Security in a heartbeat
Sandia is collaborating with a New Mexico small business to test and develop a biometric security system based on the human heartbeat. Sandia signed an agreement with Albuquerque-based Aquila Inc. to develop and test a wearable prototype that can stream in real time an identifying signature based on the electrical activity of a person’s heart.
Engineering success through predicting failure
Around the world, materials scientists and engineers are trying different ways to predict fractures in ductile metals, but it’s not clear which approach is most accurate. To compare the different methods, Sandia researchers have presented three voluntary challenges to their colleagues: Given the same basic information about the shape, composition and loading of a metal part, could they predict how it would eventually fracture?
Lowering the bar for hydrogen-powered technology
The Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium, or HyMARC, a multilab collaboration co-led by Sandia, is developing two types of hydrogen storage materials to meet challenging energy density targets set forth by DOE. The newly expanded collaboration is using the most promising strategies to optimize the materials for future use in vehicles.
Sandia debuts small-business partnership program
Sandia launched a mentor-protégé program on Oct. 1 to assist small-business development and enhance a company’s ability to build a solid foundation to compete for larger and more federal and industry opportunities. Sandia’s mentor-protégé program was unveiled during a small-business forum at the UNM Lobo Rainforest. More than 50 small-business representatives attended.
Strategic Priority No. 6
Strategic Priority No. 6, “Deploy outstanding engineering, science and technology to our mission,” is about actively supporting research at Sandia that takes full advantage of our strength to develop creative, cutting-edge solutions to emerging national security challenges that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.
Autonomy New Mexico interns build drones to test hypersonic tech
Sandia is developing autonomy and artificial intelligence for flight systems soaring at more than 3,800 mph. The technologies to get there will initially be tested on drones that shuffle around at about 5 mph.
Wrangling big data into real-time, actionable intelligence
Social media, cameras, sensors and more generate huge amounts of data that can overwhelm analysts sifting through it all for meaningful, actionable information to provide to decision-makers. Sandia researchers are working to lessen that burden by developing the science to gather insights from data in nearly real time.
2,020 in 2020
The annual Sandia Gives campaign kicks off in October. Sandia has a long tradition of giving generously to both the United Way and 501(c)(3) charities, beginning with its first United Way campaign in 1957. This year, the campaign has set a goal to sign up 2,020 new donors for calendar year 2020.
‘Switching on’ iron in clay minerals
Sandia researchers have discovered a mechanism to “switch on” iron residing in clay mineral structures, leading to an understanding of how to make iron reactive under oxygen-free conditions. This research will help scientists understand and predict how contaminants move through the environment and enter waterways.
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.