May 08 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine

Kudos

Doorn receives DOE outstanding mentor award

Stephen Doorn of Advanced Diagnostics and Energy Systems recently was honored as a recipient of the Department of Energy Office of Science Outstanding Mentor Award. The award recognizes mentors for students participating in the DOE Office of Science Scientific Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program. In addition to the award from DOE, Doorn also will mentor a SULI student intern this summer.

Durakiewicz elected to Synchrotron Radiation Center user committee

Tomasz Durakiewicz of Condensed Matter and Thermal Physics was elected to serve on the User Advisory Committee at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The center is a National Science Foundation-funded national user facility run by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a member of the Committee, Durakiewicz will provide input to center management regarding operations of the light source and the science portfolio of the facility.

Brandt elected vice president of AIHA

Michael Brandt of Operations was elected vice president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Brandt has served as a member of the AIHA Board of Directors since 2001 and has been a member of AIHA since 1979. AIHA is one of the largest international associations serving the needs of occupational and environmental health professionals practicing industrial hygiene in industry, government, labor, academic institutions, and independent organizations.

Lab’s Nanotechnology Center honored by DOE

The Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) was honored recently by Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman for effective management of construction and instrumentation projects at CINT’s Gateway to Los Alamos facility and Albuquerque’s Core facility.

According to award documentation, the integrated LANL-SNL project team credited extensive communication and planning for the team’s ability to respond to unanticipated challenges arising during the construction period, such as the Laboratorywide “Stand Down,” a continuing resolution affecting the federal budget, and escalating costs for materials and labor.

The Gateway to Los Alamos facility and the Core facility were formally completed in April 2007 at a cost of $75 million, although basic operations were able to start in 2006. Both facilities comprise more than 130,000 square feet of space. The Lab’s CINT is located at Technical Area 3 and includes laboratories to house cutting-edge technologies, such as ultrafast spectroscopy, self-assembly, physical synthesis, scanning probes, pulsed laser deposition, and a visualization theater.Choi receives young scientist award

Albuquerque duo wins Supercomputing Challenge

Budding scientists from Albuquerque, Erika DeBenedictis of St. Pius X High School and Tony Huang of La Cueva High School, captured the top prize at the 2008 New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge award ceremony hosted by the Laboratory.

The team’s project, “An Analysis of Direct Simulation Monte Carlo and Its Application to Simulating Supersonic Shockwaves,” modeled a spacecraft’s reentry into the atmosphere. Each student on the winning team earned $1,000. Their teacher received a projection system.

DeBenedictis is a two-time top-prize winner in the Challenge; she teamed with two Albuquerque students in last year’s competition on a project also involving space flight.

To read a Laboratory news release, go to http://www.lanl.gov/news/index.php/fuseaction/home.story/story_id/13172.