Sandia researchers Rebecca Schaller, left, and Erin Karasz discuss the results of a stainless-steel corrosion test. The researchers are testing coatings to protect spent nuclear fuel canisters against corrosive sea air and cracks. They found that the specific material applied, and the specific application process used, impacted the properties of the coating, including how protective it was against corrosion. Learn more at bit.ly/41MpjZq Photo by Ruth Frank

The Albuquerque Chinese Happy Dance Group and Albuquerque Chinese Folk Dance Ensemble perform at the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival. More than 750 visitors attended the 26th annual festival at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History on May 6, 2023. Learn more at bit.ly/42Pit6B Photo by Craig Fritz

From left, Janelle Garcia, Heather Sandoval and Scott Nance invited an unprecedented number of defense contractors to build a hypersonic glide body side by side with Sandia staff. Learn more at bit.ly/3M9XEMf Photo by Lonnie Anderson

A Sandia member of the workforce and his daughters work together to build a paper roller coaster during Kids Day in Sandia California. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Spencer Toy

A Kids Day participant, center, takes on a cyber challenge with the help of a Sandia staff member, right, at Sandia California. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Spencer Toy

Student Elizabeth Titus, daughter of manager Paul Titus, makes a bubble while visiting the Thermal Test Complex on Kids Day at Sandia. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

Student Harold Pendleton, bottom left, watches as technologist Mike Hutchinson prepares ice cream by pouring liquid nitrogen into a stand mixer during a demonstration during Kids Day. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

A 2-by-2-meter pool of aviation fuel burns during a demonstration at the Thermal Test Complex on Kids Day at Sandia. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

Student Sophia Hobbs attempts to catch small foil containers as they fly off of a Van de Graaff generator demonstrating electrostatic discharge during Kids Day at Sandia New Mexico. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

Student Christian Martinez, right, explores his surroundings through augmented reality glasses during a demonstration led by cybersecurity during Kids Day at Sandia. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

Student Abigail Neidigk, left, leans in as her sister Madison Neidigk enjoys the air cushioned seat in a semitruck cab on display at Sandia New Mexico. Learn more at bit.ly/42SZwQk Photo by Craig Fritz

A Pluma LLC electrician coils wire while working on a maintenance garage in Eldorado, New Mexico. The Sandia small-business program nominated Pluma as DOE Protégé of the Year. Pluma, a general construction business started in Albuquerque, was one of five businesses accepted by Sandia into the program with the mission of helping them grow with the Labs’ guidance, knowledge, leadership and resources. Learn more at bit.ly/3M5VrRX Photo by Craig Fritz

Community Involvement teamed up with the Mission Services to host Sandia’s first prom dress and formal wear drive. Sandia staff donated more than 350 formal wear items — gowns, dresses, blazers, pants, dress shirts, shoes, ties and jewelry — to outfit students attending prom in Albuquerque. Students were able to select prom attire during boutique-style trunk shows organized by the Albuquerque Public Schools Community Clothing Bank. Learn more at bit.ly/3IidCCF Photo by Craig Fritz

Steve Bauer, a retired Sandia geoscientist, prepares a sensitive mass spectrometer to detect the gases released by crushing a piece of granite. Recently he detected noble gases released by a test explosion underground. Someday this research might improve the prediction of earthquakes or detection of underground explosions. Learn more at bit.ly/3pFRX0R Photo by Craig Fritz

Students at San Antonio Elementary School pollute a watershed model with coffee grounds that represent animal waste, soy sauce that represents motor oil, and cake sprinkles that represent trash. They use spray bottles to simulate rain to learn how they can help keep rivers and lakes clean. “It’s fun interacting with the kids and seeing them excited about learning,” stormwater program lead John Kay said. Learn more at bit.ly/3pMMHZp Photo by Craig Fritz

Students at San Antonio Elementary School polluted the watershed model to show how soil, animal waste, pesticides and trash can impact wildlife that relies on rivers and lakes to live. About 1,000 students were impacted by the Sandia education outreach effort in partnership with RiverXchange. Learn more at bit.ly/3pMMHZp Photo by Craig Fritz

A group of 40 students from New Mexico high schools visited the Labs to learn about STEM careers. Mechanical engineer Fernando Bitsie, who attended the same high school in Gallup, New Mexico, as many of the students on the tour, shares his career story and conducts a vibration simulation at a Sandia environmental test lab. Learn more at bit.ly/3pCjjF0 Photo by Craig Fritz

At 160 feet above ground, mechanical engineer Ken Armijo shows a group of students the interior of the 200-foot concentrated solar tower and the large lift that carries experiments to the top. Learn more at bit.ly/3pCjjF0 Photo by Craig Fritz

New Mexico high school students from Grants, Gallup and Hiroshi Miyamura high schools walk through the quarter-mile-long tunnel beneath the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility during a STEM tour. Learn more at bit.ly/3pCjjF0 Photo by Craig Fritz

Chemical engineer Alex Bates places a sample into a differential scanning calorimeter. He’s part of a Sandia-led team working to predict the safety of advanced batteries while they are still under development. Learn more at bit.ly/3H257ei Photo by Craig Fritz