Community Programs Office  
November 2007, Issue No. 32


SIGN UP! (enter e-mail)





Table of Contents










Quick Links





Happy November!

It must be November. October's golden leaves are turning into somber brown carpets, and the highest peaks along the Sangre de Cristo range have sparkled with brief traces of snow.

In my grandparents' time, November was a month for hunting and harvesting in preparation for winter. I could see a lot of pride in my grandmother's eyes as she stocked her storage cellar with gleaming jars of fruit and vegetable preserves.

Things are a little different now, but we at LANL wish you and your families the best as we move from one beautiful New Mexico season to another.

Johnnie Martinez


Software application helps physicians target tumor sites  
Physicians trying to target specific tumor sites with beams may now find it a little easier, thanks to a new software application developed by Transpire Inc., a spinoff company from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Transpire Inc. develops ways to accurately predict the macroscopic behavior of radiation.

The software application developed by Transpire, called Acuros, predicts radiation behavior across a broad range of applications with unrivaled speed and accuracy. For radiotherapy dose calculations, Acuros uses an accurate representation of the patient's anatomy, obtained from computed tomography scans or magnetic resonance imaging, to directly solve the mathematical equations governing subatomic particle behavior.

Consortium awards grants  
A total of $97,500 in grants were recently awarded to the following youth entrepreneurship and economic development programs in northern New Mexico by the Consortium of Major LANL Subcontractors, a group made up of more than ten LANL subcontractors who collaborate on economic development initiatives:
  • $5,000 - Taos Community Foundation - funds will be used as a loan guarantee so that Taos Middle School's youth entrepreneurship venture can borrow money to buy new equipment for its printing enterprise.
  • $5,000 - Movimiento - to support the operation of a youth agricultural effort, which includes value-added food production and sales.
  • $2,500 - Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation - to support expansion of the LACDC's summer youth entrepreneurship program into Rio Arriba County.
  • $22,000 - Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute -for the construction of the market's railyard building.
  • $23,000 - Luciente - to support the collaborative marketing and business operations strategies of the El Rito, Abiquiu, and Pedernal art studio tours.
  • $15,000 - Taos Community Foundation - to support the operations of Taos Entrepreneur Network.
  • $20,000 - Espanola Fiber Arts Center- to go toward the Center's building renovation needs
  • $5,000 - ACCION New Mexico -to support the micro-lender's outreach efforts in northern New Mexico.

LANL subcontractors that provided funding for this year's grant pool awards were KSL, Oracle, Burns & Roe, Guident Technologies, and C/P/E Environmental Services.

Local students earn top spots in Governor's Summit business plan competition  
The first annual Empowering Business Spirit (EBS)/ENLACE Statewide Youth Business Plan Competition took place on September 26 at the Governor's Summit on Economic Development in Albuquerque. Twenty-two students from across the state were finalists. They presented a variety of business plans to a panel of judges comprised of state and economic development professionals. Among the twenty-two were northern New Mexico students from Espanola Valley High School (EVHS), Mesa Vista High School, and Taos Charter School.

Lt. Governor Diane Denish and ENLACE director Ron Martinez presented cash awards to the top five winners and their educational sponsors. The first prize of $500 was awarded to Mesa Vista High School's CFL Lightning partners Amy Tainter, Kayla Avalos, and Kenny Sandoval. Second Place ($400) was awarded to the EVHS school-based business Hot Spot partners Antionetta Davis and Amberly Trujillo. Third place ($300) was awarded to Marcos Archuleta of EVHS for his A-Z Events Planning business. Fourth place ($200) went to Joy Chelsey of Peace, Doves, and Joy business at Taos Charter School. Tying for the fifth place award ($100) were EVHS students Kevin Montoya and Alfredo Herrera for their agricultural business, Manos en La Tierra, along with Tiara Freeman of Taos Charter School's Spirit of Sage business. The cash prizes were provided by the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute, Insight Youth Entrepreneur Development, and Citi Cards.

Teen recreation center opens in Espanola  
Through a partnership between the Family YMCA and the City of Espanola, a teen center became a reality on October 13. The idea for a youth center actually started several years ago when the buildings were donated to the City of Espanola by LANL. These first steps were facilitated by the Lab's Community Relations Office (now Community Programs Office). Then KSL volunteers pitched in their time and resources to provide the facility with the necessary wiring and carpet.

The center has three components: a computer lab with 21 PC's that features a quiet/study area and tutors for students who need assistance; a social and recreation area with pool tables, table tennis, foosball lounge/TV area and exercise equipment; and a classroom instruction area for workshops and classes.

The center's programs will be aimed at developing a sense of purpose and hopefulness in participants and building their ability to bring about positive change. Programs will also include cultural arts and educational offerings by local experts and leadership skills training. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, contact the Teen Center in Espanola at (505) 747-6569.

Things to consider when visiting the northern pueblos  
If you're planning to attend some of the upcoming pueblo feast days, the following etiquette will ensure a rich and meaningful experience while respecting pueblo culture and tradition. In most pueblos, photography, sketching, and recording are usually prohibited. It is also important that one does not enter unmarked buildings, kivas, or graveyards.

Probing questions, particularly regarding pueblo religion, may also be considered inappropriate, and the lack of response to a question typically signals that the question should not be pursued further. Visitors should remember that pueblos are living communities that need to be treated with respect.

18th Annual Supercomputer Challenge highlights  
"This Challenge was definitely one of the best perks of my senior year, and it proved to me that I am capable of doing anything I want so long as I put my mind to it," stated Kyle Fitzpatrick of Onate High School. Kyle was one of the participants in this year's Supercomputing Challenge held at the Glorietta Conference Center. Approximately 300 elementary, middle, and high school students and their 40 teachers attended. The Supercomputing Challenge is sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Labs, and the State of New Mexico.

The Supercomputing Challenge is a program in which teams of students complete science projects using high-performance supercomputers. Each team of up to five students and a sponsoring teacher defines and works on a single computational project of their own choosing.

Throughout the program, help and support are given to the teams by their project advisors and the Supercomputing Challenge organizers and sponsors.

The Challenge is open to all interested students in grades 7 through 12. The program has no grade point, class enrollment, or computer experience prerequisites. Participants include students from public, private, parochial, and home-based schools throughout New Mexico. The most important requirement for participating is a real desire to learn about science and computing.

The teams tackle a range of interesting problems that have measurable components. In recent years, ideas for projects have come from the fields of astronomy, geology, physics, ecology, mathematics, economics, sociology, and computer science.

Community service requests  
The Laboratory's Community Programs Office (CPO) is responsible for administering community service time for science education outreach. The Education Community Service Policy (AM 322) allows employees up to 32 hours per year for community service hours for time spent on education partnership activities that promote science, technology engineering, and math. These activities are primarily focused on student learning and include: science technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities (demonstrations, presentations, workshops, judging exhibits, etc.); corporate-sponsored academic activities (job shadows, environmental outreach, student mentoring/tutoring, etc.); and committees and appointments (service on key educational boards and committees).

CPO recently conducted a two-year evaluation of LANL community service requests to assess the use and cost of the program. For fiscal year 2007, a total of 448 community service requests were approved for a total estimated value of $228,000. For fiscal year 2006, 296 community service requests were approved for a total estimated worth of $196,000. These amounts represent a substantial investment by LANL/LANS that benefit our northern New Mexico community.

The Laboratory encourages its employees to engage in STEM related activities in the region and is streamlining the policy and process for submitting community service education requests beginning this month. This improvement should facilitate tracking, approving, and communicating the positive impact of science education activities and outreach to surrounding communities.

Volunteer opportunity  
The New Mexico Aging and Long-term Services Department is looking for volunteers to help in a number of different areas. Benefits Counselors, after training, can help those in need find necessary services. Long-term Care Ombudsmen advocate for residents undergoing long-term care. The Department's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program can offer volunteers 55 or older with opportunties to help at hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, senior centers, and other locations. For these and other volunteer opportunities, visit the VolunteerMatch website.

KUDOS!  
trophy
Technology Kudos
  • Kudos to Tom Vestrand, Scott Crooker, Dan Thoma, Juan Fernandez, and Jeff Bedell who are the 2007 Laboratory Fellows Prize Recipients.

Business Kudos

  • Kudos to the following NNM residents who were selected by NM Business Weekly as "Top Power Brokers": Kevin Holsapple, Marie Longserre, and Lillian Montoya-Rael.

Economic Development Kudos

  • Kudos to Los Alamos County for receiving honorable mention by the International Economic Development Council for its Annual Report.
  • Kudos also to Duncan McBranch who was recently named as the Deputy Principal Associate Director for Science, Technology and Engineering (PADSTE) at LANL.


Community Calendar  

Copyright � Los Alamos National Laboratory All rights reserved.     PO Box 1663, MS A117 Los Alamos,NM 87545