Secretary Chu to Visit New Mexico’s Nuclear Security Laboratories
Energy Secretary to Deliver Remarks on the Role of Nuclear Security Labs in Meeting National ChallengesWashington, DC – U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu will make his first visit to the Department of Energy's nuclear security laboratories in New Mexico on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10. Secretary Chu will outline the critical role the laboratories will play in advancing the nuclear security agenda outlined this week by President Obama as well as the important contributions they make to addressing broad national challenges like energy security, climate change and economic development.
On Thursday, April 9, Secretary Chu will visit Los Alamos National Laboratory where he will participate in a brief photo opportunity before attending a classified tour and briefing. On Friday, April 10, Secretary Chu will deliver remarks on “The Role of the Nuclear Security Laboratories in Meeting National Challenges” and tour the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Microelectronics Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories.
Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories are administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration, a separately organized agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science.
Tour of Los Alamos National Laboratory
Who: U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
What: Photo Opportunity
When: Thursday, April 9
4:30 PM (MDT)
Where: LANL computing center.
*** NOTE: Interested media should contact LANL Communications Office at (505) 667-7000 or (505) 665-9202 ***
Tour of Sandia National Laboratory and Speech on "The Role of the Nuclear Security Laboratories in Meeting National Challenges"
Who: U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
What: Speech at Sandia National Laboratory
When: Friday, April 10
9:00 AM (MDT)
Where: Steve Schiff Auditorium
Sandia National Laboratories, Bldg. 825
*** NOTE: A tour of the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) facilities and a press availability will follow Secretary Chu's address. ***
Reporters interested in covering the remarks should contact Michael Padilla at (505) 284-5325. Sandia media relations personnel will escort media onto Kirtland Air Force Base from the Gibson Gate. Media are asked to meet at the southeast corner parking lot at the intersection of Gibson and Louisiana at 8:15 a.m.
Media contact(s):
Media contact: (202) 586-4940
NNSA Public Affairs: (202) 586-7371
27 comments:
Doesn't look like he'll be at LANL for very long. Just a brief photo op and quick tour and then he's gone. Why no meeting with the employees in the auditorium?
Humm...looks like someone had a change of mind. Perhaps now Dr. Chu will have something to say about the role of nuclear energy.
Senate budget revives 'nuclear pork'
"Nuclear energy advocates quietly slipped an extra $50 billion for an Energy Department program into the Senate's budget blueprint last week, giving new life to a provision that had been rejected as "nuclear pork" in February's economic stimulus bill.
The same proposal was stripped from the stimulus bill after a leading environmental group, Friends of the Earth, called it a bailout for the nuclear power industry. At the time, the group ran ads attacking the sponsorship by Sen. Robert F. Bennett, Utah Republican, and called on Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, to spurn the provision."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/08/senate-budget-revives-39nuclear-pork39/
"Hello, I'm Secretary Chu. You all look like decent people. That's why I'm giving you advanced notice that the Laboratory will begin its closure plan next year. Thanks y'all for coming out on this windy day to see me and for your years of dedicated service. Best wishes. Good luck. Don't forget to turn out the lights. Gotta go now. Bye."
I think that it boarders on "Rude" to not address the employee's at LANL. If Chu had any good news at all, you bet he would speak to the employee's. But this is more of a token vist to LANL before (they) will make some major cut backs. I say they, NNSA DOE and Congress not Chu, he just carries out their request.
At least now Mr. Chu can say he at least visited LANL before he cut the living shit out of our budget and mission. We will be down to about 4000 FTE's before 2010. This is not a drill, we have survived in the past with the help of Sen. Domenici, we have no one to bail us out this go-around. Where's Mr. Udall? Anyone seen this guy lately? hmmm
Sen. Udall has called for LANL to diversify our mission, but he speaks in exremely vauge terms, and without much of a long term funding plan. Their are no long term funding sources left, you think money for the lab's is tight now just wait until next year when the balance sheet comes in for the latest round of historical spending.
Under this new plan Chu and NNSA, can pretty much cut our way of life at LANL, yes friends, I truly belive that LANL has come to it's final days, for better or worse.
Does it sound like PAntex may be the place to work?
The only remaining question: How long before the pink slips arrive?
By all means, have Dr. Chu take a tour of the old, abandoned Admin building. That way he'll have a good idea how most of LANL will look once the cutbacks begin.
If he wants to really get the true flavor of Los Alamos, have him visit when some of our "best & brightest" scientists working in those old and decrepit 1950's buildings with mold and leaky roofs. Ahhh, that's the Los Alamos we all know and love!
Oh, and remember to hide all the remaining bottle water dispenser. Place them under a shroud so we don't get in trouble with DOE auditors.
Dr. Chu, be sure to ask Mikey how much he enjoys driving his nice, fancy sports car. Perhaps DOE can also get one for you, too!
my question is where are our lanl lobbyists? we need to send this man some strippers, a bottle of champagne, and some little spending cash for the casinos, right mikey?
I Hope that the secretary gets to see this blog! It may, however, be possible to identify some of the contributors by their special spelling practices.
The writers in this blog often seem to overlook the one thing that could save their jobs and the lab. They must learn, just as every successful scientific organization has, to write proposals that can stand peer review. Doesn't anyone understand how science works in the rest of the US? It's not the same as LDRD funding. Successful proposers put together a package that includes many things including a well-developed concept and, if possible, previous publications or reports, a record of meeting the proposal time scale and a competitive costing. I believe that a need for the whole package may be a surprise to some because LANL has a history of funded programs that were based on half-baked ideas funded through secret or, at least, uncompetitive channels. Some of the biggest programs in LANL history were not subjected to a proper review. (a hint: Every program with a Big laser, Big beam or a building full of capacitors)Many of these have been listed in previous postings.
In the honesty that anonymity allows, I found, when I was full-time at LANL, that it was much too easy to get funding through channels that had no peer review.
I heard that Anastasio decided to insulate Dr. Chu from the dirty LANL masses. This sends a clear and cold message in terms of what Anastasio thinks of employees of this Laboratory. Dr. Chu should have demonstrated some leadership and directed Anastasio and his LANS management to sit in their office's while he (Chu) met and talked to the employees of LANL.
Well, 6:25 PM, I can assure you that none of our chicken-shit line managers will ask Anastasio at the next "All-Managers Meeting" (if they have one in the next few months) why the fuck he didn't have Chu meet with the troops and what a negative message that sent.
Let me see if I got this right. Chu got a tour of Sandia's microelectronics lab while we had Anastasio show him our giant video game? Honestly, I think even Terry would have done better than that. I do agree that is was rude of Dr. Chu not to discuss issues with the troops. He seems to like to put his head in the sand on real issues.
Today's Lab Email (April 9, 2009)...
Message from the Director
Subject: Welcome to Secretary Chu
Los Alamos National Laboratory has a long history of world-class science on behalf of the nation, and we continue to be at the forefront of many of the world's scientific advances. This afternoon, I am pleased to host Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and NNSA Administrator Tom D'Agostino here at LANL. This is Secretary Chu's first visit to our Laboratory since he was named DOE Secretary by President Obama.
While Secretary Chu is here, he will view computer simulations at our Power Wall and receive briefings from Lab scientists whose research is helping address some of our nation's most pressing problems. Per his request, we have also arranged a roundtable discussion with roughly a dozen LANL scientists to allow him to have open, candid conversations about the state of science here at the Lab.
Following his visit here, Secretary Chu will travel to Albuquerque for Friday morning briefings at Sandia National Laboratories. And on Friday morning, he will speak from Sandia to employees at all three NNSA Labs on "The Role of the Nuclear Security Laboratories in Meeting National Challenges." We have arranged for Secretary Chu's talk to be broadcast live beginning at 9 a.m. on LABNET Channel 9.
We have much to be proud of at the Lab, and this is a wonderful opportunity to offer Secretary Chu a window into the important national security science we do here to serve our nation.
-----------------
Why did LANS wait until the very day of Dr. Chu's visit to inform the staff that he would be here? And who were the hand-picked scientists who met with him for a "candid discussion" this afternoon about the state of science at LANL. Were Mike and Terry allowed in the room?
Shame on you, Mike Anastasio! LANS secretive handling of this visit is a new low.
>>> Why did LANS wait until the very day of Dr. Chu's visit to inform the staff that he would be here?
For the same reason they don't announce when high-level administration figures fly into Baghdad?
4:02 seems to make a simple point that needs a response. The local papers frequently describe projects where Los Alamos scientists are making important breakthroughs. I remember, in particular, that injecting a plasma into a gasoline engine will improve mileage and pollution. The lab also brags about having the most RD 100 awards every year. Don't these successes lead to much more funding? What's the problem?
"4:02 seems to make a simple point that needs a response. The local papers frequently describe projects where Los Alamos scientists are making important breakthroughs. I remember, in particular, that injecting a plasma into a gasoline engine will improve mileage and pollution. The lab also brags about having the most RD 100 awards every year. Don't these successes lead to much more funding? What's the problem?
4/9/09 8:10 PM"
You are the problem.
8:10 pm: "Don't these successes lead to much more funding? What's the problem?"
These are only "successes" if they result in actual, marketable, progress. Most "advances" don't. They lie fallow until someone with adequate capital and imagination can make a profit, maybe never.
Alb. Journal shows Chu listening to Ott on "chemical storage of hydrogen."
Good. Maybe Ott has a chance at getting a job at NREL (DOE's National Renewable Energy Lab)
Our group just lost another bright and promising young scientist this week...Sigh ;-(
Can't blame people for wanting to get out of this place.
These anonymous notes make interesting reading when they don't dwell on personalities or insults.
This string of comments summoned up a memory. Plasma-assisted internal combustion was a local idea heavily promoted by technically ignorant LANL publicists. Any physical chemist among us recognized nonsense but no one spoke out. What fraction of press releases on familiar topics do my colleagues find truthful?
This policy of dissemination of lies predates all the issues mentioned in this blog and no one at LANL speaks out.
"Good. Maybe Ott has a chance at getting a job at NREL (DOE's National Renewable Energy Lab)" - 11:33 AM
Let's see, of the presenters trotted out for Dr. Chu's viewing pleasure, we can imagine....
Ott ===> NREL
Wingate ===> NCAR
Korber ===> CDC/NIH
Klimov ===> UC? (Academia)
These other institutions are eager to snap up top talent and current salary info I've seen indicates they are willing to pay for it, unlike LANL where the official 'Scientist' position is quickly losing status. LANL wants plant engineers, not scientists.
That just about covers it in terms of moves. Now get back to work designing those bombs that neither Congress nor this Administration seem to want around.
For your eyes only -- LANS' secret lab diversification project has just been leaked to the press...
7 (Crazy) Civilian Uses for Nuclear Bombs - Wired Magazine, April 10, '09
blog.wired.com/wiredscience/
2009/04/yourfriendatom.html
4/10/09 2:12 PM .."
Our group just lost another bright and promising young scientist this week...Sigh ;-( "
Who?
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