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Global Security
LLNL an OPCW-designated lab for biomedical samples
In addition to maintaining its Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) laboratory designation for analyzing suspect environmental samples, LLNL also is an OPCW-designated laboratory for the analysis of biomedical samples. (See "Lab earns 'A' in OPCW test) In this instance, OPCW inspectors have the ability to collect biomedical samples for cases of…
Lab assists in NASA launch of Mars rover
When an Atlas V-541 rocket lifted off Thursday morning (July 30) for Mars from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the Perseverance rover in tow, two Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists had front row seats. The pair, Steve Homann and Jessica Osuna, researchers in the Lab’s National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC), part of the Nuclear…
Lawrence Livermore, Tyvak Systems announce agreement to develop telescopes for nanosatellites
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. have reached a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to develop innovative compact and robust telescopes for nanosatellites. The four-year, $2 million CRADA will combine LLNL’s Monolithic Telescope (MonoTele) technology with Tyvak’s expertise producing high-reliability…
Lab delivers innovation jolt with pulsed power modules
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers delivered four pulsed power modules to Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) this month, making excellent time despite many challenges presented by COVID-19. The modules are key elements in a novel diagnostic capability jointly developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), NNSS and LLNL to be deployed in the…
Work resumes in support of stockpile modernization
The effort to resume hands-on work in support of stockpile modernization programs reached a major milestone May 7 with the successful execution of a focused experiment at the High Explosives Applications Facility (HEAF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The experiment is the first using high explosives at the Laboratory since Alameda County issued a shelter…
Planetary defenders validate asteroid deflection code
Planetary defense researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) continue to validate their ability to accurately simulate how they might deflect an Earth-bound asteroid in a study that will be published in the April issue of the American Geophysical Union journal Earth and Space Science. The study, led by LLNL physicist Tané Remington, also identified…
Laboratory researchers describe how antineutrino detectors could aid in nuclear nonproliferation efforts
A tiny, invisible particle could offer help for a big problem — the threat of nuclear proliferation. For more than six decades, scientists have been developing instruments for fundamental physics that can detect antineutrinos, particles that have no electric charge, almost no mass and easily pass through matter. Antineutrinos are emitted in vast quantities by nuclear…
LLNL, Argon Electronics sign cooperative research agreement to bolster realistic radiation training
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Argon Electronics (UK) Ltd. have reached a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that will facilitate the development of an ultra-realistic radiation simulator tool for first responders. The project, which has been funded by a Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) grant, will…
Huban Gowadia selected as Global Security director
Huban Gowadia, a longtime manager in national security programs for multiple government agencies, has been selected as the principal associate director of Global Security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Lab Director Bill Goldstein made the announcement on Thursday. Gowadia was chosen for this key Laboratory senior leadership position following a broad…
Forensic scientist wins 'outstanding' early career award
A chemist who is the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Forensic Science Center is the recipient of the 2020 “Outstanding Early Career Achievement in Forensic Science Award.” The award, given to LLNL’s Audrey Williams, is presented annually by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Past Presidents Council. This year’s award will be…
Lawrence Livermore researchers release 3D protein structure predictions for the novel coronavirus
As global concern continues to rise about a novel coronavirus spreading from China, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers has developed a preliminary set of predictive 3D protein structures of the virus to aid research efforts to combat the disease. The team’s predicted 3D models, developed over the past week using a previously peer-reviewed…
New Lab report outlines ways California could reach goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have identified a robust suite of technologies to help California clear the last hurdle and become carbon neutral – and ultimately carbon negative – by 2045. This groundbreaking study, “Getting to Neutral: Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California,” was conducted as part of LLNL’s expansive energy programs…
SIGNAL wins 'best student game'
A wargame developed by University of California, Berkeley students, with a helping hand from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) researchers, recently garnered first place at an international conference. The wargame, called SIGNAL, won the “best student game” among five finalists in the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge…
Lab physicist to lead APS’ plasma physics division
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Denise Hinkel has been elected vice chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics (DPP). Her term as vice chair began last month and is the first step in a four-year leadership commitment with APS, which culminates with service as APS-DPP chair in year three. As vice chair, Hinkel will lead…
Join the largest online wargaming event ever
The Project on Nuclear Gaming (PoNG) is hosting an online playfest for its first game, SIGNAL, a video game focused on understanding the issues surrounding nuclear deterrence and strategic stability. Thousands have signed up to play SIGNAL since the public launch in May 2019 and the experimental wargaming concept has been featured in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists…
Nuclear Science and Security Consortium meets at LLNL
Once a year, a community of university professors, students and national lab researchers who focus on nuclear science and security gather to share research updates and develop collaborations, among other tasks. Earlier this month, the group — known as the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) — held its 2019 fall workshop at the Laboratory. The 2019 NSSC workshop…
Lab's space program is on the rise
Nascent security challenges, novel scientific discoveries and new technology development opportunities are all part of outer space and in the focus of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Space Science and Security Program (SSSP). The national security community now refers to space as a “warfighting domain.” As such, it is both integral to the U.S. defense…
NARAC celebrates 40 years of operations
"What the Lab’s National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) does is it provides dispassionate science during fearful events." In one sentence, Jay Tilden summed up what NARAC has done for the nation for the past 40 years. Tilden is the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) associate administrator for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation. He joined…
Dirty bomb simulator prepares responders
If a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or "dirty bomb," ever explodes in the United States, emergency crews may be better prepared because of a simulator developed by an Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) visualization technologist. Called the RDD Studio, the model was developed by the Lab’s Ryan Chen to provide a detailed simulation of what an optimal…
Three Lawrence Livermore scientists named senior members of the Optical Society
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists Félicie Albert, Eyal Feigenbaum and Bruce Warner have been named senior members of the Optical Society (OSA), an international organization for optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators and business leaders. Senior membership status recognizes members with more than 10 years of professional experience in…
