Please report to the Sandia reception area, Building 911, at 7:45 a.m. on your first day. You will be attending an orientation that will last 2–3 hours before you meet your mentor.
Please allow ample time to get your badge prior to arriving at building 911 (see Getting Your Sandia Badge below).
NOTE: Interns who come in as visitors, such as Department of Homeland Security interns, do not receive offer packages and, therefore, will not receive the list of acceptable documents referenced below in this section.
A valid driver’s license or picture ID and an appropriate identification document (refer to the List of Acceptable Documents on the back of the Conditions of Employment at Sandia National Laboratories document included with your offer package).
All paperwork from your offer package, filled out and completed BEFORE you arrive.
Proof of U.S. citizenship. Acceptable documents include the following:
Cell phones, PDAs, iPods, and mp3 players (as well as other items such as laptop computers and cameras) are NOT allowed in most areas of Sandia. Please leave these items in your car until you are familiar with the security procedures.
NOTE: Please have your phone off and put away before approaching the guard gate. Once you drive through the guard gate, you are not allowed to talk on your cell phone while driving, even with a hands-free device.
In addition, do not bring cigarettes or tobacco of any kind. Sandia is a smoke/tobacco-free facility.
Suggested work attire for your first day is “business casual.” During the summer, shorts and t-shirts are usually allowed in areas not accessible to the public. We suggest that you check with your mentor on your first day about appropriate work attire. However, tank tops, bare midriffs, or short shorts are inappropriate anywhere on-site.
For interns who are unfamiliar with the Bay Area microclimates: although the average daytime temperature in Livermore and other surrounding inland areas can reach up to the high 90s during the summer, we recommend that you also pack some warm clothing for the evenings and those occasional days when the sun does not come out. Also, visitors to San Francisco should always bring a light jacket or sweatshirt since temperatures may dip into the 50s or 60s. For more information, check out the weather links in the Visiting the Tri-Valley section of this website.
See the Maps and Directions page in the Visitor Guide section of this website.
From the guard gate area, walk to Mobile 53 (the Satellite Badge Office). You will be asked a few questions, and your picture will be taken for your Sandia badge. Please note that you MUST always wear your Sandia badge to gain access to the site and your work area.
After getting your badge, return to your car, and exit the parking lot. Since the parking lot is intended for one-way traffic, you will need to head back out onto S. Vasco Road, and then turn RIGHT again onto East Avenue.
This time, stop at the guard gate, and show the security guard your badge.* After passing the stop sign and the first signal light, drive past the West Entrance (first driveway on your right), and turn RIGHT into the second driveway on your right. Park in this lot, and head toward building 911, which is located on your left-hand side as you pull into the parking lot. (Please do not park in any of the visitor- or reserved-parking spaces.)
*NOTE: Random car searches are part of the norm at Sandia, so the security guard may ask to search your car. The guard will ask you to pull over to the curb; open the hood, trunk, and glove compartment; and step out of your car. DON’T WORRY—you’re not getting arrested—and NO, you don’t look suspicious! These searches happen randomly every day.
Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. For your first morning, you can park anywhere between the guard gate and Bldg. 911. For subsequent days, your mentor can help you determine the best lot in which to park and give you directions.
As you enter Bldg. 911, look for the person with a camera. That person will take a few outdoor snapshots of you so that we can highlight you on our website.
After your pictures are taken, you will join other new interns for a new-hire orientation. This procedure will take approximately two hours, depending on the number of new hires for that day. ASK QUESTIONS! If you have a concern, this is the time to have it answered.
After you’ve completed your orientation, someone from your department will meet you in the lobby to take you to your office.
Sandians have a thirty-minute lunch break.
Scardina’s Deli Café is open on-site from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the lobby of Bldg. 915 (DISL). You can purchase premade sandwiches, salads, and fruit selections, or call (925) 443-0494 by 10:15 a.m. to special-order your selections for pickup at noon the same day. Often (during the summer especially), interns meet one day a week to go to a local restaurant (see the lunch forum in the Bulletin Board to sign up weekly).
Of course, you are also welcome to bring your own lunch.
NOTE: Employees (including interns) with gray-striped badges are NOT permitted access to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which is across the street from Sandia. The badges are site-specific, so those with gray-striped badges will need an LLNL escort to access the site.