energy and Water Management Award for contributions to a water-saving technique.