Chevron, GE form technology alliance
GE flow meter products will be developed incorporating the Swept Frequency Acoustic Interferometry metering technology incubated in an alliance between Chevron and Los Alamos National Laboratory."Los Alamos develops unique technologies for our national security missions and these can have powerful applications for U.S. industry," said Duncan McBranch, chief technology officer for Los Alamos National Laboratory. "Strategic partnerships with industry allow us to accelerate breakthrough innovation in these areas." (Full Story)
Are drones the next target for hackers?
DHL delivery drones carry cargo that hackers may want to steal. From BBC.David Mascarenas, who works for the National Security Education Center at Los Alamos National Labs, agrees. As drones are nothing but flying computers, he says they “have the potential to exhibit never before seen security flaws that couple both cyber and physical security concerns.”
At the Los Alamos National Laboratory Engineering Institute, Mascarenas and colleagues are testing software that would make drones unpredictable – for example by taking random paths while still achieving their goals – to reduce the possibility of ambush. (Full Story)
U.S. conducts ‘successful’ analysis of updated B-61 bomb
The "full-system mechanical environment test" was the first in a line of assessments intended to verify how the B-61 bomb's new "Mod 12" variant would behave under routine conditions or accident scenarios, the National Nuclear Security Administration said in a statement.
The analysis by the Los Alamos and Sandia “is a significant achievement and gives us confidence in our ability to move forward to increase the safety and security of the bomb,” said Don Cook, NNSA deputy administrator for defense programs. (Full Story)
Radiochemistry and the study of chemisorption
Yucca Mountain tunnel. DOE photo.Dr. Bob Rundberg presented to the Mines chemistry department on radiochemistry. He works at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he has been involved with a number of important projects, including the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility.
Yucca Mountain is a site in Nevada which was under consideration for a permanent repository for the most radioactive types of nuclear waste. Before it was ultimately rejected, many studies were done to assess the viability of the site. (Full Story)
Scientists find more precise way to measure neutron lifetime
A team of Physical Measurement Laboratory scientists has achieved a five-fold reduction in the dominant uncertainty in an experiment that measured the mean lifetime of the free neutron (exceptionally long for an unstable particle), resulting in a substantial improvement of previous results. The team includes NIST, Univ. of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, Tulane Univ., Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Indiana Univ. (Full Story)
FBI Director Rates LANL Security ‘Excellent’
National FBI Director James B. Comey flanked by New Mexico law enforcement agency leaders. Daily Post photo.During a news conference in the rotunda at Albuquerque FBI Headquarters Friday, FBI Director James B. Comey Jr. described security at Los Alamos National Laboratory as "excellent." LANL and other national labs continue to be top targets for cyber and other attacks and Comey said security measures in place are meeting those challenges. (Full Story)
Six companies receive venture capital grants
The Native American Venture Acceleration Fund created by Los Alamos National Security LLC and the Regional Development Corp. has awarded a total of $60,000 in grants to six northern New Mexican businesses.“The positive responses and active engagement in the Native American Venture Acceleration Fund are encouraging,” Kurt Steinhaus, director of the Laboratory’s Community Programs Office, said in a statement. “These entrepreneurs and their companies are vital to the Northern New Mexico economy.” (Full Story)
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