EMS Environmental Excellence Awards
This April 22 marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Though Sandians were unable to celebrate onsite, the Labs’ annual Environmental Management System Environmental Excellence Awards honored those who help to reduce ecological impacts, in the spirit of resource conservation and environmental protection.
Titanium imaging advances
Albuquerque-based Advanced Optical Technologies has worked with Sandia through the NMSBA to test and verify their patented Crystallographic Polarization-Classification Imaging process, which reduces time spent on metals characterization from hours to minutes. The new imaging process has applications in the aerospace, automotive, energy and medical industries and for 3D printing.
Federal Laboratory Consortium honors Sandia successes
Four Sandia innovations have been honored this year with national Federal Laboratory Consortium awards. The national FLC awards are some of the most prestigious honors for federal laboratories and industry partners. The awards recognize outstanding technology transfer achievements.
Two campaigns expand Labs’ research portfolios
To deter attempts to disable U.S. electrical utilities and to defend U.S. nuclear weapon systems from evolving technological threats, Sandia has begun two multiyear initiatives to strengthen U.S. responses.
Developing energy projects for global tropics
A new 10-year agreement between Sandia and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, has the potential to bring more reliable electricity to remote communities and the latest in electrical grid technology to rural areas in the world’s tropics.
SunPower partnership sparks new solar module
Representatives from SunPower Corp., a leading U.S. solar manufacturer and global competitor, recently visited the New Mexico Regional Test Center, co-located with Sandia’s Photovoltaic Systems Evaluation Laboratory, to inspect their company’s experimental PV system.
Father, son bond over record-smashing roadster
For the past eight years, Sandia manager Joel Wirth has been working after hours in his home garage with his crew chief — his father, Jack Wirth, a retired Sandia electrical engineer. Together, they’ve built one of the fastest 1927 Model T roadsters in the world.
New wind technology breathes life into turbine siting
Sandia researchers Chris Kelley and David Maniaci and former Sandian Brian R. Resor have developed a wind turbine blade design that would allow for the closer placement of turbines, thanks to a faster dissipating wake.
Power plants get watered down
Electricity production is one of the industries that uses the most water in the country each day. Sandia researchers are helping the largest power plant in the U.S. identify the most efficient and cost-effective strategies to reduce water use. They have developed a first-of-its-kind comprehensive system dynamics analysis that can show power plants which wet cooling systems can save them money.
Internships fuel research for Puerto Rico engineering students
The NNSA-sponsored Consortium for Integrating Energy Systems in Engineering and Science Education internship program connects engineering students from five Hispanic-serving institutions, including UPRM, with research at Sandia and the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia.