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Researchers develop efficient method to measure residual stress in 3D printed parts
LIVERMORE, California – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have developed an efficient method to measure residual stress in metal parts produced by powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing.This 3D printing process produces metal parts layer by layer using a high-energy laser beam to fuse metal powder particles. When each layer is complete, the build…
Next-generation supercomputer coming to Lab
Livermore, California -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) today announced a contract with IBM to deliver a next-generation supercomputer in 2017. The system, to be called Sierra, will serve the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program.Procurement of Sierra is part of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)…
Shifts in states of matter: It's complicated
The process of phase changes -- those transitions between states of matter -- is more complex than previously thought.A team of Lawrence Livermore researchers and colleagues has found that we may need to rethink one of science’s building blocks and illustrate how a proper theoretical description of transitions, so mundane and present in our daily life, has remained unclear…
Vital NIF diagnostic receives upgrade
When the National Ignition Facility’s 192 intense laser beams are fired, a series of complex events begins. To capture and measure the vast amount of data generated during experiments, NIF is now equipped with about 60 nuclear, optical and X-ray diagnostics. One of these diagnostics, the Near Backscatter Imager (NBI), recently received an upgrade.Developed in the mid-2000s…
Where did all the xenon go?
The noble gas xenon should be found in terrestrial and Martian atmospheres, but researchers have had a hard time finding it.The prevailing theory claims that due to xenon’s weight -- it is a heavy gas -- it could be trapped in a planet’s core or in the mantle during the planet’s formation. Lawrence Livermore scientists and collaborators have discovered that the xenon can…
Tiny carbon nanotube pores make big impact
A team led by the Lawrence Livermore scientists has created a new kind of ion channel consisting of short carbon nanotubes, which can be inserted into synthetic bilayers and live cell membranes to form tiny pores that transport water, protons, small ions and DNA.These carbon nanotube "porins" have significant implications for future health care and bioengineering…
Unleash your inner scientist at the annual Bay Area Science Festival
Test your knowledge of basic science, offer up solutions to the world’s energy and transportation needs or get up to your elbows in interactive experiments when the Bay Area Science Festival presents its fourth annual Discovery Day, Saturday, Nov. 1, at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will have three booths on display, located on the…
Randles receives National Institutes of Health award to pursue cancer research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory computational scientist Amanda Randles has received a Director's Early Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).The NIH Common Fund award provides funding to encourage exceptional young scientists to pursue "high risk, high reward" independent research in biomedical and behavioral science. Randles will receive…
Media advisory: San Joaquin Expanding Your Horizons Conference to highlight science and math careers
WHO:Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and the University of the Pacific School of Engineering and Computer Science will co-sponsor the 22nd annual San Joaquin Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference. Support is also provided by Chevron. See the website. WHAT:The popular daylong conference introduces girls in grades 6-12 to a variety of…
Susana Reyes assumes chair of American Nuclear Society Fusion Energy Division
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) nuclear engineer Susana Reyes has assumed the 2014-15 chairmanship of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fusion Energy Division, following her election as vice chair in 2012.Reyes has more than 12 years of experience in international fusion projects. She joined LLNL in 2001 to pursue her interest in fusion science and worked on…
NIH taps Lab to develop sophisticated electrode array system to monitor brain activity
LIVERMORE, Calif. - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) a grant today to develop an electrode array system that will enable researchers to better understand how the brain works through unprecedented resolution and scale.LLNL's grant-funded project is part of NIH's efforts to support President Obama's BRAIN (Brain…
Data from Napa earthquake advances the state-of-the-art in seismic science
Data received from seismic monitoring stations coupled with information rapidly shared via smartphones and the Internet by those who experienced the south Napa temblor is serving to advance scientists' understanding of earthquakes as well as improving rapid response, according to Artie Rodgers of the Lab's Seismology Group and Geophysical Monitoring Program. Rodgers…
From RAGS to riches
The Radiochemical Analysis of Gaseous Samples (RAGS) is a true trash to treasure story, turning debris from the National Ignition Facility's (NIF) target chamber into valuable data that helps to shape future experiments. The RAGS diagnostic, developed for NIF by Sandia National Laboratories and commissioned in 2012, is a cryogenic system designed to collect the gaseous…
Lab entrepreneurial event links startups with investors
Six startups born out of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory technologies made presentations at a recent entrepreneurial event to attract investors.The companies -- which have licensed technologies in biotech, renewable energy, sensors, infrared imaging and health care -- showcased their capabilities at the Entrepreneurs-in-Readiness (EIR) event at the Livermore Valley…
Lawrence Livermore renews pact with Georgetown University to expand research and education in science and policy
Director Bill Goldstein and GeorgetownPresident John DeGioia on Friday renewed their institutional commitment by signing a memorandum of understanding for an additional five years to expand the collaborative work in the areas of cyber security, biosecurity, nonproliferation and global climate, energy and environmental sciences.This renewal represents a significant…
Keeping a low profile keeps LLNL's Stan Terusaki at the front of the peloton
The exhilaration of the G-force pushing your head down as you accelerate through the banked curve of a velodrome just doesn't get old for Stan Terusaki, who recently competed and won a gold medal at the USA Cycling Masters National Championships in Redmond, Washington."Racing on a track is a really different sensation. It's exhilarating and fun; like a roller coaster,"…
Lab Day highlight labs' contribution to U.S. competitiveness and innovation
Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday,Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz joined Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Jim Risch for National Lab Day on the Hill. The event highlighted several notable research projects from across the national laboratory system. Durbin and Risch also formally launched the Senate National Laboratory Caucus, which aims to increase awareness of the reach of the…
Engineer aims high over the summer
Monika Witte's summer vacation wasn't really a vacation. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineer took six weeks off to volunteer at a local summer educational program thataims to close the opportunity and achievement gaps for low-income middle school students by offering classroom instruction and academic enrichment activities. "I wanted to know how the…
Ham radio club finds new home
Even though Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's ham radio club has a rich history that dates back to 1950s when nuclear weapons were tested on islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they didn't have their own radio shack in recent years. That's because their former clubhouse, located in a small metal container outside an engineering lab was removed during the…
Registration opens for annual San Joaquin 'Expanding Your Horizons' Conference
Registration is open for the 22nd annual San Joaquin Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Registration is limited to the first 550 registrants. This popular daylong event is held for girls, grades 6-12, to increase interest in and foster awareness of careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and…
