R&D 100
The venerable R&D 100 contest, slightly more than 50 years old, has a new owner, and the competition continues. Competing in an international pool of universities, corporations and government labs, Sandia inventions captured four R&D 100 Awards this year, as well as two environmental and one business award.
Fuel property put to the test at Sandia’s CRF
Researchers at Sandia’s Combustion Research Facility are working to understand the fundamentals of phi-sensitivity, a key fuel property that represents how the autoignition reactivity of the fuel varies with the fuel/air equivalence ratio. This will help increase the efficiency and facilitate the development of practical low-temperature gasoline combustion engines.
Using big data to solve big New Mexico problems
Community Involvement kicked off this fiscal year’s Community Engagement Speakers Series with a talk by NM Appleseed Executive Director and Founder Jennifer Ramo. NM Appleseed is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending poverty through systemic solutions to complex issues like hunger, education and homelessness.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Several Sandia events honored this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month, an annual campaign held each October that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.
Labs director updates New Mexico state legislators on Sandia successes, future
Sandia Labs Director Steve Younger addressed the New Mexico State Legislature’s interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee last month, highlighting the Labs’ accomplishments and commitment to the state.
John Shadid awarded Hughes Medal from USACM
Sandia computational scientist John N. Shadid has been awarded the Thomas J.R. Hughes Medal from the United States Association for Computational Mechanics in recognition of outstanding and sustained contributions to the broad field of Computational Fluid Dynamics.
Stephanie Hansen elected APS Fellow
Stephanie Hansen has been elected Fellow of the American Physical Society by its Division of Plasma Physics, recognized for contributions to the fundamental modeling of nonequilibrium atoms and radiation in extreme environments, and for using spectroscopic analysis to increase understanding of diverse laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.
From Afghanistan to Alaska, with atmosphere in between
For Justin LaPierre, helping maintain an atmospheric research station at the northern tip of Alaska is “eerily reminiscent” of being deployed in the deserts of Afghanistan — just much colder. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, LaPierre has worked as an observer at Oliktok Point for two years.
With grit and determination
Army veteran Mark Small started working at Sandia as an intern through the former Wounded Warrior Career Development Program, now called the Exceptional Warrior Career Development Program. Working with Sandia mentors, he completed bachelor's and master's degrees and secured a staff position at the Labs. He is one of the program’s success stories, and he now works to recruit other veterans to Sandia.
Building Sandia: 1940s to 1960s
Sandia’s built environment tells a story of its adaptation and vision for the future. The buildings and structures reflect a rich and varied 70-year architectural history that first began to take shape in the fall of 1945, when the Los Alamos based Z Division started moving down to the site of the current Albuquerque campus.