PSEL wraps up nonreflective solar panel testing
Sandia’s Photovoltaic Systems Evaluation Laboratory is in the final phase of a collaborative research project with Nishati, a veteran-run manufacturer of light-weight, portable photovoltaic panels. The collaboration will shift to the PV proving grounds project at the end of the fiscal year.
Getting to the nuts and bolts of nuts and bolts
After more than five years, a mathematical breakthrough devised by a structural engineer and a computational scientist may save Sandia time and resources to test complex systems. The method is now being used in production in Sandia's Sierra code, and the designers say its potential is limited only by researchers' imagination.
Sandia Labs manufacturing spinoff steps into national market
Sandia’s Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Technology program helped Joe Beck and Eric Branson, both former employees, launch their small business. The Albuquerque-based Advanced Manufactured Power Solutions, or AMPS, is a custom manufacturing company builds battery packs, cables and other small components of larger machines.
Earthquake or underground explosion?
Sandia researchers, as part of a group of NNSA scientists, have wrapped up years of field experiments to improve the United States’ ability to differentiate earthquakes from underground explosions, key knowledge needed to advance the nation’s monitoring and verification capabilities for detecting underground nuclear explosions.
Sandia abuses batteries for better energy storage
Lithium-ion batteries are most commonly found in electric cars, computers, medical equipment and aircraft. And they are getting more powerful all the time. The constant push for more storage and power drives the need for extensive battery testing, and Sandia's new drop tower has created yet another way to learn more about how these batteries respond to stress.
Three Sandia teams win NA-50 Awards of Excellence
Jim McConnell, associate administrator for NNSA’s Office of Safety, Infrastructure and Operations, presented three Sandia project teams with NA-50 Awards of Excellence during a July ceremony at Sandia’s Albuquerque campus.
Dragonflies: A lesson in missile defense
Dragonflies catch 95% of their prey, crowning them one of the top predators in the world. Now, Sandia researchers are discovering how dragonfly brains might be wired to be extremely efficient at calculating complex trajectories. Their discoveries could lead to improvements in missile defense systems.
Portable gas detection shrinks to new dimensions
A sensor for detecting toxic gases is now smaller, faster and more reliable, thanks to researchers at Sandia. The sensor’s performance sets it up for integration into a highly sensitive, portable system for detecting chemical weapons. The sensors can also rapidly detect airborne toxins.
Kyle Fuerschbach earns 2019 Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award
Sandia engineer Kyle Fuerschbach has been named the 2019 Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award recipient by the Optical Society. The award recognizes significant early-career contributions to lens design, optical engineering or metrology.
New robots, new tricks
Bomb squad teams from coast to coast challenged their emergency preparedness skills during Sandia’s five-day Robot Rodeo and Capability Exercise last month. Twelve scenarios involving vehicles, simulated terrorist events and timed obstacles were set up from May 13-17 around Sandia and Kirtland Air Force Base for the military and civilian teams.