TRIFECTA — An ARAV (Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle) sounding rocket leavesthe pad at the Kauai Test Facility June 14, one of three successful Sandia launches

in a nine-day period. More photos and information about the launches on page 4.(Photo by Michael Bejarano and Rob Shields, both 1535)

(Continued on page 3)

Like winning the lotteryAlicia Littlewolf was raised on theNorthern Cheyenne reservation inrural Montana. After several summersas a Sandia intern, she says she felt likeshe won the lottery when she washired on full time. Story on page 8.

Fun in the sunSchool’s out for the summer, butthat doesn’t mean the learningstops. Sandia brings science tothe schools in a program thatkeeps kids involved. Story andphotos on page 12.

Hi-tech cannonSandia/California researchers arekey players in a state-of-the-artArmy program to perfect a newhigh-caliber, self-propelled cannonsystem with unprecedented capa-bilities. Story on page 5.

The art and the science

FireworksVol. 59, No. 14 July 6, 2007

Managed by Lockheed Martin for the National Nuclear Security Administration

Self-assembled nanostructures functionbetter than bone as porosity increasesImproved possibilities for microelectronics, membranes

Naturally occurring structures like birds’wings or tree trunks are thought to have evolvedover eons to reach the best possible balancebetween stiffness and density.

But in a June paper in Nature Materials, theBrinker and Fan groups at Sandia and the Univer-sity of New Mexico (UNM), in conjunction withresearchers at Case Western Reserve and Prince-ton universities, show that nanoscale materialsself-assembled in artificially determined patternscan improve upon nature’s designs.

Finer scale than found in nature“Using self-assembly we can construct silica

materials at a finer scale than those found innature,” says principal investigator Jeff Brinker(1002). “Because, at very small dimensions, thestructure and mechanical properties of the mate-rials change, facile fabrication of stiff, porousmaterials needed for microelectronics and mem-brane applications may be possible.”

Nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spec-

By Neal Singer and Jeff Brinker

(Continued on page 4)

Sandia to play key rolein Bay Area-based DOEbioscience center

A partnership of three national laboratories— including Sandia — and three research univer-

sities in the San Francisco BayArea has been chosen to

host one of three nationalbioenergy research cen-ters, Secretary of EnergySamuel Bodman

announced last week.The center will be

funded by DOE through its Bio-logical and Environmental Research Genomics:

Story onpages 6-7.

BioEnergy Institute one of threeresearch centers selectedBy Mike Janes

SANDIA RESEARCHER Jeff Brinker.

Retired Sandia director and current WeaponIntern Program mentor Leon Smith was presentat the dawn of the Atomic Age. As part of the509th Composite Bombing Group at WendoverField, Utah, and Tinian Island in the Pacific, Leonwas involved in preparing the Fat Man and LittleBoy bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima andNagasaki to end World War II. At a July 9 TechSymposium at the SteveSchiff Auditorium (noonto 1 p.m.), Leon will talkabout his involvementin those historically piv-otal events as well as hisinvolvement as aweaponeer on the firstpost-war nuclear test,the Able shot of Opera-tion Crossroads. Leon’stalk will be video-linkedlive to Sandia/California’s Bldg. 915,Rm. N132 beginning at11 a.m PDT.

After his military service, Leon joined Sandia’sbomb fuzing group in 1947 (while it was stillattached to Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory).During his Labs career, Leon initiated systemsengineering in 1955and directed thecomponents,weapons develop-ment, and monitor-ing systems groupsbefore retiring in1988.

During his talk,which will be illus-trated with about 70of his personal pho-tographs, Leon willdiscuss:

• His selection in 1944 for the seven-memberfuzing group assigned to the US Army’s 509thComposite Bombing Group and his subsequentexperiences at Wendover, Utah, as the groupundertook design and flight testing activitiesunder technical direction from Robert Brode,head of the Fuze Development Group atLos Alamos.

• The fuzing group’s experiences on Tinian inthe summer of 1945, where they continued flighttesting activities and prepared Little Boy andFat Man for delivery.

• His role as a weaponeer for the first post-war nuclear test, the Able drop test of OperationCrossroads in 1946.

• His answer to the question, “How did youfeel when the bomb was dropped onHiroshima?”

Leon’s talk is the first in a new historical serieswithin the Technology Symposium program, pre-sented in conjunction with Sandia’s History andArchives group.

If you can get away from work during the noon hour next Monday(July 9), don’t miss the opportunity to hear the World War IIreminiscences of Manhattan Project veteran Leon Smith, a retired Sandiadirector who still keeps busy around here as a Weapon Intern Programmentor.

He’ll talk about his experiences with the 509th Composite BombingGroup at Wendover Field, Utah, and on the island of Tinian preparing theLittle Boy and Fat Man bombs for their role in ending the war. He laterserved as weaponeer on the first post-war nuclear test, the Able shot ofOperation Crossroads (see story at right).

Part of a new historical series within the Technology Symposiumprogram, Leon’s talk will be presented in the Steve Schiff Auditoriumfrom noon-1 p.m. MDT, and video-linked to Sandia/California’s Bldg. 915,Rm. N132, 11 a.m.-noon PDT.

* * *Sandia’s Student Internship Programs homepage notes the value

student interns provide in meeting both short- and long-term Labs goals.They do real work while they’re here temporarily, and some of themreturn as permanent employees when they finish their professionaltraining.

You’ll find a perfect example in Iris Aboytes’ page 8 story aboutAlicia Littlewolf. Alicia grew up on the Northern Cheyenne reservationin Montana, pretty far from pretty much everything. While working on anundergrad degree from Rocky Mountain College, she spent three summers asa Sandia intern, and was so impressed by the work here that afterearning a graduate degree, she came back to work full time.

It’s a fine story about a great addition to the staff, but alsoillustrates the value of the internship program.

* * *And about that internship program, our group has been fortunate in

having terrific interns for several years, and none better than the twonow resident here. Darrick Hurst, who’s been with us a year or so, isapproaching college graduation and Jacqui Cieslak, who just arrived, isfresh out of high school and college-bound in the fall.

Both jumped in quickly with contributions to the Lab News and bothare fun to have around. Jacqui had a signed piece in the previousedition, written almost immediately after she landed here. Darrick haswritten a number of stories and even had a story written about him whenhis band recently was a winner of two New Mexico Music Awards.

Nothing is absolute, of course, but Sandia’s internship program ismore than a pro forma, make-work project for kids to pick up a littlecash. They really work. They really learn. And some of them hang around.

* * *Working as we do in a world of acronyms and initialisms, they

sometimes whistle by without registering immediately. Like lab-relatedLAPD, which popped up in a couple of overheard conversations lately.Late Afternoon Pizza Delivery? Laser Amplified Peripheral Destruction?Los Angeles Police Department? What’s LAPD?

— Howard Kercheval (844-7842, MS 0165, hckerch@sandia.gov)

What’s whatLeon Smith recountsFat Man and Little Boypreparations

Sandia National Laboratorieshttp://www.sandia.gov/LabNews

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0165Livermore, California 94550-0969Tonopah, Nevada • Nevada Test Site • Amarillo, Texas •Carlsbad, New Mexico • Washington, D.C.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated bySandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the US Departmentof Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Bill Murphy, Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/845-0845Chris Burroughs, Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505/844-0948Randy Montoya, Photographer . . . . . . . . 505/844-5605Mike Janes, California site contact. . . . . . . 925/294-2447Michael Lanigan, Production. . . . . . . . . . 505/844-2297

Contributors: Janet Carpenter (844-7841), John German(844-5199), Neal Singer (845-7078), Stephanie Holinka (284-9227),Howard Kercheval (columnist, 844-7842), Iris Aboytes (844-2282),Michael Padilla (284-5325), Julie Hall (284-7761), Patti Koning(925-294-4911), Rod Geer (844-6601), and Michelle Fleming(Ads, Milepost photos, 844-4902), Darrick Hurst (intern, 844-8009),Jacqueline Cieslak (intern, 284-8432), Dept. 3651 Manager:Chris Miller (844-0587).Lab News fax ................................................505/844-0645Classified ads ................................................505/844-4902

Published on alternate Fridays by Media Relationsand Employee Communications Dept. 3651, MS 0165

Lab News Reader ServiceThe Sandia Lab News is distributed in-

house to all Sandia employees and on-sitecontractors and mailed to all Sandia retirees.It is also mailed to individuals in industry,government, academia, nonprofit organiza-tions, media, and private life who request it.Retirees (only):To notify of changes in address, contactBenefits Dept. 3332, Customer Service, at505-844-4237, or Mail Stop 1021, SandiaNational Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM87185-1021.

Others:To receive the Lab News or to changethe address (except retirees), contactMichelle Fleming, Media Relations andCommunications Dept. 3651, 505-844-4902, email meflemi@sandia.gov, orMail Stop 0165, Sandia National Laboratories,Albuquerque, NM 87185-0165.Employees:To change the number of copies of theLab News your mail stop is receiving pleasecall Honario Anaya, Mail Services Team10268-4, at 844-3796. At Sandia/Californiacontact the Mail Room at 294-2427.

LEON SMITH

The Historical Seriesexpands on the Technol-ogy Symposium’s educa-tional mission by offeringinsight into Sandia’s originsand a fuller understandingof the Labs’ evolution.Speakers bring first-handexperience with historicalevents that may shed light,or at least perspective, oncurrent issues.

The 2007 Retiree Social will be held Aug. 24,6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden,where last year’s event was also held. Sandia willalso provide a park and ride service. An invitationwith event details will be sent to retirees via mailin late July.

Retiree Social set for Aug. 24

July Thunderbirds meetingGuitarist José Salazar will perform at the July 9

meeting of the Sandia Thunderbirds (Sandia’sretiree organization) at the Mountain View Clubon Kirtland Air Force Base.

The monthly Thunderbird Club businessmeeting starts at 1:30 p.m. with the flamencoprogram following at 2 p.m. For information,contact Genelia Boenig at 836-6977.

To Sandy Smallwood (3330), on the death ofher father, Earl Stewart, who passed away June 22.

Sympathy

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 3

Biofuels(Continued from page 1)

GTL research program in the Office of Science. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

(Berkeley Lab) will lead the new center, whichwill be known as the DOE Joint BioEnergyInstitute (JBEI). It is expected toreceive $125 million in DOE fundingover its first five years.

The DOE JBEI’s other partnersare Lawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory (LLNL), the University ofCalifornia (UC) campuses in Berkeleyand Davis, and Stanford University.Plans call for the center to beheadquartered in a leasedbuilding in the EastBay area, central to allpartners. Initial workwill take place at theWest Berkeley Bio-center in Berkeley.

“The DOEbioenergy researchcenters will pro-vide the transfor-mational scienceneeded for bio-energy break-throughs toadvance PresidentBush’s goal of mak-ing cellulosic ethanolcost-competitivewith gasoline by2012, and assist inreducing America’sgasoline consumption by 20 percent in 10 years,”Bodman says. “The collaborations of academic,corporate, and national laboratory researchersrepresented by these centers are truly impressiveand I am very encouraged by the potential theyhold for advancing America’s energy security.”

Two Sandians on management teamTwo Sandians will serve on the JBEI manage-

ment team: Blake Simmons (8755) as vice presi-dent of deconstruction and Kathe Andrews-Cramer (8333) as vice president of strategic

integration. Other members include Jay Keasling,CEO of Berkeley Lab, vice president of fuels syn-thesis; Harvey Blanch, Berkeley Lab/UC Berkeley,chief science and technology officer; Wolf From-mer, Stanford University, vice president of feed-stocks; and Paul Adams, Berkeley Lab, vice presi-dent of technology.

Research at the institute will focus on biofuels— liquid fuels derived from the solar energy

stored in plant biomass. Harnessing even atiny fraction of the total solar energy avail-able each year could meet most if not all ofthe nation’s annual transportation energyneeds.

Transforming biofuels research“Diversifying our energy supply is a

critical priority for the nation. Achievingthat goal will require new scientific

breakthroughs and rapid translationof science into scalable technolo-gies,” says Sandia President TomHunter. “This partnership will

enable a synthesis of bio-sciences and engineer-ing that will trans-form the nation’sbiofuel researchcapabilities. Withthe Joint BioEn-ergy Institute, San-dia joins Califor-nia’s extraordinarynational laborato-ries and leading

research universitiesas we move forwardto set a new standardfor renewable energyresearch.”

Sandia’s role in the center will build on theLabs’ expertise in science-based engineering, com-putational science, and microsystems.

Sandia’s capabilities in enzyme engineering,systems biology, membrane transport, proteinexpression, and hyperspectral imaging areexpected to contribute significantly to the JBEImission.

Sandia’s Center for Integrated Nanotech-nologies (jointly operated with Los AlamosNational Laboratory), the Microsystems and Engi-neering Sciences Applications (MESA) complex,

and the Combustion Research Facility will playleading roles. Current bioenergy-related researchat Sandia expected to enhance DOE JBEI effortsincludes the examination of the photosyntheticproperties of various plants and microbes; analy-sis of extremophile enzymes; and related engi-neering methods that can facilitate the processingof cellulosic biomass.

Scientific studies have consistently rankedbiofuels among the top candidates for meetinglarge-scale energy needs, particularly in the trans-portation sector. However, the commercial-scaleproduction of clean, efficient, cost-effective bio-fuels will require technology-transforming scien-tific breakthroughs.

Converting biomass to biofuelResearchers at the DOE JBEI intend to meet

this challenge through the conversion of ligno-cellulosic biomass into biofuels. Lignocellulose,the most abundant organic material on theplanet, is a mix of complex sugars and ligninthat gives strength and structure to plant cellwalls. By extracting simple fermentable sugarsfrom lignocellulose and producing biofuels fromthem, the potential of the most energy-efficientand environmentally benign fuel crops can berealized.

Researchers will tackle key scientific prob-lems that currently hinder the cost-effectiveconversion of lignocellulose into biofuels andother important chemicals. They will alsodevelop the tools and infrastructure to acceler-ate future biofuel research and productionefforts, and help transition new technologiesinto the commercial sector. The goal of thecenter is to achieve measurable success withinthe next five years.

The organization of the center will featurefour interdependent science and technologydivisions:

• Feedstocks, aimed at improving plants thatserve as the raw materials for ethanol and thenext generation of biofuels.

• Deconstruction, aimed at investigating themolecular mechanisms behind the breakdown oflignocellulose into fermentable sugars.

• Fuels synthesis, in which microbes that canefficiently convert sugar into biofuels will beengineered.

• Cross-cutting technologies, which will bededicated to the development and optimizationof enabling technologies that support and inte-grate DOE JBEI research.

In addition to maintaining an Industry Part-nership Program, research at the center will beguided by an Industry Advisory Board whosemembership will come from key sectors, includ-ing feedstocks, enzymes, fuels production,biotechnology, genetics, and chemistry.

Each of the member institutes of the DOEJBEI brings unique capabilities to the partnership.The national laboratory partners operate state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation and researchfacilities. In addition to the Sandia facilities, otherassets include the Molecular Foundry, theAdvanced Light Source, and the National Centerfor Electron Microscopy at Berkeley Lab; and theCenter for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and theMicroArray Center at LLNL.

The other two DOE Bioenergy Research Cen-ters are the DOE BioEnergy Research Center, ledby the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in OakRidge, Tenn., and the DOE Great Lakes BioenergyResearch Center, led by the University of Wiscon-sin in Madison, Wisc., in close collaboration withMichigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.

For more information on DOE JBEI, visitwww.jbei.org.

TERRY MICHALSKE, director of Biological and Energy SciencesCenter 8300, speaks at a news conference during theannouncement of the formation of the DOE Joint BioEnergyInstitute. (Photo courtesy of LLNL)

“Diversifying our energy supply is acritical priority for the nation.Achieving that goal will require newscientific breakthroughs and rapidtranslation of science into scalabletechnologies.”

Sandia Labs Director Tom Hunter

In April, the SNIFFER system attended itsfirst professional hockey game.

For three days, the detect-to-warn chemi-cal monitoring system was deployed at the HPPavilion in San Jose for a series of San JoseSharks hockey games as well as one SaberCatsArena Football League game.

This was the first indoor test for SNIFFER,which was deployed earlier this year at theRose Bowl 2007 in Pasadena.

Previously, the system had been tested atthe San Francisco International Airport as wellas a series of Oakland A’s baseball games atMcAfee Stadium in Oakland.

“Indoor deployments present a unique setof challenges from increased chemical noise,which increases the potential for false alarms,”explains Ben Wu (8124), SNIFFER project man-ager. “Wireless communications are also morechallenging indoors than outdoors.”

The confined indoor environment typi-

cally exhibits higher background noise thanthat found in the large outdoor venues whereSNIFFER has previously been tested.

The detector must weed out chemicalcleaners, floor wax, perfume, food odors, andanything else that might be floating aroundin the air to detect an authentic chemicalrelease.

A huge learning value“We are happy with how the system per-

formed,” says Ben. “This deployment provideda huge learning value.”

The team is at work making improvementsbased on this experience and preparing the sys-tem for its next deployment.

The SNIFFER system, which is the groundsegment of the air/ground Rapidly DeployableChemical Detection System, was developed forthe Department of Homeland Security as adetect-to-warn system for special events. Thesystem detects 40 acutely toxic chemicals,including chemical warfare agents and toxicindustrial chemicals.

SNIFFER goes indoorsBy Patti Koning

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 4

Nanostructures(Continued from page 1)

troscopic studies performed by Roger Assink (ret.)and Dave Tallant (1822), along with molecularmodeling studies performed by Dan Lacks at CaseWestern Reserve University showed that, as theordered porous films became more porous, the sil-ica pore walls thinned below 2 nm, rearrangingthe silica framework to become denser and stiffer.

Less sensitive to increasing porosityWhile the stiffness of evolved optimized bone

declines proportional to the square of its density,mechanical studies performed by Thomas Buch-heit (1814) working with UNM studentChristopher Hartshorn showed that the stiff-

ness/modulus of self-assembled materials wasmuch less sensitive to increasing porosity: For amaterial synthesized with a cubic arrangement ofpores, the modulusdeclined only as the squareroot of its density.

The silica nanostruc-tures — basically a syn-thetic analogue of bone-likecellular structures, repli-cated at the nanoscaleusing silica compounds —thus may improve perfor-mance where increasedpore volume is important.

These include modernthin-film applications such as membrane barriers,molecular recognition sensors, and low-dielectric-constant insulators needed for future generationsof microelectronic devices.

“Bone, closely examined, is a structuredcellular material,” says Jeff, a Sandia Fellowand chemical engineering professor at UNM.“Because, using self-assembly, we had demon-strated the fabrication of a variety of orderedcellular materials at the nanoscale with worm-like (curving cylinders), hexagonal (sodastraw packing) and cubic sphere arrangementsof pores (Lab News, Oct. 6, 2000, we wonderedwhether the modulus-density scaling relation-ships of these nanoscale materials would besimilar to the optimized evolved materials[like bone].

“We found that both material structure andpore sizes matter,” says Jeff. “At all densities weobserved that the cubic arrangement was stiffer

than the hexagonal arrangement, which wasstiffer than the worm-like.”

For each of these structures, increasingporosity caused a reduction in modulus, but thereduction was less than for theoretically opti-mized or naturally evolved materials due to theattendant stiffening of the thinning nanoscalesilica walls resulting from the formation of smallstiff silica rings.

“This change in ring structure only happensat the nanoscale,” says Jeff.

Hongyou Fan (1815-1 ) created cubic, cylin-drical, and worm-like (or disordered) pores toevaluate differences in stiffness resulting fromthese differently shaped internal spaces.

Other paper authors include Dave Kissel ofUNM, Regina Simpson (1822), and SalvatoreTorquato of Princeton.

Funding was provided by DOE's Office of Sci-ence and Sandia's Laboratory Directed Researchand Development office.

“We found that both materialstructure and pore sizes matter. Atall densities we observed that thecubic arrangement was stiffer thanthe hexagonal arrangement, whichwas stiffer than the worm-like.”

Researcher Jeff Brinker

Flight tests at Kauai Test Facility Sandia successfully launched three target rockets from the Kauai Test Facility (KTF) in

a nine-day period June 14-22, says Al Lopez, Manager of KTF & Remote RangesDept. 5419.

Two ARAV (Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle) sounding rockets were launched70 seconds apart on June 14 as part of a tracking exercise for the Aegis Ballistic MissileDefense program (photo below and on page one). The launches simulated a dual mis-sile attack from a rogue country.

Aegis is the sea-based component of the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Bal-listic Missile Defense System.

In a third flight test June 22, Sandia launched a medium-range ballistic missile fromKTF (photo at left). The target warhead separated from its booster in flight, and a mis-sile launched from a Navy destroyer intercepted the warhead six minutes after launch.

Sandia conducted the launches, part of the MDA’s Flight Test Standard Missile-12(FTM-12) series, jointly with the US Navy. — John German

(Photos by Michael Bejarano and Rob Shields,both Diagnostic Applications Dept. 1535.)

The Student Internship Program (SIP) staff invites any-one interested to participate in the 12th Annual SandiaInternship Symposium at the Embassy Suites HotelTuesday, Aug. 7. The symposium provides students aforum to “show their stuff” to graduate school, corpo-rate and government agency recruiters. With anemphasis on career development, students, laboratorystaff and management and symposium exhibitors willhave an opportunity to view and to participate in work-shops and student presentations. University and fellow-ship representatives will have an opportunity to sharegraduate school programs and funding opportunities.For more information and/or to register, go to the sym-posium website on the internal Web at http://www-irn.sandia.gov/hr/staffing/sip/symposium.htm.

Annual student symposium

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 5

Researchers at Sandia/California haveemerged as key players in a US Army programthat focuses on the design and manufacture of alightweight, high-caliber, self-propelled cannonsystem.

The weapon system, known as the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS cannon), is fully auto-mated and can fireat a sustained rateof six rounds perminute. Theartillery system,once completed,must be light andagile enough to fitthree vehiclescomfortably onto aC-17 cargo aircraft.

According toproject managerNipun Bhutani(8774), Sandia’sprimary contribu-tion in the pro-gram to date hasbeen a criticaladjustment to alaser ignition sys-tem that serves asthe heart of theNLOS cannonvehicle. The can-non is part ofFuture CombatSystems (FCS), theArmy’s premiermodernizationprogram.

BAE Systems isdeveloping thissystem as part ofThe Boeing Com-pany/SAIC-led FCSprogram.

The laser ignition system was developed bythe Army’s Armament Research, Development,and Engineering Center (ARDEC), in collabora-tion with Kigre, Inc. The ignition unit is mountedon the back of the cannon’s gun barrel, where alaser beam is fired through an opening mecha-nism (the breech) to ignite a charge and launchan artillery shell.

However, says Nipun, the recoil force andshock of the projec-tile (bullet) dis-charge had causedan increase inobserved failuresduring early proto-type testing.

“The laser igni-tion system offersmuch better preci-sion, rapid fire, andautomation thanthe mechanicalmethod, and it’ssafer,” Nipun says.“But it’s obviouslynot going to be aneffective long-termsolution if reliabilitycannot be main-tained.”

Instead of aban-doning the laserignition concept infavor of traditional,mechanical igni-tion, the Armycalled in experts atSandia who dealwith shock issuessurrounding a widerange of compo-nents.

To absorb theforce from the dis-charge, Sandia pro-posed a new isola-

tion system between the laser and the breech.Vibration isolation systems are widely used toprotect sensitive devices from vibrations or shockproduced in their environment. Typical examplesinclude isolating delicate laboratory experimentsfrom floor-borne vibrations, or isolating a carbody or airplane frame from engine vibrations.

Sandia, in collaboration with BAE Systemsand ARDEC, is developing an isolation system forthe NLOS cannon that acts much like a filter andresults in much lower shock levels.

In addition to working on the isolation sys-tem, Sandia researchers have applied the Labs’modeling and experimental capabilities to hard-ening the laser igniter.

In an effort to develop the most effective iso-lation system possible, the Sandia team needed tomodel the physics and inner workings of the lasersystem components. This involved modeling thegun loads and other physical dynamics inside thelaser ignition system, particularly as it is fired.

“In keeping with Sandia tradition, we devel-oped an entire systems approach to the problem,”says Nipun. That approach included not onlyanalysis and modeling of the isolation system butbuilding a prototype and further researching thesystem’s performance and reliability. Sandia alsodid modeling work on the laser and breech. San-dia is supporting BAE Systems’ test efforts.

One of Sandia’s long-term objectives with itsNLOS cannon work, says Nipun, is to enhance itsreputation for customer service and strengthenalliances with BAE Systems, ARDEC, BenetLaboratories, and others.

Sandia team supports development of US Army’s newlightweight, high-caliber, self-propelled cannon system

THE NLOS CANNON, developed by BAE Systems, is fully auto-mated and can fire at a sustained rate of six rounds per minute.

(Photo courtesy of BAE Systems)

NIPUN BHUTANI examines the NLOS cannon’s laser ignitionunit. Nipun is leading a team of researchers in developing anisolation system to reduce shock levels. (Photo by Randy Wong)

By Mike Janes

“The laser ignition system offersmuch better precision, rapid fire,and automation than the mechani-cal method, and it’s safer.”

Researcher Nipun Bhutani

Non-Line-of-Sight cannon

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 7

Fireworks fascination: Sandian explains the science behind Fourth of July displays

tion. The burst charge ignites the stars and rupturesthe shell casing, scattering the stars into carefullydesigned directions and patterns. The patterns(geometric shapes and figures are a fairly recentdevelopment) created in the sky depend on the pre-cise arrangement of stars inside the shell.

More complicated “multibreak” shells burst inseveral phases. They may consist of a shell filled

with other shells or may have multiple sectionsthat are designed to ignite sequentially.

The principal difference between “con-sumer” fireworks (the ones sold at fireworksstands) and commercial versions is the size and

amount of energetic material, Mark says. Manymunicipalities have banned the sale and use of

some consumer fireworks within theirboundaries. In addition, the USDepartment of Transportation andthe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco andFirearms have regulations governingtransportation and storage of com-

mercial fireworks.

Creating colors, soundsCreating and controlling the col-

ors in fireworks is a complex endeavor— part art, part science. At the mostbasic level, the colors of fireworkscome from one of two mechanisms:incandescence or luminescence.

Incandescence is light generatedfrom heat (think sparkler or your stan-

dard incandescent light bulb). Heat applied to asubstance causes it to glow — first red, orange, yel-low, and finally white at high temperatures.Luminescence is produced when energy is absorbedby an electron, causing it to become excited andunstable. When the electron drops back to a lowerenergy state it emits a photon (unit of light).

Manufacturers use these phenomena, coupledwith the addition of certain chemicals, to controlthe colors of fireworks. “You see a lot of redsbecause they’re real easy to do with strontium com-pounds,” Mark says. Yellow is created with sodiumcompounds, blues with copper compounds, andgreens with barium compounds.

“Occasionally you’ll see pastels. Those are verydifficult to do because you have to pick veryspecific chemicals and be careful about the formula-tion,” he says.

If impurities enter into the manufacturingprocess, desired colors can be overpowered byother colors, or by smoke.

“The goal is very intense and pure colors,”Mark says.

The sounds that accompany fireworks are alsothe result of chemical reactions that rapidly producelarge quantities of gas. The sounds, which rangefrom gut-felt booms to whistles (produced by oscil-lating, unstable combustion phenomena), are pro-duced and controlled by using various fuel andoxidizer blends.

But let’s get something straight: The loud“thumps” you hear (and often feel) technically arenot the result of detonations. Fireworks don’t deto-nate — they deflagrate, or burn at very high rates.High explosives, which detonate, are banned fromfireworks.

The grand finales frequently employ sphericalor cylindrical shells filled with flash powder, a mix-ture of potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder.The composition rapidly deflagrates in a confinedspace, producing an explosion and intense flash oflight. This is the same mechanism behind the Mk141diversionary device (aka flash-bang grenade) devel-oped at Sandia by Paul Cooper and Ed Graeber(ret.). Several years ago, Mark developed anothertype of diversionary device that uses an explosivesource that fans out as an airborne combustiblepowder before it ignites, making it less dangerousto the user.

Future fireworksDespite the strong resemblance of today’s fire-

works to their ancient cousins, the increasing infil-tration of technology is inevitable. In particular,computer hardware and software are increasinglyplaying a role in the development of the pyrotech-nics and in designing and controlling displays.Multimedia simulation software allows pyrotechni-cians to preview and adjust their displays on theircomputer screens without lighting a single match.Other software allows them to synchronize the fir-ing of thousands of fireworks from a single controlpanel.

Perhaps on one Fourth of July in the future, a RedStorm-like computer will be used to develop and coor-dinate a fireworks display unlike any other humankindhas ever seen. And the response from the audience?The same “oohs” and “aahs” you hear today.

The art & science of

FireworksSANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 6

It’s one of the most American of traditions:trekking to a stadium or park — or sometimes to awell-positioned hill or your own backyard — to

watch the annual display of fireworks in celebrationof Independence Day, usually after a day of barbe-ques and maybe a holiday parade.

In fact, fireworks have been associated with theFourth of July holiday since the first anniversary ofthe adoption of the Declaration ofIndependence in 1777. Fireworks wereinvented by the Chinese, who are alsobelieved to have invented black powder.

“The technology really hasn’t changedmuch in a thousand years,” says MarkGrubelich (700), a mechanical engineer andpyrotechnics expert who became fasci-nated with rockets and fireworks as ayoung boy growing up in New Jersey’sHudson River Valley. The basic compo-nents of a fireworks shell — “stars,” abursting charge, a fuse, and a con-tainer — have remained fairly con-stant over the centuries, althoughthe ability to manipulate and con-trol them to produce new colors,shapes, and even sounds hasadvanced, he says.

The basic ingredientsIn commercial fireworks, the con-

tainer is a shell casing made of plastic, paper, oran easily ruptured material. Inside are stars(pyrotechnic pellets) and a bursting charge. Thestars, consisting of a fuel and an oxidizer, are dopedwith various chemicals to produce the desired colorsand effects when ignited. Hundreds of stars may gointo a single fireworks shell. The stars are producedby using a seed particle on which pyrotechnic mate-rial is applied. The seed particle typically consists ofan actual seed (harkening back to the days of theChinese inventors). The pyrotechnic materials areapplied inside a rotating drum, much like layers arebuilt up on a candy jawbreaker.

Shells are typically launched from a tube knownas a mortar. A major fireworks display might involvehundreds of mortars. Once ignited, either manuallyby lighting a fuse or electrically with an electricmatch or squib, the lift charge in the tube propelsthe shell out of the tube. Time-delay fuses enablethe shell to reach appropriate altitudes prior to igni-

MARK GRUBELICHPhoto by Randy Montoya

Story by Julie Hall

Display Shell illustration by Michael LaniganBACKGROUND PHOTO — Aerial shell explodes aboveships from many nations involved in the Rim of thePacific 2006 exercise during the 4th of July celebra-tion held at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

(Photo courtesy of Dept. of Defense)

Constant challenge and learning broughtAlicia Littlewolf (9515) from the NorthernCheyenne reservation in Montana to Sandia. As aSandia intern for three summers, Alicia loved thelearning environment.

“Because of the nature of their mission,” saysAlicia, “Sandians take pride in the work they do. Iwanted to be a part of that.”

Alicia’s internship at Sandia involved chemicalengineering. She was able to see the many aspectsof the Labs’ work, including some of its cutting-edge computer science research. After Alicia earneda degree in environmental science from RockyMountain College in Billings, Mont., and a gradu-ate degree in computer science from Montana StateUniversity, she returned to Sandia permanently.

“Before Sandia, the positions I found in envi-ronmental science did not have the learningpotential I wanted,” says Alicia. “I wanted a fieldthat was constantly changing. I wanted to workwhere I would always learn new things.”

Alicia’s hometown, Busby, Mont., has a pop-ulation of about 300 people. Billings, the nearestand largest city in Montana — it’s about a fifththe size of Albuquerque — is an hour away. AsAlicia was growing up, her family did not havecable television or a lot of other things that kidshave today, so they spent a lot of time outdoorsand reading. “My mother would take my sisterand me to the library once a week,” says Alicia.“We really looked forward to that.”

“My reservation is an economically poorplace,” she says. “We are not like a lot of thenative tribes around New Mexico. Every nativetribe is different; our tribe doesn’t have casinos.We have very limited economic opportunitiesdue to it being so rural. There are drug, alcohol,

inadequate housing, and high unemploymentproblems. I was very fortunate that my parentsmade smart decisions for a better life and shieldedme from harmful things.”

“Despite all these things, I am proud to beCheyenne from Montana,” says Alicia. “I have astrong history. We faced many obstacles as a tribeand never gave up. That is how my parentstaught me to approach my life today — if youhave obstacles, work around them, don’t giveup.”

Her father, Leonard, a reservation Head Startadministrator, and mother, Linda, a special edu-cation teacher, encouraged and supported Aliciaand her sister, Erica, in whatever they wanted todo. Alicia grew up loving both math and science.“I was always considered the smart one in class,”says Alicia. “However, there were much smarterpeople than me who did not go to college. I wasable to succeed because of the support I had frommy family.”

“One of the most important things my dadtaught me was how to adjust,” says Alicia. “Cul-ture shock is very hard for many native students.My dad has always said that a part of a native’shistory is adjustment. In my tribe’s history, we

changed our lifestyle from farmers in the GreatLakes region to Plains Indians lifestyle. Every timeI got discouraged, he told me I was Cheyenne andhad the ability to adjust and I just needed to useit. He taught me how to be comfortable in theworld outside of the reservation. He told me thateducation and learning new things were gifts.That is what kept me studying late at night orworking on projects.”

“Sandians are so helpful,” she says. “I am ableto ask questions and learn from those around me.I love the diversity, I love that I am not the onlywoman, as was the case in many of my graduateclasses. At Sandia there are always new things tolearn.

“My husband, Gernell Killsnight, and I love ithere,” says Alicia. “We are enjoying raising ourlittle girl, Neveah. Albuquerque is warmer thanMontana but still close to the mountains. NewMexico has many beautiful places. My parents areplanning to move here when they retire.

“My family is the most important thing inmy life,” she says. “Sandia is very sensitive to itsemployees and their family needs. To me, work-ing at Sandia feels like I have won the lottery.”

Alicia was recently featured inDiversity/Careers in Engineering & InformationTechnology magazine as a Native Americansoaring in technology.

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 8

Getting an education and learning new thingsare gifts for Alicia Littlewolf

ALICIA LITTLEWOLF recalls that as a child the high point of her week was the family trip to the library. The native ofthe Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana honors her tribe’s history by living the way her forebears did, nevergiving up in the face of obstacles. (Photo courtesy of Alicia Littlewolf)

“My mother would take my sisterand me to the library once a week,”says Alicia. “We really lookedforward to that.”

“In my tribe’s history, we changedour lifestyle from farmers in theGreat Lakes region to Plains Indi-ans lifestyle. Every time I got dis-couraged, [my Dad] told me I wasCheyenne and had the ability toadjust and I just needed to use it.”RESPECTING THE OLD WAYS — Alicia Littlewolf and

her grandmother in Busby, Mont.(Photo courtesy of Alicia Littlewolf)

By Iris Aboytes

“Sandians are so helpful. I am ableto ask questions and learn fromthose around me. I love the diversity,I love that I am not the onlywoman, as was the case in manyof my graduate classes.”

Each of the health care plans available to Sandiaemployees and retirees provides valuable preven-tive benefits to help you maintain a healthy life.While all the plans have unique features, eachmedical plan provides full or nearly full coveragewhen you use in-network providers for certainpreventive health care services. Taking advantageof these benefits will not only improve yourhealth, it may also save you money. Stayinghealthy is much, much cheaper than gettinghealthy.

The UHC/CIGNA medical plans cover well-baby visits and annual routine well-child, well-adolescent, and well-adult physical exams at 100percent. In addition, the plans cover routineimmunizations and flu shots at no cost to youwhen you use in-network providers. If you are asubscriber to these plans, you are eligible for aroutine physical exam once a year.

To provide an example of how your preven-tive benefit works, let’s say you are covered byUHC or CIGNA and during a routine physicalexam, you complain of fatigue. Your in-networkdoctor determines that your blood pressure is toohigh. As a follow-up to the exam, your doc wantsyou to have a diabetes screening, lipid panel, andthyroid screening. If the physician identifies theseservices with a preventive code when billing yourmedical plan, you would receive these services at

no cost to you. Take another situation: You take your 12-

month-old son to an in-network pediatrician forhis well-baby visit and immunizations. Duringthe appointment your doc sees that your son hasan ear infection. If you are a UHC/CIGNA mem-ber, the immunizations would be covered at 100percent; however, you would be responsible forthe cost of the office visit if the physician chargesextra for that. If the physician only charges forthe well-baby visit and codes it as well-baby, theclaim would be paid at 100 percent.

Your medical plan will provide full coverageunder the preventive care benefits when you usein-network providers for certain cancer screenings— as long as the provider bills it with a preventivecode and you meet the age or test-frequency limi-tations specific to your policy. These screeningsusually include an annual Pap test or prostateantigen (PSA) test, a mammogram, and a sigmoid-oscopy or colonoscopy.

Sandia’s medical plans also provide other pre-ventive care such as bone density testing andpregnancy-related screenings. Your UHC/CIGNAmedical plans cover the Zoster vaccine for shin-gles at 100 percent for members 60 and over. Thehuman papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, otherwiseknown as Gardasil, is a preventive benefit forfemale members who are between the ages of 9and 26. Refer to your Summary Plan Descriptionfor complete information on your preventivehealth benefits.

To get the most from your preventive healthcare benefit, make sure you use an in-networkprovider, confirm with the doctor’s staff that theannual physicals and screenings and lab work arecoded as preventive, and follow up with theprovider and your insurance company if claimsfor preventive care are denied or not paid at theappropriate coverage level.

In addition to taking advantage of your pre-

ventive care benefit through your medical plans,log on to either myuhc.com or mycigna.com totake the Health Risk Assessment to learn howhealthy you are and how you can get healthier.

If you have any questions about your preven-tive health care benefits, call UHC at 877-835-9855, CIGNA at 800-244-6224, or Kaiser at 800-464-4000.

Taking responsibility for your own healthcare by getting regular check-ups is an importantstep in staying in good shape. Preventive careprovisions in Sandia’s various medical plans makeit easy and economical to take that step.

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 9

An ounce of prevention . . .By knowing what your plan covers, you can help your doc help you save money

By Margaret Lovell

Using the preventive care benefitsIn 2006, nearly 8,000 Sandians, retirees, and theirdependents took advantage of the UHC well-childand well-adult routine physicals. UHC also cov-ered about 4,200 mammograms, 300 PSA tests,2,750 Pap tests, and 6,900 vaccinations and flushots.

Sandia’s onsite medical services foremployees include urgent care and preven-tive care, labs and X-rays, behavioral health,programs for expectant and new parents,and support for Sandians caring for parents.Other services are also available for interna-tional travel, disease management, and tai-lored programs for your work group. Youcan meet with exercise physiologists, regis-tered dieticians, certified diabetes educators,and even a podiatrist. There are screeningsfor cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose.Employees can get many of their preventivecare needs met without leaving work.

In New Mexico, contact HBE at 844-4237or go see them in Building 831. Appoint-ments can be scheduled by phone; walk-insare accepted only for medical emergencies,work-related injuries, the allergy clinic, andblood-pressure checks. Contractors will beseen only for medical emergencies andwork-related injuries. In California, contacthealth services at 294-2700.

The doctor will see you now

Q: I have to tell you that this entryin the Sandia Daily News does nothingbut infuriate me.

“PeopleSoft SSN to Sandia ID con-version: Because Sandia understandsthe risks of having Social Security num-bers in too many hands, HumanResource Information Systems hasbegun the PeopleSoft SSN to Sandia IDconversion project as part of the program to replace the use of SS numbers with San-dia-issued IDs. The conversion will require no action by anyone other than affectedapplication developers. The only time users will be affected by the conversion projectwill be when it moves to production, scheduled for the weekend of May 12. Duringthat weekend, users will not be able to view information in the PeopleSoft system(e.g., HR Self-Service) or update and enter new data. For more information, go to thiswebsite.”

Why am I angry? Sandia, Lockheed Martin, and DOE did not understand orcare about these risks when the SSN for personal ID was put in place in spite of thestrong objections of many of us employees. As I recall, we were told that this is theway it will be and we should sit in the corner and play with our crayons.

So the question is this: Is Sandia ever going to just give it to us in straight talkinstead of this political speak? I could have respect for an SDN entry that said, “Atlast a grievous error is being corrected and we will cease and desist using SSNs foremployee identification purposes.”

By the way, there are still Sandia forms and procedures that require the SSN to beentered. I personally do not fill these out and challenge the author or owning organi-zation to prove to me that the SSN is needed before I will use the form. After this“new” rule goes into effect, I hope all Sandians will use the rule to kill the SSN tag.

A: Identity theft is affecting millions of people every day, includingSandians. Sandia is taking precautions to limit exposure of employees’Social Security numbers by reinstating the Sandia employee identifier.

In hindsight, it would have been easier to keep the old Sandiaemployee identifier but the primary argument at the time was based onachieving efficiency by using a single identifier, commonly known as the“national identifier” or Social Security number. Social Security numberswill continue to be used, in a restricted manner, where the business dictates

usage (i.e., payroll taxes, IRS filings,etc.). Other systems and Sandiaforms must be converted to theSandia employee identifier(Sandia ID) by March 2008.

— Gary Concannon (4544)* * *

Q: Now that we are going backto the original concept of employee

ID numbers, I’m obligated to point out that the present method of controllingthose ID numbers leaves Sandians vulnerable, and financially accountable ifsomeone else uses that ID number. There is at least one corporate processwhere this is true. There might be others. Why not take the number off ourpersonal Sandia directory listing and make it at least as private as our corpo-rate credit card numbers; i.e., only accessible by a limited/trusted few people— secretaries, travel agencies, and such?

A: Your suggestion actually was acknowledged during the conversionfrom SS numbers to the new Sandia ID. The Sandia ID is a unique numericidentifier for every person who has a relationship with Sandia, whetherthey are an employee, contractor, or visitor.

The Sandia ID is not and should not be considered confidential andaccess to the numbers will not be controlled within the Sandia Directoryon the Sandia Restricted Network. There are several reasons why we feel theSandia ID does not need to be controlled.

There are no corporate systems that use Sandia ID for authentication ofa person within a corporate application. All corporate applications use theemail user-id for authenticating along with some form of credential toidentify a user.

The credentials include passwords, one-time tokens, or digital certifi-cates. We would expect that all noncorporate systems and third-partyadministrators would also use an approved authentication method. Inaddition, all corporate systems are role-based and require authorization fordata access after authenticating the identity of the person. For all of thesereasons, and others, we believe there is no private data accessible withoutproper authentication and authorization. If you need more information,contact Tracy Jones (10756) at 844-7046). — Tana Lucy (4540)

Social Security numbers and employee ID numbers

“In hindsight, it would have been easier to keep the oldSandia employee identifier but the primary argument at thetime was based on achieving efficiency by using a singleidentifier, commonly known as the ‘national identifier’ orSocial Security number.”

— Gary Concannon

Ray Shaum25 6786

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 10

New Mexico photos by Michelle Fleming

Dannie McNeill35 5424

Larry Stephenson45 1132

Nick Dereu25 12341

Mary Beth Tidwell30 4018

Nathan Bixler25 6762

Lewis Bartel40 6314

Nancy Lee16 9535

Diana Helgesen22 5419

Patrick Smith25 2625

Terrance Smith25 2431

Michael Furnish20 1647

Q: I would like to propose a question concerningan apparent IJS “level inflation” that is occurringwithin my division. Currently the Technical Staff IJSlevel criteria as published on the internal web repre-sent the floor attributes and responsibilities thatemployees must demonstrate in their jobs for classifi-cation at each level. These level criteria are by designand necessity somewhat vague. However, it appearsthat the floor of one level (SMTS, for example) doesnot represent the ceiling for the previous level (MTS,in this example).

While I understand that directors can andshould adjust level criteria within their division toensure fairness and parity and to manage their levelpopulations, some problems arise if these additionalcriteria exceed the difference in criteria that definethe floors of the different IJS levels. One problem isthat staff cannot determine with any precision whatis expected of them to be eligible for promotion toany level above their own. A second problem is thatthe descriptions of the levels occupied by staff nolonger accurately reflect their actual work, butbecause their pay relative to the rest of Sandia and tothe outside world is based on comparisons describedby their level descriptions, salaries are also not com-mensurate with their actual work.

I interpret the additional level criteria and theabsence of a ceiling on the IJS levels as an attempt toemploy and promote only the most capable staffavailable, but the effect appears to be the institutionof a pay disparity for staff and an increase in theambiguity and arbitrariness that staff must considerwhen planning their career trajectory.

Is there no fixed description or range of skills andresponsibility that staff can use as a reference togauge their potential for promotion into the nexthigher IJS level? While a line manager may concedethat a staff member’s qualifications, responsibilities,and expectations are well above the floor descriptionsof an IJS level, at least in my division this is not suffi-cient evidence to ensure a promotion to that level.

A: Thank you for a thoughtful questionabout a very important topic. It’s important thatour employees understand the IJS criteria andtheir application.

The level criteria are written as floors, not as

typical descriptions of work. While an employeemay occasionally meet a given criteria, theknowledge, skill, or ability must be a regular,accepted part of the work to meet the floor levelfor that level.

Thus, an SMTS may be a principal investiga-tor on occasion, but it is a PMTS that is regu-larly identified as having principal investigatorresponsibility. When a manager places anemployee at a given level, all of the floor criteriamust be met, not four out of five, for example.While the IJS employee design teams looked ata number of sources when developing amethodology for differentiating levels, theprimary source for level criteria was externalmarket surveys.

The level criteria in place are consistentwith the floors that other companies use tomatch their positions to market surveys. If youhave specific examples where you feel the floorof one level does not meet the ceiling of thenext, let us know and we will discuss this withthe salary survey companies. In addition, inindustry, employee populations are usually scat-tered across levels, not concentrated into onesingle level. While the majority of the popula-tion may fall in the SMLS level in a given occu-pation, for example, we would expect to seesome SMLS and, depending on the work, somePMLS level.

The criteria devised for a given ladder weremeant to cover all of the staff in that given lad-der. For example, there are thousands of technicalstaff members and it would be a difficult task totry to devise a more detailed description of crite-ria for every individual as a reference for move-ment into a higher level. Since your manager is ina better position to know your work relative toothers in the department, center, or division, themanager is in the best position to make an assess-ment of the appropriate level, taking into consid-eration the level charts as a guide and consideringthe following:

• Does the employee meet all level criteriaestablished in the level charts, and

• Has the employee consistently demon-

strated performance commensurate with the newlevel, and

• Does long-term work exist commensuratewith the level criteria.

Human Resources is responsible for estab-lishing and maintaining the various compo-nents of IJS from a corporate perspective. How-ever, it is not unusual for division-specific criteriato be established to ensure consistency at thedivision level. Your management can advise youof any division-specific criteria necessary foradvancement. Additionally, employees and man-agers are encouraged to have discussions regard-ing career development goals. A career develop-ment section is included in the PerformanceManagement Form (PMF) to facilitate such dis-cussions.

Your manager is best able to facilitate oppor-tunities for growth and development whenshort- and long-term career goals are known.Your Human Resources Consultant is also avail-able to provide guidance on career developmentopportunities. — BJ Jones (3500)

* * *Q: If an employee’s ergo assessment, doctor, or

optometrist has determined that he/she needs pre-scription lenses for use while working on a computer(to prevent eye strain or glare), is this an expense thatSandia will reimburse if the person’s primary jobinvolves working in front of a computer? I know thatSandia has a vision package that some employeesmay participate in that would cover the cost of theglasses. However, what about the deductible cost orthe fact that not all employees participate in thisvision plan? Or, what if the person has already usedthe one-time-per-year glasses purchase for anotherneed (i.e., night-driving glasses)?

A: In ordinary circumstances, computerglasses fall into the same category as other officeergonomic tools, and their purchase shouldremain at the discretion of the individual man-ager. If the manager decides not to cover the cost,the purchase of the computer glasses is theresponsibility of the employee, and he/she shouldwork through his/her vision care provider toobtain them. — Bryan Drennan (10322)

IJS job-level criteria concerns; vision plan question

Ed Hoffman20 8964

Bob Nilson20 8755

Gary Hux15 8518

SANDIA LAB NEWS • July 6, 2007 • Page 12

Fun in the sun“This stuff is so cool. I like when you guys come to my school,” says one

eager grade-school boy while building an electric motor to launch a flying pro-peller disk (see photo above). He was one of 50 children attending Sandia’s Funin the Sun science program at Valle Vista Elementary School. The educationalprogram, now in its fourth year, is part of Community Involvement’s K-12Education Partnerships.

“We go to nine elementary schools and community centers all over thecity,” says program manager Cheryl Garcia (3552). “The kids are so excitedwhen they are doing the activities that they sometimes don’t realize that theyare learning about science.”

The activities range from the chemical reaction of Harry Potter Potion tobuilding battery-powered electronic devices.

Fun in the Sun has four more stops this summer: at the Westside CommunityCenter on July 10, Barcelona Elementary on July 12, San Antonito ElementarySchool on July 19, and Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center on July 26.

Photos & story by Randy Montoya