Sandia aerospace engineer to head national institute
Members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics elected Basil Hassan, a senior manager and engineering program deputy, as the group’s next president. The AIAA represents more than 30,000 individual and 95 corporate members from the aeronautics and space community. Basil will begin a yearlong stint as president-elect of the institute in May, and then serve a two-year term as president starting in May 2020.
Annual Sandia simulation strengthens emergency response
Scores of Labs employees in Albuquerque, joined by outside emergency response personnel, were immersed in a simulated crisis April 17 as part of the annual emergency management full-scale exercise.
David Chacon honored with Legion of Merit
David Chacon, who works in Sandia’s information technology audits group, has been awarded the Department of Defense Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements during his tenure in the U.S. Army.
NM Legislature honors Sandia serial innovators
Stan Atcitty and Hongyou Fan have received recognition from the New Mexico Legislature for their distinguished achievements as serial innovators.
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Jennifer ensures that Sandia upholds its commitments to protect land leased from Kirtland Air Force Base and land withdrawn from the U.S. Forest Service.
Air Force officials learn about Sandia/CA weapons contributions
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, deputy chief of staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, visited Sandia California last month to familiarize himself with the site’s contributions to national security through nuclear weapons.
CALLING GAMERS: Future nuclear security experts train with Sandia-designed game
The next generation of nuclear security experts is being trained in an exciting new way — by playing a first-of-its-kind war game Sandia helped design. The game, Signal, which goes online this spring after its launch as a board game last year, offers players a chance to make strategic decisions using modern political, economic and military tools.
‘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.
Power to spare: New Battery Test Facility boosts work of power sources team, with big benefits for customers
When Sandia tests the performance of high-capacity energy storage devices, the power sources group frequently would hit obstacles that reduced efficiencies and stretched out schedules. Those obstacles have now been removed with the construction of a 7,500 square-foot Battery Test Facility that enables the team to assemble and test batteries more efficiently for customers to validate whether they perform up to expectations.