Army Lab geophysicist details shifting Alaska climate
Federal geophysicist Martin O. Jeffries told a Sandia audience last month that understanding rapidly changing Arctic weather conditions is vital to understanding the global climate. Jeffries' talk was titled “Understanding and Predicting the Rapidly Changing Arctic: The Need for Enhanced Collaboration in Research.”
Testing solar irradiance
Last year, Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility brought in a helicopter to collect data on the strength and direction of light reflected from the concentrating solar power field at the solar tower.
Sandia, NMSU ink research deal
Sandia signed an MOU with New Mexico State University on April 10 that outlines how the institutions intend to collaborate for the next decade. The agreement seeks to foster research in areas of national security, including water, energy and critical infrastructure.
Sandia’s Tidwell talks to Congress about water-energy issues
Vince Tidwell of Sandia’s water program testified last month on DOE’s research and development into the connections between energy and water before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Fields of gold
Jennifer Payne is a Sandia ecologist who stabilizes degraded lands. She is also one of two Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners in New Mexico, a title held by only 150 people in the country. As an ecologist who specializes in restoration, Jennifer ensures that Sandia upholds its commitments to protect land leased from Kirtland Air Force Base and land withdrawn from the U.S. Forest Service.
New lab offers mobile testing for devices that turn ocean waves into electricity
A new Labs facility — the Sandia Wave Energy Power Take-Off (SWEPT) Lab — offers mobile, specialized testing for systems that produce power from wave energy. Marine and hydrokinetic technologies convert the energy of waves, tides and river and ocean currents into electricity, creating the potential to provide millions with locally sourced, renewable and reliable energy.
Flying from the glass
Bird strikes against windows are an all-too-familiar sound. To birds, the transparent glass looks like open space, and between 500 million and 1 billion birds die each year trying to fly through closed windows. Sandia is solving this problem at one of its high-strike buildings, where ecology program staff partnered with facilities staff to place adhesives featuring a dot pattern on the building's windows.
‘MANOS’ needs a hand
Many of us can thank a teacher or mentor who early in our lives ignited in us a passion for our current professions. Sandia’s Manos — or “hands-on” — program is looking for the next generation of Sandia volunteer mentors to provide that spark for science, technology, engineering and math in local middle school students.
Hear ye, hear ye: open call for algae
To make algae biofuels more competitive with petroleum, growers must increase productivity and keep their ponds from crashing. That’s why Sandia and partners are inviting participants to help in the search for the toughest algae strains and most innovative farming techniques.
Robotics system demilitarizes 700,000 Army submunitions
More than 700,000 Multiple Launch Rocket System submunitions have been demilitarized since the Army started using an automated, nine-robot system conceptualized, built and programmed by Sandia engineers.