(Continued on page 4) Les Shephard interview Div. 6000 VP Les Shephard leads the Labs’ Energy, Resources and Nonprolif- eration SMU. He sat down recently with the Lab News to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing the nation and how his team is addressing them. The interview begins on page 5. Also inside . . . • Microfluidic platform detects biotoxins . . . . Page 3 • More Open Enrollment information . . . . . . . Page 10 • Sandia ECP program marks 50 years . . . . . Page 11 • Understanding niobium and tantalum. . . . Page 12 • MESA wins green building recognition . . . Page 14 • City launches Family Advocacy Center . . . . . . . Page 16 Sandia hydrogen sensor follows unusual technology transfer path H2scan commercializes sensor with broad industrial appeal Vol. 59, No. 21 October 12, 2007 Managed by Lockheed Martin for the National Nuclear Security Administration Sen. Pete Domenici says goodbye; Labs says thank you I n an emotional day for friends and colleagues from around the state, New Mexico’s senior senator, Pete V. Domenici, on Oct. 4 announced his intention to retire from the US Sen- ate at the end of his current term, which runs through 2008. Domenici made the announcement before a crowd of hun- dreds of supporters at St. Mary’s Catholic School in down- town Albuquerque, which he attended as a boy and which his sister now heads as principal. Domenici, who was sent to the Senate by New Mexico voters in 1972, has served in that body longer than any other New Mexican. During his tenure, Domenici has established a reputation as a tireless advocate of American science and technology, a stalwart supporter of New Mexico’s two national laboratories, and a passionate champion of the rights of Americans with mental illnesses. Under his leadership, the labs — both Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratory — have seen their missions grow to include a focus on national security challenges from energy and water concerns to infrastructure protection and homeland security in its broadest sense. Upon learning of Domenici’s decision, Labs Director Tom Hunter said, “Breakthroughs in nanotechnology, alternative energy, and homeland security would not have been possible without his leadership in establishing the infrastructure and capabilities needed to support these emerging technologies. “The nation is clearly a better place because of his service in the Senate. We will no doubt be better because of his actions over the remainder of his term. Each of us is a better person because we know him and have had the pleasure of his company and working with him.” After more than a decade of research and development, a hydrogen sensor invented by Sandia researchers is soon to find its way into pet- roleum refining, hydrogen production, chemical industries, chlorine production, nuclear waste monitoring, and fuel cells. The sensor, named by Sandia the Wide-Range Hydrogen Sensor, followed an unusual technology transfer path that in 2006 won it the coveted Fed- eral Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. The technol- ogy has been successfully commercialized by the Valencia, Calif.-based company H2scan through a license agreement and a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). Retired Sandia researcher Bob Hughes (1714) led design efforts of the sensor — the only one of its kind to offer both low-range and high-range real-time hydrogen measurement capability on the same chip. It virtually eliminates false readings and extends the time between calibration, making the sensor an ideal candidate for a variety of gov- ernment and commercial applications. “The sensor is unique because it was the first to put a field effect transistor (FET) and a resistor on the same pencil eraser-size chip,” says Bob. “The combination of the two gives it the ability to sense a range of hydrogen concentrations — from large amounts down to parts per million.” Tech transfer path Bob and Kent Schubert, currently manager of MicroDevice Technologies Dept. 1723, were awarded the original patent on the sensor in 1994. Two years later the technology was licensed to a By Chris Burroughs Z rides again S andia’s Z machine, the world’s largest pro- ducer of X-rays, shook the ground in Tech Area 4 last week for the first time since July 2006 when the 22-year-old facility was gutted to undergo a complete refurbishment at a total project cost of $90 million. Z has been overbooked in recent years with requests for experiment time from national labs, universities, and the interna- tional community. The facility is in demand because of Z’s capability to subject materials to immense pressures, compress spherical capsules and produce thermonuclear fusion reactions, fire objects much faster than a rifle bullet, and produce data for models of nuclear weapons effects — as well as, more arcanely, create the conditions surrounding black holes in space. Given its complex mis- sion, it was time for a more modern Z. The improved version is capable of fir- ing more often, at higher energies, and with improved precision. The new facility — optimized for both z- pinch and material properties work — will increase the strength of its electrical pulse from 18 million amps to an anticipated 26 million amps. The facility also now offers improved control over the shape of its elec- trical pulse for better reproducibility as it enables new experimental regimes. A z-pinch is so named because the large current passing in the vertical direction — the Z direction in cylindrical geometry — creates a magnetic field that pinches together Test ‘shots’ signal reopening of large versatile accelerator By Neal Singer Photo by Randy Montoya (Continued on page 7) RESEARCHERS Mike Thomas (1716, left) and Bob Hughes (ret.) work with the Wide-Range Hydrogen Sensor, developed at Sandia and commercialized by H2scan after a complex tech transfer process. (Photo by Randy Montoya) Exceptional service . . . to the nation, to the community ECP campaign runs Oct. 8-26
Transcript
(Continued on page 4)
Les Shephard interviewDiv. 6000 VP Les Shephard leads theLabs’ Energy, Resources and Nonprolif-eration SMU. He sat down recentlywith the Lab News to discuss some ofthe biggest challenges facing thenation and how his team is addressingthem. The interview begins on page 5.
Also inside . . . • Microfluidic platform detects biotoxins . . . . Page 3• More Open Enrollment information . . . . . . . Page 10• Sandia ECP program marks 50 years . . . . . Page 11• Understanding niobium and tantalum. . . . Page 12• MESA wins green building recognition . . . Page 14• City launches Family Advocacy Center . . . . . . . Page 16
Sandia hydrogen sensor follows unusualtechnology transfer pathH2scan commercializes sensor with broad industrial appeal
Vol. 59, No. 21 October 12, 2007Managed by Lockheed Martin for the National Nuclear Security Administration
Sen. Pete Domenici says goodbye; Labs says thank you
In an emotional day for friends and colleagues from aroundthe state, New Mexico’s senior senator, Pete V. Domenici,
on Oct. 4 announced his intention to retire from the US Sen-ate at the end of his current term, which runs through 2008.Domenici made the announcement before a crowd of hun-dreds of supporters at St. Mary’s Catholic School in down-town Albuquerque, which he attended as a boy and whichhis sister now heads as principal. Domenici, who was sent tothe Senate by New Mexico voters in 1972, has served in thatbody longer than any other New Mexican.
During his tenure, Domenici has established a reputationas a tireless advocate of American science and technology, astalwart supporter of New Mexico’s two national laboratories,and a passionate champion of the rights of Americans withmental illnesses.
Under his leadership, the labs — both Sandia and LosAlamos National Laboratory — have seen their missions growto include a focus on national security challenges fromenergy and water concerns to infrastructure protection andhomeland security in its broadest sense.
Upon learning of Domenici’s decision, Labs Director TomHunter said, “Breakthroughs in nanotechnology, alternativeenergy, and homeland security would not have been possiblewithout his leadership in establishing the infrastructure andcapabilities needed to support these emerging technologies.
“The nation is clearly a better place because of his servicein the Senate. We will no doubt be better because of hisactions over the remainder of his term. Each of us is a betterperson because we know him and have had the pleasure ofhis company and working with him.”
After more than a decade of research anddevelopment, a hydrogen sensor invented bySandia researchers is soon to find its way into pet-roleum refining, hydrogen production, chemicalindustries, chlorine production, nuclear wastemonitoring, and fuel cells.
The sensor, named by Sandia the Wide-RangeHydrogen Sensor, followed an unusual technologytransfer path that in 2006 won it the coveted Fed-eral Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Award forExcellence in Technology Transfer. The technol-ogy has been successfully commercialized by theValencia, Calif.-based company H2scan through alicense agreement and a cooperative research anddevelopment agreement (CRADA).
Retired Sandia researcher Bob Hughes (1714)led design efforts of the sensor — the only one ofits kind to offer both low-range and high-rangereal-time hydrogen measurement capability onthe same chip. It virtually eliminates false readingsand extends the time between calibration, makingthe sensor an ideal candidate for a variety of gov-ernment and commercial applications.
“The sensor is unique because it was the firstto put a field effect transistor (FET) and a resistoron the same pencil eraser-size chip,” says Bob.
“The combination of the two gives it the ability tosense a range of hydrogen concentrations — fromlarge amounts down to parts per million.”
Tech transfer pathBob and Kent Schubert, currently manager of
MicroDevice Technologies Dept. 1723, wereawarded the original patent on the sensor in 1994.Two years later the technology was licensed to a
By Chris Burroughs
Z rides again
Sandia’s Z machine, the world’s largest pro-ducer of X-rays, shook the ground in
Tech Area 4 last week for the first time sinceJuly 2006 when the 22-year-old facility wasgutted to undergo a complete refurbishmentat a total project cost of $90 million.
Z has been overbooked in recent yearswith requests for experiment time fromnational labs, universities, and the interna-tional community. The facility is in demandbecause of Z’s capability to subject materialsto immense pressures, compress sphericalcapsules and produce thermonuclear fusionreactions, fire objects much faster than a riflebullet, and produce data for models ofnuclear weapons effects — as well as, morearcanely, create the conditions surroundingblack holes in space. Given its complex mis-sion, it was time for a more modern Z.
The improved version is capable of fir-ing more often, at higher energies, and withimproved precision.
The new facility — optimized for both z-pinch and material properties work — willincrease the strength of its electrical pulsefrom 18 million amps to an anticipated 26million amps. The facility also now offersimproved control over the shape of its elec-trical pulse for better reproducibility as itenables new experimental regimes.
A z-pinch is so named because the largecurrent passing in the vertical direction —the Z direction in cylindrical geometry —creates a magnetic field that pinches together
Test ‘shots’ signal reopeningof large versatile acceleratorBy Neal Singer
Phot
o by
Ran
dy M
onto
ya
(Continued on page 7)
RESEARCHERS Mike Thomas (1716, left) and BobHughes (ret.) work with the Wide-Range HydrogenSensor, developed at Sandia and commercialized byH2scan after a complex tech transfer process.
(Photo by Randy Montoya)
Exceptional service. . . to the nation,to the community
ECP campaignruns Oct. 8-26
It was announced a few days ago that there’ll be a new twist whenyour Kerberos password comes up for renewal in the future.
Up to now, when Kerberos passwords came up forrenewal, we’d pick something with at least somesemblance of pronunciability, even if the pronunciationwas recognizable only to us individually. With the newplan, that thin thread to reality pretty much goes away.
Under a DOE mandate, new passwords will includea special character — such as &, *, #, $, etc.Probably not a problem, since there’ll be a mix ofletters, numbers, and symbols. Retaining a mix is arelief, because if it got to the point of including anumber of symbols, your Kerberos password might beginto look like a string of cartoon profanity.
And I was reminded that, ultimately, it didn’t work for , whohad to give up and go back to being just plain old Prince.
* * * On page 1 in this edition of Lab News, you’ll find mention of Sen.
Pete Domenici, New Mexico’s longest-serving-ever US senator. He’s been agreat champion of Sandia and the other nuclear weapons labs, and hisannouncement Oct. 4 that he will not seek reelection for a seventh termwas a shock.
It’s a testament to his skill, knowledge, and expertise that theannouncement of his retirement drew expressions of regret along withpraise for the quality of his years of service — to the nation as wellas to New Mexico. While you might expect to hear no regrets fromDemocrats over his decision to retire, the praise came from Democrats aswell as Republicans.
* * * A recent question here about the origin of the term “Cowboy Blue”
drew a couple of quick responses. If you missed it, and haven’totherwise encountered it, “Cowboy Blue” is code used during an emergencydrill to indicate that a real emergency has occurred.
Bruce Berry (6461) called and explained that it originated withGwen Gorman, who before retiring, was involved in emergency planning.The emergency operations group needed a term unlikely to occur in commonconversation to let other emergency operations folks involved in a drillknow that all participation in the drill should stop so the realemergency could get all the attention.
She came up with “Cowboy Blue” based on the color of the DallasCowboys’ uniforms. Needless to say, Gwen was a Cowboys fan.
Diana De La Rosa (4137) also called. She said Y-12 has an equallycolorful term for the same situation — October Red.
Taking a musical cue from such colorful code, if we at the labsneeded a theme song during this time of budget uncertainty and itsimplications, we could pretty understandably adopt Blue Bayou.
Sandia National Laboratorieshttp://www.sandia.gov/LabNews
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0165Livermore, California 94550-0969Tonopah, Nevada • Nevada Test Site • Amarillo, Texas •Carlsbad, New Mexico • Washington, D.C.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated bySandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the US Departmentof Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Contributors: John German (844-5199), Neal Singer (845-7078), Stephanie Holinka (284-9227), Howard Kercheval(columnist, 844-7842), Iris Aboytes (844-2282), Michael Padilla(284-5325), Julie Hall (284-7761), Rod Geer (844-6601),Patti Koning (925-294-4911), Michelle Fleming (Ads, Milepostphotos, 844-4902), Darrick Hurst (intern, 844-8009), Dept. 3651Manager: Chris Miller (844-0587).Lab News fax ................................................505/844-0645Classified ads ................................................505/844-4902
Published on alternate Fridays by Media Relations andEmployee Communications Dept. 3651, MS 0165
HOWARD KERCHEVAL
Homeland SecurityConference setfor Oct. 15-17
Police in Afghanistan are among the many tobenefit from Sandia’s ongoing co-sponsorship ofthe Homeland Security Conference to be held thisyear Oct. 15 to Oct. 17.
“A lot of information is shared at the inter-national level,” says Ron Fernstedt, retired Utahdeputy sheriff and former Special Forces officer,who has worked for the past three years as anadvisor/mentor to the Provincial Chiefs of Policein Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thanks in part to information gained at theconference, he has helped teach a Kabul provincialchief about how to best protect and patrol borders.
“Terrorism is an information-age problem.Our main advantage, if we have any, is to shareinformation from conferences as best practices,”Fernstedt says. He will be among the presenters atthis year’s 7th annual conference, to be held atthe Albuquerque Marriott Hotel, 2101 LouisianaBoulevard N.E.
Other speakers will include Henry Crumpton,ex-CIA operative and former U.S. State Depart-ment terror coordinator, and Thomas S. DavidsonII, a senior military intelligence analyst and experton border and security issues. Topics include:
• Developing interdisciplinary partnerships,• Interoperable communications, and• International gangs.“This conference is important because it
brings together people who have different piecesof the terrorism puzzle. We share resources andexpertise to help cover each other because wehave common interests and problems,” saysRobert Bunker, who attends the conferences hereeach year. He is a Los Angeles-based adjunct pro-fessor in national security studies at CaliforniaState University-San Bernardino and a professorof unconventional warfare at the American Mili-tary University in Manassas Park, Va. “This confer-ence is a great venue for reaching out because youcan gain important knowledge outside youroperational area.”
Putting together pieces of theterrorism puzzle
Matthew O’Brien joins Sandiaas CFO and Div. 10000 VP
Labs Director Tom Hunter has announcedthat Matthew O’Brien will assume the role ofChief Financial Officer and VP of Business Opera-tions Div. 10000 effective in early November.Matt is currently director of Finance and BusinessOperations for Lockheed Martin Air and JointCommand and Control Division in ColoradoSprings.
“Matt’s strong financial and business back-ground and his prior experiences with DOE, themilitary, and national labs make him the rightchoice to lead this division,” Tom said in makingthe announcement. “We’re delighted to havehim on the Sandia team.”
Responding to Tom’s announcement, Mattsaid, “I’m eager to join Sandia and help con-tribute to the fulfillment of its missions. I lookforward to meeting the entire team and gettingunder way.”
Tom also extended his appreciation to Jen-nifer Crooks for her leadership and support asacting VP of Div. 10000. Jennifer will return toher prior position as controller and director ofController and Pension Plan Center 10500.
Make a differenceToday
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Please note there is a deadline change for classified adsubmissions for the Oct. 26 issue of the Lab News. Ifyou wish to run an ad in the Oct. 26 issue, the dead-line will be noon on Thursday, Oct. 18 instead ofnoon on Friday, Oct. 19. This change is only for theOct. 26 issue.
Deadline change to submitclassified ads for Oct. 26 issue
Campaign runsOct. 8-26
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 3
Sandia researchers to develop portable microfluidicplatform for rapid detection of biotoxins
Of all the threat scenarios facing emer-gency responders around the country, therelease and spread of a dangerous biotoxinin a large public space is one of the mosttroubling.
The reason is simple. Though early diag-nosis of biotoxin exposure is important forconsequence mitigation and the key to savinglives, no current method exists for the quick,efficient detection of such poisonous agents.
That could all change one day soon, asresearchers at Sandia/California have securedfunding from the National Institute ofAllergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) todesign and engineer a small, portablemicrofluidic device that will offer rapiddetection of biotoxin exposure in humans.In addition to speed, the device promises tooffer high sensitivity, the capability to detectboth presymptomatic and symptomaticmarkers, and ease of use.
The NIAID, part of the National Insti-tutes of Health (NIH), has committed $3.2million to the five-year project. Sandia isleading the effort in collaboration with B.R.Singh at the University of Massachusetts atDartmouth and Steve Binder at Bio-Rad Lab-oratories. Anup Singh (8321) is the principalinvestigator for Sandia.
Device designed for point-of-careand point-of-incident settings
Instead of sending those suspected ofbeing infected with a biotoxin — spectatorsat a sporting event who have been contami-nated by a terrorist release, for example — toa medical facility where lab results could takedays or weeks, Anup says a lightweight, portabledevice would allow onsite emergency personnelto draw blood samples and make a rapid determi-nation as to the degree of exposure. Those inneed of treatment can then be monitored, andcountermeasures can be immediately executed atthe facility to mitigate further damage.
“It could be a firefighter, a paramedic, orsimply a primary care practitioner who mightuse this device one day,” says Anup. “The onlystipulation is that the device’s end user willneed to be authorized and trained in drawingblood, though that could change eventually. Inthe not-so-distant future, a more accessible andreadily available specimen such as saliva mightbe able to diagnose toxins.”
Currently, says Anup, the technology toquickly test individuals for biotoxin exposure does
not exist. Those suspected of being infected mustgive blood samples at a medical facility and waitfor laboratory analysis. The device will be able todetect toxins including botulinum toxin, SEB(Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B), shiga toxins,Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin, and others.
Builds upon success of saliva-baseddiagnostics project
The project builds upon the success of Sandia’swell-known “spit project,” a program also fundedby the NIH (see Jan. 27, 2005, and April 13, 2007,Lab News). That project could allow dentists toone day quickly test patients for gum disease andother afflictions via saliva samples.
Bioengineer and microfluidic expert AnsonHatch (8321) will lead the microfluidic assaydevelopment effort. The system will incorporatemicrofluidic methods developed by Anson and
A promisingpartnership
The biotoxins diagnostics project rep-resents the first time that a Sandia-ledproject has been funded by the NationalInstitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases(NIAID).
“This is a really big step in becoming alegitimate player with NIAID,” says TerryMichalske (8300), director of Biologicaland Energy Sciences. “We are well on ourway toward establishing a strong recordwith the National Institutes of Health.”
Sandia’s primary foot in the door withNIAID was the so-called “spit project”, theIntegrated Microfluidic System for OralDiagnostics funded by the National Insti-tute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,an NIH institute.
For more than 50 years, NIAID hasconducted and supported basic andapplied research to better understand,treat, and ultimately prevent infectious,immunologic, and allergic diseases. Since9/11, biodefense has become an importanttopic for NIAID, which is where Sandia’scapabilities come into play.
NIAID’s role in NIH has grown signifi-cantly in this time. According to the NIHAlmanac (www.nih.gov/about/almanac/appropriations), appropriations for NIAIDhave more than doubled in the last fiveyears. NIAID received approximately $4.3billion in 2006, compared with approxi-mately $2 billion in 2001. Biodefense as aresearch area is estimated to receive $1.7billion in funding in FY2007 (see the NIHwebsite at www.nih.gov/news/fundingresearchareas.htm).
The 2002 NIAID Strategic Plan forBiodefense Research highlights the“unmet need for tests to rapidly diagnose,vaccines and immunotherapies to pre-vent, and drugs and biologics to cure dis-ease caused by agents of bioterrorism.”According to this strategic plan, the mis-sion of NIAID is to carry out the researchneeded to understand the pathogenesis ofthese microbes and the host response tothem, and to translate this knowledge intouseful interventions and diagnostic toolsfor an effective response.
Working with NIAID is a strategicopportunity for Sandia, and one that Terrysees growing stronger in the near future.Sandia is engaged in discussions with NIHfor follow-on work to the (MicroscaleImmune Studies Laboratory) MISL GrandChallenge, a three-year LDRD project in col-laboration with the University of TexasMedical Branch in Galveston, Texas, andthe University of California, San Francisco.
— Patti Koning
By Mike Janes others at Sandia that facilitate hands-free analy-sis by integrating sample pretreatment with elec-trophoretic immunoassays that quickly measureanalyte concentrations in blood. The self-con-tained device will consist of miniaturized elec-tronics, optical elements, fluid-handling compo-nents, data acquisition software, and a userinterface.
The technology, device, and methods, saysAnup, can also be extended to detection of bio-markers of other systemic diseases and condi-tions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
BIOCHEMIST DAN THROCKMORTON (8321) prepares to add asample to the prototype diagnostic device. After Dan adds thesample, computer-controlled electronics direct a series of sampleanalysis steps. Laser-induced fluorescence is used for highly sensi-tive detection of assay products. The final diagnostic device willfeature a miniaturized, portable fluorescence detector.
(Photo by Dino Vournas)
Div. 8000 VP Paul Hommertjudges entries in the HispanicLeadership Committee’s first-everpiñata contest. Sixteen teamsentered piñatas in the competi-tion. Entries included a knittingdog, a fruity drink, hungry squir-rel, and two watermelons. TrudyThunderbird, the large bird left ofPaul, won the People’s ChoiceAward.
company called DCH Technology, which learnedabout the Robust Hydrogen Sensor after it won a1993 R&D 100 award as one of the best inventionsof the year. Company officials wanted to use thetechnology for commercial applications.
The device — as new, exciting, and functionalas it was — had a problem. When exposed to some
After four yearsof work and aninvestment of about$7 million, DCHTechnologies couldnot resolve that issue,among other prob-lems. It sufferedfinancial difficultiesand in 2002 sold itsassets to H2scan,headed by formerDCH consultantDennis Reid.
The license reverted back to Sandia. Labs offi-cials were concerned that the new companywould have the same problems as DCH andwanted to prevent failure.
“This is where it gets interesting and Sandia’screativity kicks in,” says Paul Smith (1031), Labslicensing agent. “We thought that if Sandiaresearchers could help the company with the sci-ence, there could be a breakthrough that wouldresolve the corrosive gas issue.”
Unusual CRADAIn an unprecedented move, Sandia and
H2scan signed a CRADA in which the licenseagreement and CRADA are linked so that somepayments under the license agreement are for-given as long as there is a continuing collabora-tion under the CRADA. H2scan provides the“funds-in” for the CRADA that began in 2003.
Bob was lured back from retirement to act as aconsultant on the CRADA and advise H2scan onfabrication and testing issues for a new WideRange version of the Robust Hydrogen Sensor.Unlike the Robust Hydrogen Sensor, the Wide
Range Sensor uses a capaci-tor and resistor on thesame chip to achieve ameasurement range of 15parts per million (ppm) to100 percent by volume.H2scan undertook the dif-ficult task of fabricatingthe Wide Range Sensorusing a number of suppli-ers and in-house facilities.It also completelyredesigned the electronicsand packaging for thecomplete sensor system.
SuccessIn a little over a year
and with an investment ofmore than $1 million,H2scan had its first retailproduct and a handheldhydrogen leak detector capable of detecting highand low hydrogen concentrations.
In 2005 H2scan hired a PhD consultant withmore than 10 years of experience at Intel to lead thesensor design process. During the next two-and-a-halfyears the company developed a proprietary coatingover the sensor die that can withstand harsh gasessuch as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, andcondensed water. H2scan also came up with anadvanced manufacturing process that reduced com-pletion time to make a full wafer set from three-and-half months to three-and-a-half days.
“We now can make 7,000 sensors every three-and-a-half days and deploy our sensor in line realtime in the presence of carbon monoxide, hydro-gen sulfide, and chlorine,” Reid says. “That is truesuccess considering where we started in 2002.”
Sandia collaboration essentialReid says that the partnership between his
company and Sandia is what led to the fast com-mercialization of the sensor.
“Our success in providing commercializedproducts is linked directly to our close workingrelationship with Sandia,” he says. “The CRADAgave us the opportunity to capitalize on Sandia’slong history with the sensor technology, primar-ily in the area of process development, resultingin an extremely fast turnaround time for prod-uct development.”
Without the ability to have daily interactionswith the technology’s creator and the use ofSandia’s environmental testing capability, Reidsays, the sensor would have had a longer, moreexpensive road to commercialization, and thecompany’s ability to survive through the develop-ment stage wouldhave been jeopar-dized. The CRADAalso opened thedoor for future col-laborationsbetween H2scanand Sandia, saysReid.
Today, theCRADA continues.Sandia’s role is toperiodically testH2scan sensors inits Gas Sensor TestBed. The facilityenables testing ofmultiple hydrogensensors in a wide variety of conditions not avail-able elsewhere.
Through the CRADA, Bob participates inweekly telephone conferences with H2scan andsome of its largest potential customers, discussingthe latest test data and assisting in deciding efficienttest plans to shorten the time between validations.
H2scan has three product lines — portableleak detectors, fixed mounted area monitors, andin-line real-time process monitors. It has deliveredsensors to more than 200 government and indus-try customers, including a classified DOE plant inIdaho Falls, numerous oil companies, Air Prod-ucts, PraxAir, Air Liquide, UOP, Total, GeneralElectric, Boeing, Bechtel, NASA, Lockheed Martin,Merck, Nissan, Toyota, GM, Honda, Ballard, UTC,Northrop Grumman, Shell Hydrogen, Ball Aero-space, Westinghouse, and others. Reid expects torelease the product soon for refineries and is work-ing closely with the world’s largest provider of sys-tems for refiners worldwide.
Reid says that H2scan has grown from a com-pany with seven employees to one with 22 sincethe initial CRADA was signed.
“As our sensor becomes known and our clientlist expands, I expect we will triple in size over thenext two to three years, thanks to Sandia’sinvolvement,” Reid says.
Hydrogen scanner is smaller, faster, sturdier,and less expensive than others
The Wide-Range Hydrogen Sensor that Sandia developed and H2scanis commercializing is smaller, faster, sturdier, more user-friendly, and lessexpensive to manufacture than other hydrogen sensors available on themarket, says the retired Sandia developer, Bob Hughes (1714).
“It is so different from existing hydrogen sensors, which have numer-ous drawbacks,” Bob says. “They have a limited range, poor reproducibil-ity and reversibility, are subject to false alarms, and tend to be slow, unre-liable, and difficult to use.”
The new technology was created by integrating special catalytic alloyfilms onto existing complementary metal oxide semiconductor microelec-tronic technology at Sandia’s Microelectronics Development Laboratory.
The sensor uses catalytic palladium nickel (PdNi) gate metallizationon field effect transistor sensors for detecting low concentrations ofhydrogen; PdNi resistor sensors for detecting higher concentrations ofhydrogen; and on-chip micro-thermometers and micro-heaters for main-taining constant chip temperature.
H2SCAN CEO Dennis Reiddiscusses hydrogen sensorchip with lead calibrationtechnician Antonio Adan.
Sensor to play key rolein hydrogen economy
While the Wide-Range Hydrogen Sensor iscurrently being used for petroleum refining,hydrogen and chlorine production, and more,its real contribution will be to the hydrogeneconomy, once it gets rolling, says developerBob Hughes (1714).
“It will have many applications to the hydro-gen transportation and automotive industry andwill be needed to monitor hydrogen levels infueling stations and in cars and trucks burninghydrogen,” Bob says.
H2scan President, CEO, and founder DennisReid says his company is already working withautomobile companies to develop ways to usethe sensors to monitor hydrogen levels in fuelcell stacks in hydrogen vehicles.
DETAIL of hydrogen sensordeveloped at Sandia andcommercialized by H2scan.
SANDIA AND NNSA’S SANDIA SITE OFFICE recently concluded negotiations on the development of theFY08 Performance Evaluation Plan (PEP). The PEP documents the negotiated performance criteria by whichthe site office appraises Sandia Corporation’s performance in its management and operation of SandiaNational Laboratories in FY08. To mark the conclusion of the negotiations, Sandia Site Office ManagerPatty Wagner (front left) and Sandia Labs President and Director Tom Hunter (right) signed the finalizedFY08 PEP document. Joining Tom and Patty are Labs Deputy Director John Stichman and SSO DeputyManager Kim Davis. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
SSO, Labs agree on FY08 performance plan
Lab News: Will you summarize for us the mis-sion of your strategic management unit, the Energy,Resources, & Nonproliferation SMU?
Les Shephard: It is “Helping our nation securea peaceful and free world through technology andglobal engagement.” We’re about having impacton technology areas that contribute to US eco-nomic prosperity, peace, and freedom. As I thinkabout our mission, I realize how complex it is. Thecomplexity is due to everything being connected
— energy to water, nuclear energy to nonprolifera-tion and nuclear terrorism, climate change to car-bon — all with solutions being driven throughfundamental science, discovery, and technologyinnovation. We are involved in issues like nuclearwaste disposal and nonproliferation, issues that[Principal Scientist Gerry] Yonas would call thehairy, wicked problems in which social, political,regulatory, and policy issues drive decisions. Tech-nology is a major component — it is a necessarybut not sufficient component for a solution andmust always be credible, justifiable, and defensible.You must develop and deploy technology to be inthe game. But most of our mission areas have cer-tain elements that are outside the traditionalpurview of Sandia’s work. I like the phrase, “hairy,wicked problems.”
LN: Sandia’s national security mission used tomean primarily deterrence and now it’s somethingbroader. How does ER&N’s mission tie into nationalsecurity?
LS: Part of the challenge of this SMU is thatuntil recently much of our work is not what somepeople view as a traditional national security chal-lenge. In my mind energy in its broadest contexthas become the national security challenge. Howdo we assure ourselves in the long term thatenough energy will be available to sustain the eco-nomic prosperity of this country? Today, like at noother time in our past, national security must beconsidered in its global context, and energy hasbecome a global commodity.
As the competition for energy on a global scalecontinues to grow, we need to ask where we aregoing to get our energy for the future — whetherit’s fossil fuels or other energy sources like nuclear,renewables, or even fusion — and how does thataffect our interactions with other nations? How dowe ensure that other nations benefit from thepeaceful use of nuclear energy yet sustain a respon-sible approach to nonproliferation? Then there’s awhole set of challenges tied directly to carbon andhow it affects the global environment. Thedemand for fossil fuels is going to continue toincrease and, in fact, outpace supply in the nextfew decades. At the same time challenges associ-ated with carbon management will continue toincrease.
So we are at a time of confluence. But these arenot new issues to us. We [at Sandia] have beenthinking and talking about energy challengesamong ourselves and with other labs, universities,and industry for more than 30 years. We’ve beenactively engaged in water-related activities for atleast a decade. We’re viewed as a national leader in
the water arena. So far no federal agency hasstepped up to take ownership of water problems,which will become huge over the coming decade.Our New Mexico senators understand its impor-tance and with their encouragement I hope to seea federal agency assert true leadership in this area.And as you know, water and energy are inextrica-bly linked.
Sandia’s role in Global Nuclear EnergyPartnership
LN: How does GNEP (the Global Nuclear EnergyPartnership) tie into this?
LS: GNEP is a presidential initiative. It is one ofmany administration initiatives that deal withenergy. Many of GNEP’s key elements, however,are not new and are, in fact, an iteration of earlierenergy-related initiatives. One of GNEP’s early
roots at Sandia, dating back tothe mid-1990s, was theGlobal Nuclear Material Man-agement Program thatemphasized controlling andmanaging nuclear materials.In the late 1990s this programevolved at Sandia to a muchbroader vision that includedthe entire nuclear fuel cycle,from energy to waste to non-proliferation. The generalgoals of GNEP are to expandthe peaceful uses of nuclearpower, reduce the prolifera-
tion threat, and solve the nuclear waste issue.Whether GNEP will continue in its present
form remains to be seen. The next administrationis going to have to look at it, rethink it, and figureout how to make it politically viable. In any case,the strong national security imperative associatedwith the objectives of GNEP will ensure it survivesin some manner. Many in Congress don’t fullyunderstand GNEP — they often view it solely as anapproach to solve the waste disposal issue. Interna-tionally, some view GNEP as an OPEC-equivalentfor nuclear energy. We need to help Washingtonwork through those issues.
LN: What should Sandia’s role be with GNEP?LS: I see our contributions emphasizing key
elements of the nuclear fuel cycle ranging fromwaste disposal and waste characterization to reac-tor technology, recycling, nonproliferation, andtransportation. These will be integral to whateverapproach to nuclear energy this country takes.
Many of the contributions we make in theenergy area go back to our weapons heritage — thesafety, security, and reliability of nuclear facilitieshave been a compelling core strength of Sandia. Inparticular, we are strong in systems modeling andin developing technologies that improve the over-all efficiencies of nuclear reactors. In addition, wehave been a leader in securing nuclear materialsand technologies in Russia and other Former SovietUnion (FSU) countries. I think safety and securityare the most important aspects of the expansion ofnuclear power. If there is a major nuclear reactoraccident in this country or elsewhere around theworld, we might as well forget nuclear power asbeing a potential contributor to our long-term elec-tricity demands.
Future of nuclear power in USLN: Where do you see nuclear power going in this
country?LS: The rest of the
world has already made thedecision to go nuclear. Infact, Westinghouse is nowbeginning to build fourAP1000 reactors in China.The president also has beenvery clear about his intent.He’s a supporter. This is themost pro-nuclear adminis-tration I’ve ever seen, and Ianticipate that at least oneutility will begin construc-tion of a new reactor withinthe next several months
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 5
Les Shephard: Bringing passion to energyVP in charge of the Labs’ Energy, Resources, and Nonproliferation SMU talks about critical issues ahead
Note: Occasionally the Lab News talks with Sandiavice presidents and SMU leaders about important issuesin their areas. This interview with Les Shephard, VP6000 and head of the Energy, Resources, & Nonprolifer-ation SMU, was conducted in Bldg. 811. Joining himwere science writers Chris Burroughs, Neal Singer, andJohn German.
“Part of the challenge of this SMUis that until recently much of ourwork is not what some people viewas a traditional national securitychallenge. In my mind energy in itsbroadest context has become thenational security challenge.”
“We [at Sandia] have been thinkingand talking about energy challengesamong ourselves and with other labs,universities, and industry for morethan 30 years. We’ve been activelyengaged in water-related activities forat least a decade.”
[announced Sept. 25 by the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission (NRC)] — something that has notoccurred in this country for nearly three decades.
Two things need to happen for nuclear powerto have real impact on our nation’s energy supply.First, we need to be able to say a year from nowthat the construction and operating licenseapproach for new nuclear power plants has pro-gressed, and that we’ve actually begun construc-tion of a new nuclear power plant in the UnitedStates.
Second, the license application for YuccaMountain must be submitted to the NRC so thatwe have a viable approach for waste disposal. Ayear ago there wasn’t a handful of people in theForrestal Building [DOE headquarters] and notmany people here at Sandia who believed it waspossible that a license application could be com-pleted by June 2008. I have no doubts that thelicense application will be done, in large partbecause of Sandia leadership from our YuccaMountain folks in Las Vegas, in partnership withthe DOE and Bechtel. Submittal of the licenseapplication sends a very strong statement that thiscountry is willing to go to that next step, whichthen allows the formal regulatory process to kickin. Barring national politics, which always play arole in Yucca Mountain, the license applicationwill be submitted by June 2008.
LN: Is there a chance this country will begin recy-cling nuclear waste?
LS: Yes, but the real question is when. Some 30years ago this country established a policy not torecycle spent nuclear fuel with the expectation thatthe rest of the world would follow our lead. Insteadthe rest of the world moved on, and severalnations today recycle. Other countries, like India,have well-established nuclear energy programs thathave progressed without significant US support.The US must decide if it is going to lead the nuclearrenaissance or allow other nations to drive theglobal agenda. I advocate a strong US leadershipposition.
LS: This brings us back to this national securityissue. The Sandia leadership team understands thatnuclear weapons, nuclear energy, and nonprolifer-ation are inextricably linked and must be consid-ered together as a complex system. You just can’tdecouple the issues of nuclear power from nuclearweapons and nonproliferation. There are onlythree labs in this country, the three nuclearweapons labs, that can address this level of com-plexity with any sort of expertise and credibility. Ipersonally consider this to be a unifying and criti-cal mission area for Sandia in the future and onethat ties directly to the other critical mission areasof energy mentioned earlier.
As a laboratory we have begun to focus on thecomplex nuclear system and these efforts are com-ing together in an integrated way to become a dri-ving force for this laboratory. It’s an opportunityfor this laboratory to establish itself not only as anational but as a global leader focused on this criti-cal national security mission.
LN: How does supercomputing tie into the futureof Sandia’s nuclear power work?
LS: I expect supercomputing to become anextremely important part of the design and devel-opment of new nuclear technologies and for other
(Continued on next page)
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 6
energy technologies as well. The design process fornuclear reactors has been essentially dormant overthe last few decades in this country and elsewhere,and we have not been able to benefit from high-performance computing in a significant way. Nowthe design process will be accelerated and fullyintegrated in a manner never before realized. Wewill be able to assess the performance of full sys-tems and subsystems using high performance com-puting, modeling, and simulation and be able toreadily evaluate the potential for new materialsand components without ever needing to build theactual systems. Before supercomputing has thisimpact, however, the NRC will have to have com-plete confidence that the approaches are rigorousand assure long-term safety and security of newpower plants. Part of our challenge is to move theregulatory environment to a place where it recog-nizes and adopts these capabilities as part of theregulatory process.
The nation’s future energy mixLN: What do you see as the energy mix among
fossil fuels, nuclear power, and alternative energysources, such as wind and solar, as you look to thefuture?
LS: Even on my most optimistic days I can’tsee the US getting to the point where it is buildingenough nuclear power plants to keep pace withgrowing electricity demands. Today roughly 19.8percent of electricity is generated by nuclear power.My expectation is that 20 years from now it will beabout the same, which requires significant nuclearexpansion given the growing demand for electric-ity. This country can’t build enough nuclear powerplants soon enough to meet this demand. It’s aseven-to-ten-year process to build a new plant andget it on line under the best of conditions.
Renewables, whether they be wind or solar,will play a role, but it will be limited, unfortu-nately. Presently in this country wind energy pro-vides about 12 gigawatts of power and worldwideabout 70 gigawatts. That’s the equivalent of about60 to 70 nuclear power plants. We’ll continue tosee an increase in the amount of wind power beingdeployed, probably offshore in some areas, whichis where the Scandinavians, the Germans, and oth-ers are placing their wind farms. I also expect to seeadvanced designs of wind turbines that are effi-cient under low wind conditions being sited nearmajor metropolitan areas of the United States —work that Sandia is helping to lead.
Concentrating solar power and photovoltaicswill also continue to expand. An impediment tomore rapid growth for these systems is reliability.This is an area where Sandia is partnering withindustry to make a difference.
Having said that, wind and other alternativeenergy sources are not going to be a significantcontributor on the national or global scale in thecoming decade or more given the increasingdemand. I’d like to be more optimistic, but I justcan’t be.
Fossil fuel will still be vital for decadesI don’t care how you slice, it I just can’t get to a
place where technology will significantly reduceour nation’s dependence on fossil fuels for the nexttwo decades. I think 20 years from now this nationwill continue to rely on fossil fuels in a significantway. Unconventional sources of fossil fuels willbecome increasingly more conventional due to
technology advances. Nuclear and renewables willblunt some of the increase in demand but ourdemand for energy is increasing so quickly it willonly allow us to keep pace with demand.
I realize that this continued reliance on fossilfuels means we must addressthe issues of continued gener-ation of carbon dioxide. Thisis a global issue. While onemay debate the impacts ofcarbon on global warming,anthropogenic carbon emis-sions are detrimental to theglobal environment anddetrimental to the well-beingof generations to come.China and India are bothusing more fossil fuels forgenerating electricity. Therate of growth for electricitydemand in those countries is
enormous, and both are actively building newcoal-fired power plants. It’s going to take a lot ofelectricity to sustain their economic prosperity.Right now China has less than 15 cars per thou-sand people, but it’s not going to stay that way.Both countries are building and buying significantnumbers of motor vehicles. It really makes for verycomplex problems. So the carbon, energy, technol-ogy coupling is another great challenge for anational lab. Fortunately we have a terrific crosscutting Laboratory team that has already engagedin addressing this set of emerging issues.
Global demand for oil LN: What will that do to demand for oil world-
wide?LS: Oil is another part of the equation that has
changed significantly over the last few years. Some-
where on the order of 85 percent of known oilreserves in the world are controlled nationally. Weused to talk about the importance of Exxon, Shell,Chevron, or whomever. But today a growing con-cern is the control of major reserves by variouscountries’ governments. That’s their insurance sys-tem for their own long-term energy security future.
The US government is not in this game. Wehave the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but that’sless than a billion barrels and a month’s reserve.We rely on a free market, but the free markettoday only has access to 15 percent of the provenglobal reserves. A lot of the availability dependson what the nations controlling the reserves per-ceive to be in their national interests. Thoseinterests could be counter to US interests. Rus-sia, for example, controls tremendous volumesof natural gas and is expanding its nationalnuclear energy supply.
Russia will continue to export its gasreserves to generate revenue and expand itseconomy, continue to increase its nuclearenergy supply for generating electricity tosupply its industrial sector, and use the gasrevenues to make invest-ments in several criticalsectors including technol-ogy and defense. Russia isjust one example. We as acountry have to makeinformed decisions aboutour future energy use andpolicy directions by takinginto account the complexsets of technology issuesand social, political, andregulatory issues in aglobal framework. What agreat problem for a
national laboratory.
Working the hard, wicked problemsLN: Tell us about some of the changes recently
instituted in the Energy, Resources, & NonproliferationSMU.
LS: After a lot of engagement during strategicplanning, we created three lines of business withinthe SMU. We did this recognizing there are reallycomplex problems that needed to be addressed in across-laboratory, multidisciplinary way. Sandia hasalways been a center-centric laboratory. To me,that is not the model for the future. So we weredeliberate in identifying a set of directors whodon’t have traditional center responsibilities, butinstead engage across the Labs and outside the lab-oratory, working on really hard, complex, wickedproblems. These directors are supported by multi-ple centers across the Laboratory.
I’ve talked a little already about the SMU’sfuel and water line of business and the nuclearenergy line of business, but I’ve not talked aboutthe global security line of business. We realizedthe international security program traditionallyhas been Russian- and FSU-centric. While Russiais a continuing long-term concern, the reality isthat threats have become more global and morediverse in nature. The global security line ofbusiness takes a risk-based approach to systemat-ically evaluating and assessing threats on aglobal scale that can have significant detrimen-tal impact on our country.
In doing our strategic planning we also identi-fied what I call “must wins.” We said there are cer-tain things we need to do this year. The first mustwin was JBEI [the Joint Bioenergy Institute]. It putsus on the map relative to the biofuels business,which ties into our transportation fuels strategy forthe long term. It also puts us on the map relative toour credibility within the biosciences community.It allows us to use our capabilities in high-perfor-mance computing, combustion engine research,and systems engineering to make a significant con-tribution from a biosciences point of view.
The second must win is Yucca Mountain, aproject I have great passion around. There were anumber of people here at the Labs who said wecan‘t be successful there. But they said the samething about WIPP. The potential for this countryto move forward in the nuclear power arenadepends on that license application. Our deliver-able will be completed sometime betweenJanuary and March.
The third must win involves expanding ourinternational security programs to have a globalsecurity perspective. We’ve had a number of reallygood ideas in this area. We are actively engaged onthe issues in and around the security of criticalinfrastructures and energy infrastructures on aglobal scale. We have been funded to do the work— it is fully supported and endorsed by DOE.
Budget trends LN: What’s the budget status and trend for the SMU?LS: This year our revenue ended at about $470
million. Our desire as a SMU is to have the budgetincrease by a minimum 10 percent per year but toalways focus on critical national security missionwork. Three years ago our revenue was $295 mil-lion. We’ve had significant growth (nominally$170M) over the last three years.
The 2007 continuing resolution had a signifi-cant impact on our water program. Sen. [Pete]Domenici is personally interested in water andfully understands its importance to our nation’senergy future. He has proposed some very specificlegislation in the water area over the last few years.
Les Shephard(Continued from preceding page)
“Even on my most optimisticdays I can’t see the US getting tothe point where it is buildingenough nuclear power plants tokeep pace with growing electric-ity demands. Today roughly19.8 percent of electricity is gen-erated by nuclear power.”
“I don’t care how you slice it, I justcan’t get to a place where technologywill significantly reduce our nation’sdependence on fossil fuels for the nexttwo decades. I think 20 years fromnow this nation will continue to relyon fossil fuels in a significant way.”
“We realized the internationalsecurity program traditionally hasbeen Russian- and FSU-centric.While Russia is a continuing long-term concern, the reality is thatthreats have become more globaland more diverse in nature.”
(Continued on next page)
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 7
Unfortunately until our nation embraces water as anational security concern, which it will eventually,it will remain difficult to identify a single federalagency to support the work.
Folks should recognize that we build our busi-ness every day from the ground up. We’ve had set-backs in some areas, but I think we’ve done reason-ably well overall.
LN: Who are some of the SMU’s key customers? LS: DOE’s Office of Science, clearly. They’ve
demonstrated an interest in investing in ourinfrastructure through the Combustion ResearchFacility, the Center for Integrated Nanotech-nologies, and high-performance computing.Their investment benefits not only the SMU butthe entire lab. They are an incredibly importantcustomer, even though their funding to the Labsis relatively small compared to the whole,roughly $55 million this year.
Other key customers are the NNSA Office ofNonproliferation, the DOE Office of Energy Effi-ciency and Renewable Energy and Office of Elec-tricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, the Office ofCivilian Radioactive Waste Management, and theNRC. The NRC funds us at about $15 to $20 mil-lion a year, money that is used for science-basedengineering projects that couple modeling andsimulation with large-scale experimental work.Over the years the NRC has been one of our bestfunding agencies for this type of work.
LN: How is the ER&N SMU different from Divi-sion 6000?
LS: The SMU and Division 6000 are two veryseparate entities. There is this long standing myththat Division 6000 and ERN SMU are one and thesame. The truth is Division 6000 staff have criticalleadership and support roles in each of the SMUs.Our goal within the SMU is to make sure that lessthan 50 percent of the FTEs funded by ERN sup-
Les Shephard(Continued from page preceding page)
Sandia researcher Sandra Begay-Campbellwas among six people honored Sept. 29 by theUniversity of New Mexico Alumni Associationwith the prestigious Zia Award.
The award is presented to UNM alumni liv-ing in New Mexicowho have distin-guished themselvesfor their philan-thropic endeavors,public office, serviceto the university,community and vol-unteer activities, andbusiness/profes-sional fields, or whohave made a contri-bution in education.
At the Labs,Sandra is a principalmember of technical staff and leads Sandia’stechnical efforts in the renewable energy pro-gram to assist Native American tribes withrenewable energy development.
She also served six years as a UNMregent/trustee.
Sandra received a bachelor of sciencedegree in civil engineering from UNM in 1987.She worked at Lawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory before she earned a master of sci-ence in structural engineering from StanfordUniversity. She also previously worked at LosAlamos National Laboratory.
Sandra is the recipient of the 2005 UNMSchool of Engineering Distinguished AlumnusAward. She received the Stanford University2000 Multicultural Alumni of the Year awardand was selected as a recipient of the Gover-nor’s Award for Outstanding Women from theNew Mexico Commission on the Status ofWomen.
“I feel very honored to receive this awardon the 20th anniversary of my UNM gradua-tion,” Sandra says.
the ions of thin wires that serve as electrical con-ductors until the current vaporizes them.
The 17.5-million-amp shot that signified thereopening of the facility was used to test newsystem components. It concluded an extensivefacility outage during which the old pulsedpower systems were removed, and the tankstructure that contains the accelerator wasextensively modified. New, more robust pulsedpower components and subsystems wereinstalled. Utility infrastructure modificationswere made, and the accelerator subsystems werecommissioned. Over the next several months, Zwill conduct more tests to verify, validate, andoptimize the performance and predictive modelsfor the accelerator and determine reliable operat-ing points for science program operation, theultimate purpose for Z.
Z’s roots go back to 1985 when it was con-structed as the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II(PBFA II), designed for light-ion fusion research.Lithium ions were shot at a target. Z-pinch tech-nology breakthroughs used simple electricity andthe z-pinch effect. Improvements led to modify-ing the center portion of the machine in 1996 toutilize this approach to successfully produce highenergy-density environments.
Renamed “Z,” the accelerator became aworkhorse for the nation’s scientific communitybut faced operational efficiency limits due to theage of the hardware and because the pulsedpower drive system was not specifically designedfor z-pinch applications.
Dubbed the Z Refurbishment Project (ZR), thehuge effort to modify the accelerator began withextensive design and development activity in2002. For the first time, the detailed componentdesign depended heavily on three-dimensionalsimulations of their performance.
Improvements included new capacitors thatdoubled the energy storage capability within the
same physical volume, and stainless steel electri-cally optimized pulsed power components fordurability.
Sadly for graphic artists (but not for engi-neers), Z will no longer provide those dramatic“arcs and sparks” photographs that have been thesignature image of visual recognition for the oldfacility. The water-air interface that provided
these visuals is now covered in decking that willeventually be filled with diagnostic and recordingequipment.
And that is proper, says Ed Weinbrecht(1635), ZR’s project manager.
“The ultimate deliverable from the facility ishigh quality data in support of scientific advancesin high energy density-based physics,” he says.
Z machine(Continued from page 1)
SANDIA’S Z MACHINE during its year-long refurbishment process. (Photo by Charlie Robinson)
Sandra Begay-Campbell receivesUNM’s Zia Award
SANDRA BEGAY-CAMPBELL
ports personnel within Division 6000. We’re doingthat very intentionally because we need to engagethe broader laboratory community in these com-plex problems.
LN: Are there any technologies on the horizonthat are game changers in terms of future energy ortransportation needs?
LS: I can’t say what will be the game chang-ers, but yes, I firmly believe there will be many.They will come out of our high-performancecomputing modeling and simulation capabili-ties, our work in materials science and nano sci-ence, and from the movement to “hybridiza-tion” — coupling of the electricity sector withthe transportation sector, for example.
The Joint Bioenergy Institute and Combus-tion Research Facility will contribute signifi-cantly to developing alternative transportationfuels. We have developed a concept that isbeing supported by LDRD to develop trans-portation fuels using concentrating solar powerand captured carbon dioxide — we call it “Sun-shine to Petrol” — and this would be a gamechanger. I think there are also some gamechangers that probably aren’t “hot and sexy”from a Sandia point of view, like energy effi-ciency [although our role as a National Centerfor Solid State Lighting is “hot”]. Technologywill play a role, but I can’t say exactly what thatrole will be.
What I do know is energy — whether youdefine it from the energy security point of viewor from the environmental point of view — is abig part of the future of this laboratory, and itties directly to our science and technology base. Iam delighted that our work in this SMU gener-ates so much excitement with new hires. Theywant to do something that’s good, not only forthe country, but for the world. Addressing theproblem of energy in all of its dimensions is agreat leadership challenge that will be with us fordecades to come. It touches everybody on planetEarth. It provides the opportunity to change theworld. I feel privileged to work with so manythat want to be a part of it.
Start planning your 2008Reimbursement Spending Account (RSA)
What is an RSA?An RSA is a Reimbursement Spending
Account, also known as a Flexible SpendingAccount, which is authorized by the Internal Rev-enue Service (IRS) and available through employ-ers. This type of account allows you to set asidemoney for nonreimbursed health care and/or daycare expenses on a pretax basis. As you incurhealth care and/or day care expenses throughoutthe year, you submit a claim for those expenses,and you are reimbursed with tax-free dollars fromyour account. A Health Care Account reimbursesyou for out-of-pocket medical, dental, vision,hearing, and pharmaceutical expenses such ascopays, coinsurance, certain over-the-counter(OTC) medications, eyeglasses, contact lenses, eyecare solutions, and even laser-vision correction.The Day Care Account reimburses you for daycare expenses you incur to allow you and, if mar-ried, your spouse to work. These expenses includeday care, before-and-after school programs, nurs-ery school or preschool, summer day camp, andeven adult day care. When you use either one, orboth of these accounts, you reduce your taxableincome so you pay less in income taxes. To see alist of all eligible expense items for either a healthcare or a day care account, visit our website atwww.mypayflex.com.
What’s in it for me?The bottom line is that an RSA will allow you
to increase your spendable income because yourcontributions are on a pretax basis. That meansless for Uncle Sam and more for you and yourfamily to spend as you please! Let’s use a real-world example: A family member wants LASIKeye surgery, and the cost is approximately $4,000.
In most cases, this expense would be paid withpost-tax income over the span of a year. However,if you put this money into a health care RSA, itwill be paid with pretax income, and you willsave approximately $1,080 (see example):
Sandia has made setting up an RSA simple.During your annual enrollment period, you willbe allowed to put aside a portion of your salaryon a pretax basis. If you decide to enroll in ahealth care and/or day care account, you willneed to estimate the amount you will spend onout-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses during the plan year. When esti-mating your expenses, please remember that sev-eral over-the-counter items such as aspirin orother pain relievers and cold/sinus remedies areeligible for reimbursement as well. To assist inestimating your out-of-pocket expenses, work-sheets have been created for you to use. Theexpense planning worksheets, as well as an RSAsavings calculator, are available atwww.mypayflex.com.
The amount you choose to set aside will bededucted from your paycheck in equal amountseach pay period throughout the plan year. Themoney deposited into your RSA account(s) canthen be used to pay for eligible medical, dental,vision, hearing expenses, OTC medications, aswell as day care expenses.
How do I get reimbursed?As you incur health care and/or day care
expenses, you will submit a claim for reimburse-ment via fax or mail. Reimbursements are madeon a scheduled basis; however, you can file claims
as often as you would like. Your RSA dollars willbe used for reimbursement, which will be pro-vided by check or direct deposit into your bankaccount.
Your claims can also be submitted online atwww.mypayflex.com via Express Claims. Thisprocess is quick, easy, and always available. WithExpress Claims, you can also elect to have yourreimbursement deposited directly into yourchecking or savings bank account. In most caseswith Express Claims and direct deposit, you willbe reimbursed within 48 hours, allowing you tomaximize your spending power.
Reimbursement methodsExpress Claims: www.mypayflex.comFax: 402-231-4310Mail:PayFlex Systems USA, Inc.
PO Box 3039Omaha, NE 68103-3039
How do I keep track of the balance inmy account?
To check the balance in your account, viewtransactions, or check the status of a claim, sim-ply access your plan information atwww.mypayflex.com. PayFlex has also imple-mented an enhanced Integrated Voice Response(IVR) system providing immediate access toaccount balances, overpayment resolution, aswell as to obtain fax numbers and addresses forclaim submission. To access our IVR system,please call 800-284-4885.
What if I don’t use all the money inmy account? Will I lose it?
Yes. Money left over in your account at theend of the year is forfeited. You can avoid forfei-tures by carefully reviewing your prior year’sexpenses and planning only for predictable costs.Sandia has elected to include a grace periodwithin the health care plan, so you will beallowed 75 additional days after the end of yourplan year to use your RSA funds. For example, ifyour plan year ends on Dec. 31, Sandia will allowexpenses to be incurred through March 15. Inaddition, PayFlex has established partnershipswith various online vendors to help you spendyour RSA dollars more efficiently. Accessible viaour website, you can buy items such as glasses,contact lenses, and eligible OTC medicationsusing your PayFlex™ Card, or any other majorcredit card. When using your own credit card, youwill receive a receipt to use for reimbursement.
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 10
What you need to know aboutReimbursement Spending Accounts
Benefits Choices 2008 — Open Enrollment is Oct. 20-Nov. 9
RSAs can be created for health care and/or day care expenses
(Continued on next page)
Vacation Buy Plan —buy up to 44 hours
Every year during Open Enrollment, employ-ees have the option to buy vacation. The Vaca-tion Buy Plan (VBP) is an optional plan thatallows employees to purchase vacation on a pre-tax (before federal, state, and Social Security taxesare deducted) basis. Why would you want to pur-chase vacation as opposed to taking time offwithout pay? The vacation hours you purchaseare deducted evenly from your biweekly pay-checks throughout the calendar year rather thanhaving a financial impact all at once.
Employees may purchase a minimum ofeight hours up to a maximum of 44 hours ofvacation. The cost of each vacation hour is deter-mined by dividing your full-time annual base payas of the beginning of the calendar year by 2,080.
Purchased vacation can be used once carry-over, accrued/posted, and convertible vacationhave all been depleted. Unused elected vacationhours will be sold back in the last paycheck inDecember at the same rate as purchased. Upontermination or retirement, elected vacation hoursnot used but paid for will be sold back at the samerate as purchased.
For more information on the Vacation BuyPlan, refer to Sandia’s VBP Summary PlanDescription (SPD). The VBP SPD can be found atwww.sandia.gov/benefits/spd/pdfs/Vacation-Buy.pdf or by calling the Benefits Customer Ser-vice Center 844-HBES (4237).
Instructions for enrolling in the VBP areavailable in your Benefits Choices 2008 OpenEnrollment HR Self-Service website.
VGA Insurance is an optional, employee-paidaccident insurance that provides financial protec-tion to employees and families for covered acci-dents. Employees can purchase insurance coveragein amounts from $10,000 to $300,000, in units of$5,000 (maximum $300,000 combined coveragein all plans). Premiums are paid through payrolldeductions.
Employees have three types of coverageoptions to select from and may select any com-bination:
• Plan I-A: Employee-Only Coverage. • Plan I-B: Family Plan may include
employee, spouse, and children. Specific rulesapply to coverage of dependents. The electionamount chosen will result in a benefit amount asfollows: spouse only, 50 percent of electionamount; spouse and children, 40 percent and 10percent each; children only, 15 percent each.
• Plan II: Employee-Only Common Carrierinsurance covers the employee for accidentsaboard public transportation.
For more information on the plan, cost of thecoverage, and how to enroll, visit the Open Enroll-ment website. Open Enrollment website:
Employees and Retirees: http://oe.sandia.govSandia Labs Health Benefits and Employee Ser-vices (HBE)
Customer ServiceHBE Customer Service @ http://hbe.sandia.govBenefits Customer Service has moved to:Innovation Parkway Office Center (IPOC)3rd floor, Suite 3G (outside the Eubank Gate)Hours: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.Mail Stop 1463505-844-HBES (4237) or 1-800-417-2634, ext. 844-HBES (4237)
Voluntary Group Accident (VGA) Insurance
How do I get started?
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 11
What is available online atwww.mypayflex.com?
• Account Information• RSA Tutorial• RSA Savings Calculator• Expense Planning Worksheets• Listing of Eligible & Ineligible Expense Items• Frequently Asked Questions• Administrative Forms & Publications• IRS Forms & Publications
Questions?If you have any questions or wish to obtain
account information via our IVR system, pleasecall PayFlex at 800-284-4885. Customer servicerepresentatives are available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST,Monday through Friday.
Day care expense requirementsDay care expenses are those that must be
incurred to enable you and your spouse, if mar-ried, to be gainfully employed. The expense mustbe incurred for services received after the effectivedate of your election and during the plan year towhich it applies. The expenses must be for a qual-ifying individual. This includes a dependentyounger than age 13, a spouse, or other dependentswho are physically or mentally incapable of self-care and for whom you can claim an exemption.
The day care services must be provided by aneligible day care provider. This includes a licensedday care facility that complies with applicable
state and local laws and any individual who is nota tax dependent of yours or a child of yours age19 or older. Day care expenses must be for ser-vices incurred, not for services to be provided inthe future. The annual expense reimbursementmay not exceed the lesser of your earned income,if married; your spouse’s earned income; or$5,000 ($2,500 if married, filing separate incometax returns). You must file Form 2441 annuallywith your individual tax return identifying allyour day care providers.
Health care expense requirementsHealth care expenses must be incurred for ser-
vices rendered on or after the effective date ofyour election and during the plan year includingthe grace period as explained above. Each individ-ual, for whom you can incur expenses, generallyincludes a dependent who you are entitled toclaim as dependent on your federal tax return, aswell as a spouse or other tax dependents who arephysically or mentally incapable of self-care.
All expenses must be for services incurred andalready provided, not for services to be providedin the future. In addition, the expenses may nothave been reimbursed and must not be reim-bursable by insurance or any other source. Youcannot claim the same expenses as a deductionon your annual income-tax return. Other ineligi-ble items include individual insurance premiums,other group insurance premiums, and long-termcare expenses.
Special plan rules• You may enroll in a RSA only during Open
Enrollment or when you first become eligible. Thisenrollment covers your pay periods from youreffective date through the end of the plan year.
• Once you establish your plan year contribu-tion, you may only change it if you experience achange in status.
• Any amount(s) left in your account(s) at theend of the plan year will be forfeited.
• You may file plan year claims through therun-out period as established by the plan.
• You do not have to enroll in youremployer’s health insurance plan to participate inthe Reimbursement Spending Accounts. If you oryour family members are covered for health insur-ance elsewhere, you can still claim qualifying out-of-pocket health care expenses under the RSA.
• Remember that your expenses must beincurred during your period of coverage.Expenses are considered as having been incurredwhen you are provided with the health care orday care and not when you are formally billed,charged for, or pay for the care.
Change in status rulesIRS guidelines may allow you to change your
plan contribution during the plan year only uponthe following conditions:
• Change in legal marital status (marriage,divorce, legal separation, annulment, or death ofa spouse)
• Change in number of tax dependents(birth, adoption, or death)
• Change in employment status that affectseligibility
• Dependent satisfying or ceasing to satisfycoverage requirements (reaching limiting age,marriage)
• Change in residence that affects eligibilityTo apply for a change, you must complete a
mid-year change-in-election form through HBESwithin 31 days of the date of the event.
RSAs(Continued from preceding page)
Sandia’s annual employee giving program wasborn in 1956 with 91 percent of Sandians partici-pating and raising a total of $63,900.
Ted Sherwin, manager of Sandia’s Public Rela-tions Department at thetime, was the architect ofwhat eventually becameECP. He knew other orga-nizations around thecountry were adopting so-called federal giving pro-gram, which combinedannual employee Com-munity Chest contribu-tions. He felt these planshad some of the elementsSandia was looking for inhis plan. Year-round giv-ing by payroll deductionwould be the key. Afterlots of meetings and lotsof hours, ECP was born.
The plan was initiallycalled the United Fund,and it incorporated 24Community Chest agencies. Sandians were encour-aged to give their “fair share.” Many formulas wereused to arrive at a fair share. One of the most popu-lar was giving one hour’s pay each week of theyear. The accepted rule of thumb was “make yourcontribution large enough so that your conscience
is satisfied — let your conscience be your guide.”Year-round giving was made possible for the firsttime by payroll deduction.
The importance of the campaign was illus-trated in a special Lab News edition called “Red
Feather Special.” One of the big draws
of the 1956 campaign wasa jingle contest.
Three lines were pro-vided and Sandians com-pleted the jingle. Clockradios bought with pri-vately donated funds weregiven to the writers of thetop 10 jingles.
In honor of its incep-tion in 1956, Sandia willpublish three winning jin-gles in the SDN, one eachweek of the campaign. Aset of movie tickets will begiven to the top two win-ners each week. The entrieswill be judged by Lab Newswriters.
Here is an example of one of the winningentries in 1956.
Christmas and United FundCome but once a yearA chance to help your fellowmanSo put your drive in gear
‘Put your drive in gear’: Sandia’s 2007 ECPcampaign celebrates 50 years of giving By Iris Aboytes
Two Sandians receiveAmerican PhysicalSociety prizes
Two Sandians will be awarded major prizesby the American Physical Society at its annualMarch meeting.
Julia Phillips (1100) will receive the GeorgeE. Pake Prize, meant to recognize and encourageoutstanding work by physicists combining origi-nal research accomplishments with leadership inthe management of research or development inindustry.
Julia was cited for her leadership and pio-neering research in materials physics for indus-trial and national security applications.
Past Sandia president C. Paul Robinson wonthis award in 2003.
Gary Grest (1133) was awarded the AneesurRahman Prize, given annually to recognize andencourage outstanding achievement in compu-tational physics research.
Gary’s work was characterized as “ground-breaking” in his development of computationalmethods and their application to the study ofsoft materials, including polymers, colloids, andgranular systems.
“Congratulations to Julie and Gary,”emailed Sandia VP Rick Stulen (1000). “Theseachievements and their recognition areextremely impressive.”
Each prize consists of $5,000, an allowancefor travel to the March meeting at which theprize is awarded and certificates presented thatcite the contributions made by each recipient.Gary will deliver the Rahman Lecture and Juliawill present an invited talk.
APS annual prizes and awards, more than 40in number, recognize outstanding achievementsin research, education, and public service. Withfew exceptions, they are open to all members ofthe scientific community in the US and abroad.
The nomination procedure involves APS-appointed selection committees that guaranteethe awards’ high standards and prestige, accord-ing to the society.
By Neal Singer
Julia Phillips and Gary Gresthonored by professional society
New ECP Logo
A new and more modern logo has beendesigned by Tara Camacho-Lopez (3654) toreflect the giving heart in each one of us. Thelogo helps usher in the next 50 years of theprogram.
And in California . . .
October 8-26
Differences discovered between the propertiesof niobium and tantalum may lead to new elec-tronic materials, tweaked band gaps, and newphotocatalysts, says Sandia researcher MayNyman (6316).
May, along with postdoc Travis Anderson(6316), reported these unexpected disparities in acover story of the Oct. 28 Dalton Transactions, aninternational inorganic chemistry journal pub-lished by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the
British equivalent of the American Chemical Soci-ety. The paper also received the distinction ofbeing picked among “the hottest science” by ref-erees of that journal on its web page.
“The elements tantalum and niobium are inthe same column on the periodic table,” saysMay. “Their electronic configurations are relatedand their ions are virtually identical in size. Gen-erally, the prevailing paradigm has been that theircharacteristics are very similar. They are describedthat way in chemistry textbooks. But we foundthat tantalum oxides are considerably more inertand less soluble than niobium oxides, and wewanted to understand why.”
The unexpected difference, as well as a new“soft chemistry” method of forming com-pounds containing them, means that newmaterials with tailored properties may be
formed more simply. The old method, called“the volcano method,” involved melting oxidestogether at very high temperatures. The “soft”method was published by May and others thispast summer and involves chemical finesse ratherthan brute force.
‘Inertness is important’Tantalum oxides are used in medical implants
and hypoallergenic surgical tools, as well as to helpform ceramics that hold nuclear waste, because oftheir inertness in liquid media. They resist destruc-tion by radioactivity and do not poison the bodyby deteriorating in its tissues.
Tantalum oxide is also used in cell phones ascapacitors primarily because of its ability to holdelectrical charge, but even there, says May, “Inert-ness is important.”
But the underside of usefully inert materialslike tantalum oxides is they are hard to workwith. They tend to precipitate out of solution inan uncontrolled and undesirable way.
Niobium is easier to work with, but less inertfor reasons poorly understood until May andcoworkers used the soluble Lindqvist “cluster”ions to explore this question.
The ion is composed of tantalum and oxygen
or niobium and oxygen, and contains only 25atoms each. The predictable and repetitive struc-ture of these collections of ions lends itself tostudy more than do tantalum or niobium oxidesurfaces, which are formed of a disordered collec-tion of oxygen and tantalum or niobium atoms.Therefore the ion was a possible model to study
the surface — if they behaved the same way. “Much to our surprise, the Lindqvist ions
proved to be ideal models for both the structuralfeatures and the chemical reactivity of the tanta-lum and niobium oxide surfaces,” notes Travis.
“We did one of the few studies of both oxidesurfaces and cluster ions where both behave thesame way,” May says, “and the study revealedunprecedented differences in the behavior of nio-bium and tantalum oxides.”
The difference was in the way that waterexchanges with oxygen atoms in both the clustersand at the surfaces of these materials. In the tan-talum materials it exchanges in a way that makesit unstable, and precipitating it onto a surface isone way to stabilize it. In niobium materials, thereaction with water results in stable species thatcan stay in solution more easily.
Understanding how tantalum oxide behavesin aqueous media, and controlling it by softchemistry, should lead to the production of newtantalum and niobium oxide materials with opti-mum characteristics.
Other authors on the paper include MarkRodriguez (1822,) Francois Bonhomme of theEcole Centrale de Paris, Joel Bixler (Sandia sum-mer student, University of Texas-Austin), andTodd Alam (1816). The work was done in collabo-ration with Bill Casey, a professor at University ofCalifornia Davis.
The work was funded by Sandia’s LaboratoryDirected Research and Development office.
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 12
Secret lives of two elements uncovered by Sandia researchers‘Hot’ paper is cover story in Royal Society of Chemistry journal Dalton Transactions
RESEARCHER MAY NYMAN, right, and postdoc colleague Travis Anderson (both 6316) have discovered unexpecteddifferences in the properties of niobium and tantalum, which, given their positions on the periodic table, shouldhave similar characteristics. May, Travis, and several coauthors have published a paper on their findings in theBritish Royal Society of Chemistry journal Dalton Transactions. (Photo by Bill Doty)
By Neal Singer
Section 3161 announcement:Possible workforce restructuring at Sandia NationalLaboratories and its satellite facilities announced
The Department of Energy (DOE), the NationalNuclear Security Administration (NNSA), andNNSA’s Sandia Site Office (SSO) today announcedthat they have begun work on a draft workforcerestructuring plan (Plan). The draft Plan, beingdeveloped consistent with Section 3161 of theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year1993, is required whenever workforce restructuringmay occur at a DOE defense nuclear facility.
The Section 3161 Plan will mitigate the impactof any potential workforce reductions among theemployees at Sandia National Laboratories, its satel-lite facilities, and the surrounding communities,and will be developed in consultation with affectedstakeholders. It will set forth the Department’sapproach for responding to the changing missionsand contractor structure at Sandia National Labora-
tories and its satellite facilities for FY2008 andbeyond.
The draft Plan is available on the SSO website(www.doeal.gov/sso) for public comment throughOct. 19, 2007. The draft Plan will be finalized at theend of the stakeholder comment period.
Sandia Corporation, a subsidiary of Lock-heed Martin Corporation, the management andoperating contractor for Sandia National Labora-tories and its satellite facilities, is evaluatingoptions for restructuring its work force, shouldrestructuring be necessary. The action is part ofSandia Corporation’s ongoing assessment of theskills mix of the current work force in compari-son to the skills mix necessary to carry out cur-rent and future missions.
Note: The following information was distributedby NNSA’s Sandia Site Office to the news media onOct. 9.
“Generally, the prevailing paradigm hasbeen that their [niobium and tantalum]characteristics are very similar. They aredescribed that way in chemistry text-books. But we found that tantalumoxides are considerably more inert andless soluble than niobium oxides, and wewanted to understand why.”
Sandia researcher May Nyman
COVER OF journal Dalton Transactions featuringresearch by May Nyman and several coauthors.
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 13
Machine shop works to get back into customer service
When customers enter the machine shop inBldg. 840, they are greeted by a large yellow ban-ner reading “Excellence in the customer’s inter-est” — a motto the shop has worked to adoptthrough changes over the past 11 months.
“Before, we were organized in a way that wasconvenient for us,” says David Plummer, directorof Manufacturing Science & Technology Center2400. “Now it’s easier for our customers. We havereally picked up the motto of ‘We’re putting ser-vice back in Service Center.’”
After David became director in December2006, he and Carla Chirigos (2024) directed thebusiness operations staff — including LynneStarkweather and Elizabeth Roll (both 2024) — tospend the following months working on a com-prehensive study on the business health of theBldg. 840 shop.
“After interviewing most of the workforce inthe shop and nearly 100 Sandia customers, wecame up with a list of 30 recommendations ofwhat the shop could do differently,” Elizabethsays. “Times had gotten leaner for the shop, andwe didn’t necessarily understand the economicsof our business well enough to react quickly tochange.”
In FY06, the Nuclear Weapons SMU providedfunds to cover the shop’s financial shortfalls. Thisyear, however, the shop has not required anybailout or subsidy from Nuclear Weapons or anyof the other SMUs.
“That’s probably our biggest accomplish-
ment,” Elizabeth says.Other changes to the shop all have focused
on improving customer service, and businessoperation staff members say they hope thesechanges will eventually help the economic side ofthe shop as well.
2431 reorganizationBefore the recent changes, Dept. 2431 was
organized in sections based on the type of workthey did. Now, it’s organized in a more customer-friendly way. Three new sections — Machiningand Liaison Services, led by Daryl Reckaway(2433-1); Machine Shop, led by Joe Stephenson(2431-2); and Machine Shop Infrastructure, led byDoug Abrams (2433-2) — work together to get alltypes of shop work done.
Joe Harris, senior manager of ManufacturingEnterprise Dept. 2430, and Matt Donnelly, man-ager of Machining Operations Dept. 2431, are thearchitects behind the concept of centralizingoperations within the shop. Customer service rep-resentatives now sit at the main entrance on thewest side of Bldg. 840, creating one primary pointof entrance for the customer.
Along with this reorganization, the shop nowkeeps a job board at the front with the service rep-resentatives. Customers can stop by and check thestatus of their job anytime. Matt hopes to eventu-ally see the job board move online, giving cus-tomers yet one more way to obtain information.
New machinesIn FY07, the shop purchased 11 new pieces
of equipment. According to Joe,this is the most machines everpurchased in a single year.However, there is a major dif-ference between the types ofmachines they’re purchasingnow and the ones they boughtin the past.
“We identified that we havea shortage of basic or standardCNC [computer numerical con-trolled] machinery required tosupport the business,” Matt says.
In the past, the shop wouldinvest in unusual equipmentthat would allow it to provideunique services to Sandia cus-tomers. Now the shop is chang-ing to try to be able to providethe more common services in amore cost-effective way.
The shop has disposed of12 pieces of manufacturingequipment this year. Withmore money coming in, Mattsays the shop will continue toinvest in more practicalmachines to do the everyday
work for customers.For Sandians needing quick-and-easy jobs,
the shop now has a machinist on call (845-SHOP). Begun in early July under the direction ofDoug Abrams (2433-2) and Linda Wood (1057),the service has had about a dozen calls so far, andin more than half the cases has managed to getthe parts back to the customer in the same day.
“The original vision was to be more conve-nient for our customers,” Linda says. “Ratherthan the customer having to come to the shopwith the materials, we would send our people tothe customer.”
Customers can stop by the machine shop inBldg. 840 in Tech Area 1 to schedule work or,depending on the scale of the work, call845-SHOP to schedule a job.
Cusomers can also receive assistance in draw-ing up plans for the job from a professionalmachinist, who will come right to the customer’soffice.
“In addition to cost, schedule, and perfor-mance, the customers were concerned about col-laboration and communication,” Lynne says. Themachinist on-call service provides anotheravenue for customers to engage in that desiredcollaboration.
Other changesMost of the changes in the 840 machine shop
are the result of a common goal: to make theshop more customer-oriented. The shop is alsoworking on the following:
• Implementing the software “Job Boss” tokeep the entire shop more organized electronically.
• Offering the option of firm-fixed-pricing forwell defined statements of work or drawings.
•Establishing a second liaison office in TechArea 4 to better serve the customers there.
• Restarting the Apprentice Program under adifferent model.
“We’re really working hard to better serve ourSandia customers,” Lynne says. “The point thatwe want to get across is that change has hap-pened. We’ve listened to you, customers.”
IT GOES IN THIS WAY — Tim Mitchell (2431) loads a cutting tool, this oneintended for future use, into a new Haas milling machine’s automatic toolchanger. (Photo by Bill Doty)
By Jacqueline Cieslak
ALL NEW EQUIPMENT — Modern equipment and efficient techniques rejuvenateSandia’s machine shop. Using an updated recapitalization strategy, the shop acquired
11 new machines this year. Adding the new machines is just one of several ways themachine shop has responded to custmer feedback. (Photo by Bill Doty)
Sandia makes fine widgets and has powerfulsupercomputers. But the Labs also embraces envi-ronmental sustainability.
The newly completed three-story MESAMicrosystems Fabrication (MicroFab) facility wasrecently certified under the Leadership in Energyand Environmental Design (LEED™) Green Build-ing Rating System developed by the US GreenBuilding Council.
It is believed to be the first microchip fabrica-tion facility to obtain this prestigious certification.
LEED certification is granted only to buildingprojects that demonstrate superior performancein five key areas of human and environmentalhealth: sustainable site development, water sav-ings, energy efficiency, materials selection, andindoor environmental quality.
Energy efficiency is an integral part of theMESA project design, including a highly efficientand innovative Central Utility Building plant thatserves both the MicroFab and the adjacent Micro-Lab buildings. The cleanroom functions of theMicroFab lead to a natural emphasis on indoor airquality, including application of low-emittingmaterials and use of high-efficiency air filtrationmedia.
Since semiconductor manufacturing involvessignificant process water use, the MicroFab incor-porates a high-efficiency ultra-pure water genera-tion process, process water recycling loop, and
reclaim/reuse of water forcooling tower and scrubberapplications.
Other project-specificgreen measures include acces-sibility to alternative trans-portation options, occupant-based water-efficientplumbing fixtures, and low-water-use landscape design.
Resource conservationthrough waste management,incorporation of recycled con-tent materials and locallymanufactured materials werealso emphasized in the project.
Currently, there areapproximately 1,000 LEED-certified buildings worldwidewith another 8,000 buildingprojects seeking LEEDcertification.
The MicroFab facility isone of the most complexbuildings at Sandia and is the first of three newfacilities that make up the Microsystems andEngineering Sciences Applications (MESA) com-plex. Its structure includes sophisticated safetysystems and controls because of the hazardousmaterials used in the production of compoundsemiconductors. The MicroFab provides clean-rooms and transition cleanroom space, support
labs, chemical and specialty gas rooms, and aservice yard.
Other “green” Sandia buildings include theCenter for Integrated Nanotechnology (CINT),the Joint Computational Engineering Labora-tory (JCEL), and the Weapons Evaluation TestLaboratory (WETL) at the Pantex Plant nearAmarillo, Texas.
By Neal Singer
LEED award from US Green Building Council shows we’re ‘green’ again
CERTIFIED GREEN — The three-story MESA Microsystems Fabrication(MicroFab) facility was recently certified under the Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED™) Green Building Rating System developed bythe US Green Building Council. (Photo by Bill Doty)
SANDIA LAB NEWS • October 12, 2007 • Page 16
A mother with small children is being abusedby her husband. Statistics show the children are alsooften being abused. How can it stop? How can theyall get to safety? What does the mom do? Wheredoes she go first? Help has many possibilities — lawenforcement, legal, medical, and education systems,etc., etc. How about the faith community?
The Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center hasbeen established in partnership with the city ofAlbuquerque and United Way of Central NewMexico (UWCNM). The AFAC is a multidiscipli-nary, colocated facility of organizations and ser-vices that assist adult and child victims of intimatepartner violence, child abuse, sexual assault, andrape. It houses government and nonprofit serviceproviders under one roof to make it easier for vic-tims to get access to the services they need toimprove their lives.
Sandia/Lockheed Martin recently donated$25,000 to the center. The Labs Leadership Teamtoured the facility and received a briefing on itsmission. (See story below.)
The center is on the second floor of 625 SilverAve. SW. It is one block from the city’s free busservice that circles around downtown every sevenminutes. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday. Agencies that provide medical,advocate, and law enforcement services will have24/7 access to the facility. Acute sexual assaultexams for adults or children will be done when-ever they are needed.
Each organization maintains its own auton-
omy, structure, and funding, but the city of Albu-querque provides free office space and UnitedWay of Central New Mexico is providing the one-time costs to support the facility.
Research has consistently shown that victimsof family violence who successfully move intohealthy living situations need up to 32 differentorganizations to help them get there. Many vic-tims return to abuse because the systems in placeto help them are hard to reach. For some it is diffi-cult to find the courage to move forward afterbeing so seriously hurt for a long time. In manycases, it is the abuse of the children that movesthe victim to action.
The AFAC makes it possible to go to one sitewhere there are medical personnel, law enforce-ment professionals, advocates, and forensic inter-viewers (who reduce the number of times a victimhas to tell their story). The information is recordedfor court purposes. Multiple entities can remotely
New Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center to open Oct. 24
observe the review and add questions.Safety is paramount at the AFAC. A security
system is in place to safeguard each victim. The
reception area of the AFAC will be accessible fromthe elevator. The remainder of the floor will beaccessible by security card access only. The AFACwill be a victim-only site. Police will bring suspectsto other locations to interview.
Care has been taken to give the facility awarm and welcoming atmosphere, a place wherehelp is freely given. Victims can come and decidefor themselves what services they want or whatservices they do not want. They take the first stepin taking their lives back.
As she conducts a briefing at the Family Advo-cacy Center, project director Joanne Fine chal-lenges visitors to imagine a world free of rape kitsand rape exams, a world where clothing isn’twrapped in white butcher paper to preserve foren-sic evidence. She asks visitors to envision a worldwhere children live not in an atmosphere ofchronic abuse, shame, and pain, but in an envi-ronment rich with laughter and affirmation. TheFamily Advocacy Center, she says, cannot by itselfbring about that world, but for the victims itserves, it can restore some of the trust that hasbeen stripped from them. It can help them re-engage the world with confidence and self-respect.
Also available at the center is a ReflectionRoom. Whatever the victim’s faith, the hope isthat this will be a beginning of a peaceful journey.
THE HARD FACTS — A delegation of Sandia’s Laboratory Leadership Team headed by Labs Director Tom Hunter(fourth from right) traveled to the soon-to-open Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center (AFAC) to tour the facilityand receive a briefing the agency’s mission from Joanne Fine, left, project director, Family Advocacy Center.Sandia/Lockheed Martin donated $25,000 to the Center. The money will be used to sponsors special rooms thatwill provide snacks and clothing for traumatized victims. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
By Iris Aboytes
Members of Sandia’s Laboratory LeadershipTeam toured the new Albuquerque Family Advo-cacy Center recently.
On Nov. 1, 2006, the City of Albuquerque andUnited Way of Central New Mexico (UWCNM)agreed to partner to build a Family AdvocacyCenter in Albuquerque.
UWCNM examined Scottsdale and Mesa FACsand met with the San Diego Family Justice Center.
The decision to continue was made and theAlbuquerque Family Advocacy Center began to takeshape. It will open Oct. 24.
Sandia/Lockheed Martin donated $25,000 tothe new Center. The donation enables Sandia tosponsor two rooms. One is the family snack areawhere two refrigerators will be fully stocked. Theother will contain clothes and shoes. Victims’clothes are frequently kept for examination.
Sandia/Lockheed Martin donates $25,000to Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center
• Albuquerque Police Department • Albuquerque SANE [Sexual Assault Nurse
Examiners] • Asian Family Center • Bernalillo County District Attorney • Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department • Child Protective Services, CYFD • District Court • ENLACE Comunitario • Family & Community Services, City of
Albuquerque • Legal Aid of New Mexico • NM Crime Victim Reparations • NM State Police • Para Los Niños, UNMH • Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico • Resources Inc. Victim Assistance Unit
AFAC onsite partners
DURING A TOUR of the Albuquerque Family AdvocacyCenter, Labs Director Tom Hunter (center) shares amoment with United Way of Central New MexicoExecutive Director Jack Holmes (left) and AlbuquerquePolice Chief Ray Schultz. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
The Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center will be openfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It will beaccessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days ayear with medical, law enforcement, or advocate onsitepartners. The FAC phone number will be 243-2333 and theweb address will be www.abqfamily.org.
