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LLNL scientists and engineers capture two awards for top industrial innovations

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have captured two awards for developing cutting-edge technologies with commercial potential. A team of LLNL computer scientists and a team of engineers have won awards from the trade journal R&D Magazine for developing advances among the top 100 industrial inventions worldwide for 2010. One of the teams worked with two…

Director search committee at Laboratory on June 22 to gather input

The LL NL director search committee will be at the Laboratory on Wednesday, June 22. The purpose of the visit, known as "Lab Day," is two-fold: to gain insights into the Laboratory, its employees, and its future opportunities and challenges; to gather information from representative staff regarding criteria the committee should consider when evaluating candidates during…

LLNL partners with SWAY to launch deep sea offshore wind demonstration project

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- The amount of wind blowing off the California coast is teeming with potential. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory atmospheric scientists are working with a Norwegian company to possibly leverage that wind as a valuable energy source. LLNL has signed a memorandum of understanding with SWAY, a renewable energy company, that has developed floating…

Lab to present summer series of 'Fun with Science' show

WHO: The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is holding a special summer series of its popular "Fun with Science" show. WHAT: Designed for children at the fifth grade level (though it also can be enjoyed by children younger and older), the free program is intended to spark children's interest in science through entertaining demonstrations and hands-on activities. WHEN:…

New form of girl's best friend is lighter than ever

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- By combining high pressure with high temperature, Livermore researchers have created a nanocyrstalline diamond aerogel that could improve the optics for something as big as a telescope or as small as the lenses in eyeglasses. Aerogels are a class of materials that exhibit the lowest density, thermal conductivity, refractive index and sound velocity of…

Laboratory scientists win three Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Three Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have earned $7.5 million in funding through the Department of Energy Office of Science Early Career Research Program (ECRP). Early career is defined as principal investigators (PIs) who are within 10 years of receiving a Ph.D. and are either untenured assistant professors on the tenure track,…

Foot and mouth disease may spread through shedding skin cells

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Skin cells shed from livestock infected with foot and mouth disease could very well spread the disease.In a new paper appearing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Michael Dillon proposed that virus-infected skin cells could be a source of infectious foot and mouth disease virus aerosols. His…

Local science fair winners to compete at Intel Fair

The top sweepstakes winners of the 15th annual Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF), sponsored by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will soon be heading south to their next level of competition. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) runs May 8-13 in Los Angeles.At the TVSEF in Livermore, held March 22-25, local students in grades 7…

In the wake of the wind

On the Front Range within the Rocky Mountains, prevailing winds sweep eastward over the mountains smack into the National Wind Technology Center. Several wind turbines, some taller than a 40-story building, spin and hum at the site, just outside of Boulder, Colo., waiting for an experiment to start in the next month. The turbines not only produce power, they produce wakes …

Livermore researchers develop battery-less chemical detector

Unlike many conventional chemical detectors that require an external power source, Lawrence Livermore researchers have developed a nanosensor that relies on semiconductor nanowires, rather than traditional batteries. The device overcomes the power requirement of traditional sensors and is simple, highly sensitive and can detect various molecules quickly. Its development…

Lab science education programs featured at ACS national meeting

A special symposium on "STEM Education Pipeline to Innovation & Entrepreneurship" was held at the recent national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Anaheim. The symposium was developed because of concerns over the eroding proficiency of U.S. students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines that have serious implications for…

Lab's 'Science on Saturday' lecture travels to Tracy

WHO: Lab scientist Roger Aines and Dean Reese, Tracy High School science teacher, will present, "Put It Back When You Are Done: Storing Carbon Dioxide in the Earth, Not the Atmosphere."WHAT: Hydrocarbon fuels come almost exclusively from underground. We burn the coal or oil to obtain energy. For hundreds of years, we have allowed the resulting carbon dioxide to simply…

Students fare well at annual science and engineering fair

Those who say science fairs are lagging should have visited LLNL's Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF) this week. The fair marked its 15th anniversary with a 30 percent increase in participants over last year.This year 413 best and brightest future scientists discussed their projects with seasoned scientists and engineers and competed for cash and other prizes…

LLNL microbial biologist inducted into Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame

One of the developers of a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory device that could assist in detecting bioterrorism attacks, diagnosing diseases and checking product safety will be honored Saturday. For her achievements, LLNL molecular biologist Crystal Jaing will be inducted into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame (WHOF) during the 18th annual awards ceremony, set…

Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary March 22-25

The best and brightest student scientists and engineers will showcase their work when the annual Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair, sponsored by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, returns March 22-25, to the Robert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Ave., Livermore. This year the fair reaches a milestone celebrating 15 years in the community.The fair…

LLNL gamma ray spectrometer aboard spacecraft due to start orbiting around Mercury

When a NASA spacecraft goes into orbit around Mercury Thursday evening, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers will be paying close attention. During 2002 and 2003, the LLNL scientists developed a germanium-based gamma ray spectrometer that has been winging its way aboard the Mercury MESSENGER (short for MErcury Surface, Space Environment,…

Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Scientists have found that calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the mid-plane of the solar system. The findings may lead to a greater understanding of how our solar system and possibly other solar systems formed and evolved. CAIs, roughly…

Lab's 'Science on Saturday' lecture: It's elemental

WHO: Lab scientist Ken Moody and teacher Dean Reese will present "Superheavy Elements: Search for the End of the Periodic Table."WHAT: The periodic table provides a way of presenting chemical information that makes it the fundamental tool of the chemist. Consequently, it is displayed on the walls in most science classrooms. Recent discoveries of new elements have extended…

Livermore researchers capture two awards for technology transfers to businesses

Researchers and technology transfer professionals from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will receive two awards for excellence in technology transfer by the Federal Laboratory Consortium. LLNL's two awards this year make it one of seven research laboratories to receive multiple honors, among the more than 250 federal government laboratories and research centers that…

Girls to explore science and math careers at annual 'Expanding Your Horizons' Conference

The 32nd annual Tri-Valley Expanding your Horizons in Math and Science Conference returns on Saturday, Feb. 26, to the Diablo Valley College, San Ramon Campus at 1690 Watermill Road, San Ramon. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. The daylong event is held for young women, grades 6-9, from Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Sunol school districts to increase…